A Fair Transition for Midwest Coal Counties Don Barrett/Flickr
James Gignac, lead Midwest energy analyst | May 4, 2021, 6:00 am EDT
Across the country, including here in the Midwest, we are transitioning away from coal as a fuel source. While this brings important emission reductions and new opportunities for clean energy development, we still don’t do a great job supporting communities and workers who directly affected by the transition away from coal.
A new report by UCS and the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) aims to address this need. Entitled
Additionally, the analysis identified 462 counties (out of a total of 3,142 counties or county-equivalents in the United States) that have a direct connection to coal such as having coal mines or having a recently retired or still operating coal-fired power plant. The analysis then identified 10 risk criteria, also referred to as vulnerability criteria, to a
How to Support our Energy Veterans Señor Codo/Creative Commons (Flickr)
How to Support our Energy Veterans
Jeremy Richardson, senior energy analyst | May 4, 2021, 6:00 am EDT
As climate advocates, we support the shift away from coal and toward cleaner forms of energy, pointing out the reasons that we need to accelerate that trend. While the move away from coal helps reduce heat trapping emissions and improves public health, the closure of coal mines and coal-fired power plants often leave economic upheaval in their wake.
Just take a look at Adams County, Ohio, which in 2018 faced the closure of two coal-fired power plants, by far the largest employer in the county. Community leaders faced a sharp drop in tax revenue, and individual workers suddenly had to figure out how to provide for their families while staying in the communities they called home. The people harmed by the upheaval are the very men and women e