Plan for UK coal mine brings hope to some, horror to others

By JO KEARNEY and JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

WHITEHAVEN, England (AP) — A proposal to dig a new coal mine in northern England is presenting a dilemma for the British government just as it prepares to host an annual United Nations climate conference. West Cumbria Mining wants to build Britain’s first deep coal mine in three decades to extract coking coal, which is used to make steel. The coal would be processed in Whitehaven, 340 miles northwest of London. Environmentalists say the project sends a disastrous message on the eve of the two-week U.N. conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The British government is aiming to generate all of the U.K.’s electricity from clean energy sources by 2035, but has promised economic investment for England’s neglected north.