There are six coal power plants within 25 miles of the Evansville, Indiana area.
The power plants are the reason why I live in Evansville. I moved here six months ago with my family. I am the plant manager for one of these power plants. I earn six figures a year, and this is one of the only reasons why I continue to work in the industry. The coal plant isn’t a great job, but it certainly pays the bills. I have to get up at 5 in the morning and drive an hour to the Evansville, Indiana location. Traffic is a nightmare, because everyone is on their way to Indianapolis. There is often coal dust all over the plant and I have to take off my respirator to talk to employees and staff members. There are a lot of problems with coal, but it is a valuable fossil fuel and very cheap to use for heating. It’s cheaper to heat with coal than oil, gas, propane, or wood. I was sick last week, so I went to the doctor for the first time in months. The doctor suggested I had a terrible throat infection and said it was due to all of the coal dust. He suggested it might be time to think about retiring, but my family and I just moved to Evansville and I just started this new job. I’m finally out of the plant and in an office position and I’m not ready to retire. I love my job and I only have five more years until I reach the retirement age. I’m just counting down the days until my wife and I can finally sell the house and start traveling.