JERRY SOBATTA, Hermiston

A letter writer (Dec. 14) stated "coal is dirty" in reference to the controversy of shipping coal from Wyoming and Montana to China.

I am sure the letter writer was correct in stating China is building new, coal-fired plants for electrical energy production.

We were in China for 17 days a few years back, and our well-educated Chinese guide said China has a severe power shortage. He also stated China has enormous coal reserves, but he said the coal is of poor quality and creates severe pollution.

If the United States can ship high-quality coal from the western U.S., it would help alleviate the pollution in China and also global atmosphere.

Selling our coal to China is a win-win situation. It would help our trade balance and help our economy.