A New Day for Fossil
Fuel Workers
Workers:
In 2017 the United States had almost 2 million
jobs in oil and gas industries, about half at gasoline stations. About 360,000 of
these jobs, listed in the table below, are estimated to disappear permanently
as the country switches to renewable fuels. Another 100,000 jobs were in coal
mining and coal-fired power plants, of which about 73,000 are expected to
disappear. Even without renewables, jobs are disappearing due to mechanization,
automation, and the price shift from coal to natural gas. (See detail 2014-2017, summary 1985-2020).
The workers deserve support when they're laid
off, temporarily or permanently. A printable paper describes several types of
support needed by fossil fuel workers.
This page includes
coal miners along with other fossil fuel workers. A separate page shows coal miners separately.
A New Day for Fossil Fuel Workers
- 4-page paper
Partial wording of a law Comparison of bills in Congress Members of
Congress who've been involved (see map below) Statement on transition from AFL-CIO
Proposed Support for
Fossil Fuel Workers
$5 Million per 100 Workers
per Year or $120 Billion for Fossil Fuel Workers over 10 Years
and $23 Billion to
Support Fossil Fuel Communities over 10 Years
Would you email a message of support?
"Transition
programs for fossil fuel workers and their communities, like New Day for Fossil
Fuel Workers, are important for people who lose work."
|
2017 Industry
Code (NAICS) |
Industry, more
detail on each at https://www.naics.com/search/
|
March
2017 employees |
Estimated
Jobs Lost in 10 Years |
Average Pay of Jobs Lost |
|
|
|
|
|
Percent |
Number |
|
|
|
Jobs in Oil+Gas Industries below |
1,961,000 |
|
362,250
|
$84,000 |
|
|
Jobs in
production sectors (25% drop estimated) Assume State+local
severance +property taxes from oil+gas will drop in
proportion to these job losses |
534,000
|
|
133,500
|
|
|
|
Assume use of natural
gas and gasoline drops 25% in 10 years, so jobs to produce them drop
25% |
||||
|
211 |
Oil and gas extraction
(includes natural gas purification 211130) |
109,000
|
25% |
27,250
|
$129,000 |
|
32411 |
Petroleum refineries |
64,000 |
25% |
16,000
|
$123,000 |
|
213112 |
Support
activities for oil and gas operations |
217,000
|
25% |
54,250
|
$80,000 |
|
33313 |
Mining and oil
and gas field machinery manufacturing |
44,000 |
25% |
11,000
|
$71,000 |
|
4247 |
Petroleum and
petroleum products merchant wholesalers |
100,000
|
25% |
25,000
|
$79,000 |
|
|
Assume natural
gas for electricity drops 30%, where carbon capture not cheap enough to
compete with renewables |
||||
|
221112 (part) |
Nat.gas
or oil electric plant, 30% job losses, and half transfer to
other plants |
23,000 |
15% |
3,450 |
$110,000 |
|
|
Assume new pipes
rarely needed; but existing pipelines and gasoline stations keep operating
for remaining customers. |
||||
|
23712 |
Oil and gas
pipeline and related structures construction |
212,000
|
90% |
190,800
|
$75,000 |
|
4861 |
Pipeline transport,
crude oil |
13,000 |
0% |
|
$114,000 |
|
4862 |
Pipeline
transport, natural gas (2014 not reported) |
30,000 |
0% |
|
$122,000 |
|
48691 |
Pipeline
transport, refined petroleum products, including gasoline |
8,000 |
0% |
|
$121,000 |
|
2212 |
Natural gas distribution |
89,000 |
0% |
|
$92,000 |
|
447 |
Gasoline
stations |
944,000
|
0% |
|
$21,000 |
|
|
Assume new wells
are less valuable, since declining use worldwide can be met from existing
wells |
||||
|
213111 |
Drilling
oil and gas wells |
69,000 |
50% |
34,500
|
$87,000 |
|
|
Assume other
petroleum products, which emit little, stay unchanged |
|
|
|
|
|
32412 |
Asphalt
paving, roofing, and saturated materials manufacturing |
27,000 |
0% |
|
$68,000 |
|
324191 |
Petroleum lubricating
oil and grease manufacturing |
12,000 |
0% |
|
$82,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2121 |
Coal mining, 7% in metallurgical coal will remain |
50,000 |
93% |
46,800
|
$78,000 |
|
221112 |
Coal electric plant,
half workers transfer to other plants |
52,000 |
50% |
26,000
|
$110,000 |
|
|
Sources: |
|
|
|
|
4-page paper with
full details
Supporting the workers and their communities
would cost $143 billion over 10 years, or less than 5% of likely revenue from carbon pricing.
Administration can be done by existing Workforce Boards or other experienced groups.
Next Steps:
People can ask their members of Congress
to adopt A New Day for Fossil Fuel
Workers. 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,.
Please send ideas and reactions. Email: oil+gas@yrr.info
Comparison of bills in
Congress
Experience with past efforts
to retrain workers
Comparison
of pay in energy jobs
Other sources for a transition for fossil fuel
workers
Many members of Congress have sponsored
transition help for fossil fuel workers:
