Hawaii’s Last Shipment of Coal

Hawaii has said goodbye to coal, and will be doing its best to phase out oil, as an increasingly rich mix of renewables comes on line.

From Governor David Ige: “This week Hawaii is receiving its final shipment of coal,” said in a statement. “This is a huge step forward in Hawaii’s transition to clean energy. In its time, coal was an important resource for Hawaii and I’d like to thank the workers who have run our last remaining coal plant.”

It seems to me that this is the proper way to think of fossil fuels in general.  In their day, they made enormous contributions to all humankind.  There is no reason to revile the coal industry; it’s simply time for it to step aside.