A New Day for the Coalfields, 4-page paper
1-page summary handout
Partial wording of a law
4-minute Video presentation
5-minute Video of local effort in Utah
A bill which pays benefits to workers for 5 yrs, not 10, is Save Our Future
Comparison of bills in Congress
Similar ideas to cover all fossil fuel workers
Statements on transition from
and $13 Billion to Support Coal Communities over 10 Years, if Most Mines Close
"Wage and benefit support for coal miners and their communities, like New Day for the Coalfields, are important for miners who lose work."
The maximum cost would be if all 50,000 coal miners lost their jobs over 10 years. Supporting the workers and their communities would cost $26 billion over 10 years, comparable to the $28 billion in tax breaks for fossil fuels (table 13-1), and less than 1.3% of the $2 trillion to $4 trillion revenue over 10 years from various energy proposals. Administration can be done by existing Workforce Boards or other experienced groups.
Oil and gas jobs are also in decline, though not as much as coal (see detail 2014-2017, summary 1985-2020).
Panel discussion June 2019 with speakers from West Virginia and Brookings Institution (DC).
Letters to editors (write your own!):
- Need transition help: Dominion Post, Inter-Mountain, Weston Democrat, Herald-Mail
- Paying for CO2 capture & transition: Herald-Dispatch
- Op-ed: Gazette-Mail
Next Steps:
People can ask their members of Congress to adopt A New Day for the Coalfields. You can give them the 4-page paper and the partial wording of a law.
You can write a letter to the editor to local papers, where you ask readers to support this plan.
This is a draft plan to start discussions, written by people in West Virginia and Indiana. Please send ideas and reactions. Email: coal@yrr.info
Comparison of bills in Congress
Experience with past efforts to retrain workers
Comparison of pay in different energy jobs
Other sources for a transition for fossil fuel workers
State severance taxes on coal, gas & oil in 2004-7
Many members of Congress have sponsored transition help for fossil fuel workers:
A New Day for the Coalfields
Workers:
The United States has 46,000 coal miners. Coal jobs have declined (see coal graph) from automation and less coal for electricity. 82% of utility executives expect to use less coal in the next 10 years. Coal miners bear the brunt of the country's energy cycles. The areas where they live often have few other jobs.
They deserve support when they're laid off, temporarily or permanently. A printable 4-page paper describes wage and benefit guarantees and other support needed by coal miners:
Proposed Support for Coal Miners
$4.8 Million per 100 Miners per Year. Or if Most Mines Close, $13 Billion for Miners over 10 Years
