During the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, Gov. Patrick Morrisey showed his continued willingness to stand up for a “future for coal.”

He spoke to Fox News Digital, saying he is “very hopeful” on coal partly because of what he believes is an impending information technology arms race with China.

“And we have to catch up to what they’re doing in terms of the Chinese use of coal and many, many different types of fuel sources, because we can’t let them get ahead of us as they’re building capacity in AI, superintelligence, robotics and advanced manufacturing,” he told the news outlet.

While Morrisey looks at increasing capacity at some coal-fired power plants and prioritizing production, it is encouraging to note Morrisey understands West Virginia is capable of fueling our region and beyond with “many different types of fuel sources.”

That goes hand-in-hand with talk of an “all of the above” approach to energy in Charleston.

On the permitting front, Morrisey says he expects help from the White House.

“I think states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania and many other states have a chance to work closely with the Trump administration,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s going to be a lot easier, because they know how important it is to reassert American energy dominance — if you get the permitting right.”

Imagine the possibilities if Mountain State residents don’t have coal knocked out from under them, but rather used as a stepping stone toward that “all of the above” transition that will eventually do right for both the planet AND the people living on it. Imagine if permitting and technology research work together to let us compete with China in fields such as rare earth mineral extraction so that we are ahead of the game both in building new technology and fueling it.

While Morrisey is correct that, for now, coal is available and affordable, his words during the National Governors Association meeting should help us all see a future in which coal doesn’t define us, it helps us transition to all that is possible if government gets out of our way.

– The Inter-Mountain, Elkins, W.Va.