This week the Washington Post featured two articles on the downturn of West Virginia’s coal economy. With 10,000 miners losing their jobs in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky in the past two-and-a-half years, and the surge in national gas production, the coal industry’s most recent bust might be longer lasting, if not permanent. Read more here. The question remains, what will policymakers do to prepare West Virginia for an economic transition?
With its high rate of poverty, could it be that West Virginia suffers from a “resource curse”? It’s an economic theory that areas rich in natural resources can have a population that suffers economic struggles, an idea that seems to describe southern West Virginia. Read more.
Registration for The Our Children Our Future Policy Symposium closes on September 2 so if you have not yet reserved your spot, today is the day! The event continues to grow as the date nears, with more speakers, including several candidates for the event on Tuesday night, September 9.
Take a minute and register today so your space is reserved!
“My grandfather once told me there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to be in the first group; there was much less competition.” Indira Gandhi
“Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from above; they are forced by pressures from below.” Roger Baldwin
