Why Divesting From Appalachian Coal Is Not That Simple

Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland, OR area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Growing up, she spent summers in Maryland with her grandparents, walking sections of the Appalachian Trail or visiting historical sites in the area. More recently, she hiked the trail in full for the first time and fell absolutely in love, especially with its rich history. She was especially taken by the trail’s natural history and the way it links together the American story, from the site of George Washington’s inoculation of troops against smallpox to the last battlegrounds of Shay’s Rebellion. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.

Mining has been integral to Appalachia for over a century. Figures like the highly celebrated Lawrence B. Finzel, once called “the champion coal miner of the world” for his above-average work ethic, is just one example of how the coal mining industry defined the region and was also a major source of cultural pride.

However, recent calls for greener energy production threaten to end the practice of coal mining in the Appalachian Basin. Opposition to environmental activism says that ending coal would disrupt communities, take away jobs, and make Appalachia a poorer place.

Divesting from Appalachian coal can provide new opportunities and improve the ecology of the Appalachian basin. Without coal mining, streams and valleys can be renewed and communities can pivot towards industries and professions that are viable in the long term.

Of course, folks in Appalachia will need support to make the transition a successful one, but they have the aptitude and resilience to prosper in a greener future.

Coal Mining in Wise County, VA photo taken by Jimmy Emerson

Energy Reliance

We need to adopt a greener model for energy production. However, a growing population and steadily rising demand for electricity means that we need a stable, reliable energy source like coal.

While coal consumption has dropped in the past decade, we still use 501 metric tons for electricity production alone — that makes coal the second-largest energy source in the country.

The coal-fired plants in Appalachia are essential to meet current and future electricity demands. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Appalachia region accounts for 27% of the coal produced in the United States. This coal is sent directly to power plants, where it is burnt to produce steam for turbines that, in turn, create energy for electricity. Without coal-fired plants, we simply could not meet the energy demands of modern-day America.

U.S. Energy Information Administration

Fortunately, climate activist groups and clean energy providers believe that Appalachia could be the perfect site to host the transition toward renewable energy. Appalachia’s existing infrastructure and geographical proximity to electric markets make the Basin an alluring proposition for wind and solar energy plants.

Brad Kreps, a program director for The Nature Conservancy says that the wasteland left behind by surface coal mining and coal fields could be made productive again by green energy, too. This widespread adoption of solar and wind energy can support divestment efforts, help meet the national energy demand, and bring much-needed jobs and tax revenue to the Appalachian Basin.

Community and Job Loss

Mining communities are renowned for their strength and togetherness. Close-knit communities know how to fight for one another and stand up to large corporations. However, recently released scholarly books like James Green’s “The Devil is Here in These Hills” point out that mining communities are still at risk of manipulation by major corporations. As we move towards a greener future, these towns are once again placed at risk in the form of job losses that undermine community bonds.

Concerns about job loss are real and should be taken seriously. However, it is disingenuous to suggest that coal mining can become a major employer in the future of Appalachia. Figures from the Bureau of Labour Statistics show that, in the past 40 years, coal employment has fallen from 177,800 to 41,000. Unions have also weakened, leaving current employees in a precarious position.

Clearly, coal mining cannot be the financial backbone that it once was. This sentiment is echoed by Terry Steele, who worked as a coal miner for 26 years in Matewan, West Virginia. Speaking to The Guardian, Steele explained that those who promise to bring back the “good old days” are using nostalgia to exploit workers and their families. Instead, Steele and other former coal miners believe that a transition to new industries is necessary to rebuild Appalachia’s economy and ecology.

Recovering Ecology

Coal mining is infamous for its harmful impact on the local ecology. Surface coal mining regularly overburdens mountain tops and valleys, resulting in stream loss and burial, valley fills that stocks land with substandard soil, and back stacks that decrease the quality and quantity of habitats across Appalachia.

Environmental Protection Agency

Divesting from Appalachian coal may sound like the solution to ecological degradation. However, the wasteland left in the wake of intensive mining cannot support biodiverse ecologies or be used as fertile land for farming. Previously mined wasteland cannot function as a carbon sink, either, as forests and grasslands that offset CO2 are left barren and no longer function for carbon offsetting.

Reforestation is pivotal to the long-term renewal of Appalachia. Nonprofits like Kentucky-based Green Forests Work have recently been highlighted by the World Economic Forum for planting over 3 million trees in the Appalachian region since 2009. Planting forests boosts local wildlife, increases biodiversity, and helps Appalachia become the important carbon sink that it once was.

Appalachian wasteland may play an integral role in the future of sustainable waste management, too. Anaerobic digestion processors can be planted on barren land to produce energy and reduce waste. Anaerobic digestion works by drawing natural gasses out of organic matter and converting them into low-polluting biofuels. This reduces the need for landfills and can play a pivotal role in the transition towards more green energy.   

Environmental Protection Agency

Public Health

Coal miners in Appalachia have suffered from conditions like black lung for decades. Black lung is robbing generations of coal miners of their health and results in early deaths for thousands of workers. Researcher and activist Barbara Ellen Smith reports that black lung is still a pertinent issue today, as workers as young as 30 years old are “contracting the most advanced form of the disease at the highest rates ever recorded.”

Divesting from coal cannot result in the abandonment of those who suffer from black lung and other coal-related health conditions. Total divestment from coal may mean the end of coal companies, but former employers’ responsibility to miners must be seen through.

Renewing commitments to public health in Appalachia post-coal is particularly important today. As former miners age, many will face work risks that worsen with age. Miners who have lived labor-intensive lives have much to be proud of but are at risk of chronic conditions like arthritis and high blood pressure. Current workers who are approaching retirement age are more likely to suffer from work-related injuries, too.

Weakened and dissolved unions put vulnerable Appalachian miners at risk in a post-coal world. Proactive, preventative measures must be put in place to ensure that the corporations that have fleeced miners for decades are held accountable for the health and well-being of workers and retirees today. This financial accountability ensures that the wider Appalachian populace is in good health as folks pivot toward a more prosperous, healthier future without coal.