Charleston Gazette-Mail – Fifty-two years removed from this historic tragedy, the writing is on the wall for the industry that — with all of its problems — once nourished my community. Coal is declining, and rapidly. Market forces and regulation, partially driven by the accelerating climate crisis, are moving the world toward cleaner energy sources and technologies that are safer to acquire. Read op-ed.
In scores of communities like mine, this is causing West Virginians to experience a wrenching economic and social transition. And the people I know are not in denial — they understand, on a personal level, that this transition is real and inescapable.
What they want to know is: How can West Virginians help create a fair transition that moves us forward, while respecting the sacrifices that communities like mine have made to build America?
Because this issue hits so close to home, my organization — the West Virginia Center on Climate Change — will be co-sponsoring a free public program titled “Leaving No One Behind: Ensuring a Fair Transition for Workers and Communities” in Charleston — on Wednesday Feb. 5, in Room 202 of the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, from 7-9 p.m.
