West Virginia Public News Service – Kentucky political leaders across party lines are looking for ways to diversify their state’s economy, after big job losses hit the coal industry. Some feel West Virginia leaders need to do the same. On Dec. 9, Kentucky will host a Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) symposium in Pikeville to discuss what eastern Kentucky needs to do, now that it has lost 6,000 coal jobs over a year and a half. Read
Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and Republican Congressmen Hal Rogers are working together on the project. Rogers said he’s a strong supporter of coal in its environmental battles.
“However, we are where we are. What I’m trying to do with the governor is to put together a solution to the problem, regardless of where the problem came from,” Rogers said.
