Robbie Harris reports.
The new administration has as one of its urgent goals, to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and create a new clean energy economy. Community advocates want to make sure former coal country is not forgotten as the nation transitions to new energy sources.
“We really have a moment where there s a chance for bold action on climate change.”
Jeremy Richardson is Senior Energy Analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“And I think what we re saying is, when we make those ambitious commitments to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, we really need to make sure that everybody has a fighting chance to be a part of that new clean energy economy. And that means really targeting and being deliberate about driving investments into the communities that have helped power our nation for generations.”
The Daily Yonder The Biden Administration Promises to Clean Up Mine Land and Create Jobs in Appalachia. Here Are Some Steps It Can Take. A new administration brings potential to address Appalachia’s economic and environmental issues on a wider scale.
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A landslide near an abandoned mine site in Perry County, Kentucky. (Photo courtesy Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet)
This story was published in partnership with Southerly.
A century of fossil fuel extraction has left Appalachia environmentally and economically degraded. With the coal industry on its last leg and company bankruptcies piling up, taxes that fund crucial public services are drying up; unemployment and poverty are worsening; abandoned mines are polluting and endangering communities.