The recent death of two coal miners in a fire in West Virginia compounded the lingering emotion from the loss of 12 coal miners in a December explosion at another mine.

These tragedies have led to articles and pundits speculating as to whether the risks involved with mining are worth the benefits. The recent successes of states such as Pennsylvania in fostering new technology and alternative energy may contribute to speculation about the end of coal as a long-standing fuel source.

A common misconception is that most people do not heat with coal any more. What they don't realize is that coal supplies over half of the fuel for generating electricity.

It's hard to imagine that the 1s and 0s zipping through fibers on the Internet are powered by dead plant and animal life from millions of years ago. The Internet just would not be possible without coal and other fuels that supply the electricity it needs. It is true that the technology that we Pennsylvanians use in our daily life has advanced quite a bit since coal first became a primary power source. Coal should be associated with Pennsylvania's future and not merely our past.

The bottom line is that Pennsylvania remains a leading coal producer and a leading coal user. What does the future hold?

In recent testimony in the Legislature, I emphasized the importance of the coal industry and Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Technology, which uses clean coal technology to achieve the environmental benefits of natural gas electric generation with the lower costs associated with coal.

Gov. Ed Rendell encourages the construction of coal gasification facilities that turn coal into gas to be used instead of natural gas. This is particularly appealing this winter considering that natural gas prices have increased 40 percent for many. These plants are much cleaner than conventional coal-fired plants. The governor calls his initiative EDGE -- Energy Deployment for a Growing Economy.

In my opinion, super-clean coal gasification technology is Pennsylvania's energy trump card for the 21st century. With Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Technology, we can generate electricity cleanly and produce synthetic gas economically at $6 per thousand cubic feet, which is half the recent price of natural gas.

From a 300-year supply of coal that can be burned easily -- and cleaner -- using gasification technology, to the wind potential atop the Allegheny Mountains, to the biodigesters possible in a large farming state, Pennsylvania has a bright future if policymakers have vision and perseverance.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to fulfill the promise of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards law of 2004. This law is designed to provide clean energy for more than 1 million homes in Pennsylvania within 15 years. Under the law, developing technologies may, over time, become more economical than conventional energy sources.

There are those who invoke the cliche that government should not be picking and choosing technologies. If one examines the last 75 years of technology development, one realizes this is profoundly wrong. The first computer was used in World War II to calculate shell trajectories for the Army artillery. The Internet was developed as a U.S. Department of Defense Office of Research project to give the military a communication system that could survive a major hit.

Government has successfully nurtured technology. While Integrated Combined Coal Gasification technology is one of the recognized Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards resources, I believe additional emphasis should be focused on this technology.

Coal gasification may provide the state and nation with an environmentally sound domestic energy alternative that should be encouraged to the fullest extent possible.

Coal has a proud history in Pennsylvania, created through toil and tragedy, hope and heroism. We must honor that history by ensuring coal has a proud future in Pennsylvania as well. BILL SHANE is a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.