Ohio Valley Resource, West Virginia Public Broadcasting – Bobby Bowman mined coal in West Virginia for 12 years before his employer shut down. Read article.
“I don’t think that mine will ever open again,” he said.
Bowman lives in Welch, in the south of the state, where he worked at the Pinnacle Mine, which shut down almost exactly one year ago, putting him and about 400 others out of work. After waiting a month in hopes someone would buy Pinnacle and the mine would reopen, Bowman decided to do a four-week training program offered by the United Mine Workers Career Center. He enjoyed it and earned a certification in heavy equipment operation. But when he came back home, he struggled to find a job in the field. So Bowman took matters into his own hands.
