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Congress Considers Federal Assistance For Laid-Off Coal Miners
Submitted by Nick Cunningham via OilPrice.com,
A major coal mining company has announced another round of layoffs as declining demand for coal continues to depress the industry.
Alpha Natural Resources, the world’s third largest supplier of metallurgical coal, said Sept. 26 that it would be shuttering three mines in West Virginia due to “sustained weak market conditions and government regulations challenging the Central Appalachian mining industry.”
The closures will put 261 people out of work. The news has a familiar refrain; more than 20,000 coal miners have lost their jobs since 2011.
But coal mining jobs have been disappearing for more than 30 years. As of March 2014, there were around 79,000 jobs in coal mining in the United States, 8.3 percent fewer than a year earlier.
Compare that to the solar industry, which employs around 143,000 people, according the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The fortunes of the two energy industries will only diverge further in coming years. Sadly, many political leaders in coal producing states have not planned for a future without coal. Instead of recognizing that the coal industry is facing inexorable decline, politicians in coal states like West Virginia and Kentucky mislead residents of their state into thinking that the situation could turn around if certain Environmental Protection Agency regulations are repealed.
There is a bit of hope, though. Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) have introduced a bill in Congress to help out-of-work coal miners find employment in other industries.
The bill calls for the formation of a federal program similar to the Trade Adjustment Assistance, which provides job training, income support, and subsidies for U.S. workers affected by foreign trade. Coal miners who lose their jobs as a result of the industry downturn would be eligible for federal assistance.
The U.S. Department of Labor has already provided a bit of relief for struggling coal communities. For example, in June 2014, the agency announced a $7.5 million grant to workers in eastern Kentucky who were laid off when mines were closed. The money is important, but is a drop in the bucket for what is needed.
The bill proposed by McKinley and Welch would provide a year’s worth of benefits, including training and support for relocation. “Across West Virginia communities are being decimated by what’s happening to the coal industry,” McKinley said in a statement. “Coal miners and other workers are being hurt by factors beyond their control, whether it’s regulations or market forces. It’s only fair we do something to help these struggling families. This legislation represents a bipartisan effort to move beyond our differences and offer help to the proud men and women of the coal industry who are out of work.”
For a state that will experience a sustained period of economic hardship from an increasing rate of coal mine closures, it is welcome news that one of West Virginia’s elected officials is making a push to help displaced workers.
The legislation also offers a potential blueprint for a broader effort aimed at accelerating a long-term transition to cleaner energy. Much of the resistance in Congress to legislation calling for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions comes from politicians in states that produce fossil fuels.
Obviously, opposition to action on climate change goes much deeper than fears over displaced workers, but creating a more robust transition assistance program that provides support for people that lost work in coal mines -- or on oil and natural gas rigs -- would smooth out the rough edges of a climate bill. If offered in tandem with requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a lot of the economic repercussions of enacting steeper costs on fossil fuels could be minimized.
To be sure, the McKinley-Welch bill almost certainly won’t increase the chances of legislation on climate change. Still, providing assistance for workers of a dying industry is the right thing to do.
* * *
So - in summary - the administration makes the decision that the US energy 'free-market' is better off with clean-energy (and subsidizes that)... unintended consequences occur (massive coal miner job losses) and so government subsidizes them... who could have seen that coming?
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LOL- let Warren Buffett take care of them, he's Mr Coal.....
As long as we're going full-Socialist retard, time to let Warren get a taste.....
Coal stocks taking a beating lately.
How about the WV state gov incentivising Solar companies to either start-up or move to WV to pick up the slack? Come on guys, do I have to do ALL the mental heavy lifting for you????
BTW, doesn't just one Sears store employ more than 250 people? Just sayin'...
Replacing cheap and abundant thermal coal with a versatile and limited fuel such as natural gas for electricity generation is so stupid it could only have been done by highly educated minds that completely lack the ability to think critically or have another agenda up their sleeves.
Guess who is going to be affected the most by the increasing cost of power?
In this 70 second clip, Candidate Obama in 2008 explains how he will "bankrupt" coal
http://youtu.be/fVW9g9JVCY4
Probably the first promise he has actually kept. What a complete moron.
who the fuck is mining all the coal?
Nice to see the Repubs and Dems working together to steal some more money from the public.
In all reality, private property is about as sacrosanct in the US as it was in the Soviet Union. Not at all.
"If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it." - Everyone Knows Who ;-)
"I will bankrupt the Coal Industry"
President Obola wasn't lieing.
Its interesting how the govenment purposely bankrupts economically productive enterprises, then puts them on government handouts, which it pays for by printing money. With our fraudelent economy, erosion of wealth for the common person, all the wars and now Ebola, it truly is a dystopia.
When the natural gas miracle runs out the economy will only be able to function when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing...
1.) Obama outlaws coal electical generation by executive fiat.
2.) Free money (and Obamaphone?) for laid off coal miners.
3.) ?????????
4.) Get democrats elected.
Obama himself said he would put them out of business. That's one thing he did not lie about.
Will the next POTUS have the balls to reverse what Obama hs done here?
Not likely....
I think that research into safe, low-waste nuclear generation would be a better idea than "renewables", tho natural gas from fracking is very clean and cheap, too. For one reason or another, everyone wants to see us stop burning coal for power.
I'm sorry that I can only give out one downarrow.
Fantasy bullshit like your mind is generating in your post must be due to too much PMSNBC.
Places like Chernoybl, Fukushima, Three Mile Island, Hanford, the New Mexico W.I.P.P., and others must not register on your radar. How many people do you know that have had, have, or will get some form of cancer? Birth defects? Early death? How about the fish? The crops? The very LAND? Any idea how big the 'exclusion zone' is around Chernoybl? Any idea how many kids there have developed thyroid cancer? FUCK. Fukushima is STILL melting. Places like that will require constant re-shielding for TEN FUCKING THOUSAND YEARS (LITERALLY!). Talk about 'riding on your grandchildren'! You ASS!
Now, regarding hydraulic fracturing... REALLY? Do you REALLY want to go there? You are either an IGNORANT ASS motherf*cker, or else are promoting the party line.
"For one reason or another, everyone wants to see us stop burning coal for power."
NO, the people who want to take control of all the world's resources and enslave humanity want to see 'us' stop using coal.
How's China doing at this 'stop using coal' thingie, you Obamanite ASS?
I own a Weber 'Big Kettle' Charcoal Barbeque. I cook REAL MEAT on it. Beef, Chicken, stuff like that. FUCK YOU. The United States has developed techniques to burn coal that essentially yield ZERO EMISSIONS (and have employed them for decades), so your ALGOREAN MUTANT CRAP about CO2 is BULLSHIT.
Your fucking commie symplant 'One' who is intentionally DESTROYING the United States is the only one I have heard of that 'wants us to stop using coal' (unless you count his 'advisors').
if you were here in front of me, I'd BITCH-SLAP you. SEVERAL TIMES.
(God damn deluded... tweaking... enslaved... mind-fucked... STUPID...)
OK MS don't hold back, tell us what you really think! Just joking, I up arrowed you...
sliding deeper and deeper into the Nanny State, what a sickening State to be in.
I'm ranting here, so forgive me.
I was looking to see if anyone had pointed out the fact that the 'One' has legislated the death of the coal industry in the United States, not only crippling the infrastructure of the ENTIRE NATION and driving up energy prices until the breaking point by making it dependant on the oil companies and their pricing progroms and ALSO closing off a hundred thousand jobs or more (probably millions, due to 'trickle-down'); and that Congress is 'offering' to put these displaced REAL workers on the TEAT, making them into dependents of the Federal Government and ENSLAVING THEM by not only taking their honest work and wages away, but making them BOW DOWN and follow their new masters' bidding by giving up all privacy and free will in order to 'comply' with regulations in order to'qualify' for a stipend which will be ever-shrinking to the point of ZERO.
When you pay the gas and/or electric bills this coming winter, and the usual 'greedy oil/electric utilities' crap starts to spread, REMEMBER THIS POST.
When TSHTF next time, that cheap, inexpensive, efficient coal will probably make a comeback, somehow.
of course by then the minining infrastructure, equipment and manpower will have to be rebuilt.
Someone will make a fortune buying up the coal mines during these bankruptcies. The only question will be how long does one have to wait until our criminal government will allow economic production again. Or more realistically, who will ply the right hands first?
And I'm going to bet their name sounds something like:
Shmoldman Cracks
I would point out that the entire infrastructure of the 'federal government' of the 'CONUS' has been pledged in payment to service the 'on-books' stated debts of some SEVENTEEN TRILLION USDOLLARS (at the stated price of $35 dollars per ounce of gold). I would FURTHER make note that the USGOV considers ALL RESOURCES as ITS' OWN, because it REGULATES THEM (this includes MINERAL RESOURCES like SHALE OIL, or COAL, or... ).
Goldman Sachs is only one BANK; a 'BROKER', if you will, an 'INTERMEDIARY', a 'GO-BETWEEN'... an 'ARRANGER' of DEBTS...
Look up some charts like 'WHO OWNS THE DEBT OF THE CONUS'. While you're at it, take a crash course in Mandarin Chinese and Yiddish.
WHY would CONGRESS consider 'federal assistance' for laid-off coal miners? Don't they have unemployment insurance ALREADY?
THINK ABOUT IT. SERIOUSLY.
Now, I KNOW that Rand Paul is a Senator from Kentucky, and there's LOTS of coal miners there (the whole fracking STATE depends on coal mining for a major part of its' economy, in fact), and in 2012 he flipped and endorsed MITT ROMNEY ('ROMNEYCARE', the 'BLUEPRINT' for 'OBAMACARE') instead of his father (the Honorable Congressman from the Great State Of Texas, Dr. Ronald E. Paul), and he has stated on television that he would have no problem with domestic drones opening fire on 'suspects' in crimes suspected (but not proven by a Jury of Peers), and stuff like that. Of course, this has NOTHING TO DO at ALL with 'CONGRESS WANTS TO GIVE UNEMPLOYED COAL-MINERS SPECIAL ASSISTANCE', does it? DOES IT?
This is in no way a statement that the choice of 'the lesser of two evils' is being promoted by pointing out that Goldman-Sachs is PROBABLY not the progenitor of the Congressional action.
Unless it's already been shipped over seas and consumed first. I've written about this before:
http://meistergedanken.livejournal.com/27626.html
Other arrangements are being made. They just don't always make it into the news...
Wait a minute. I thought we were exporting coal to Asia. Am I wrong?
Transportation of coal creates dust and is bad for the epa. so no that is under full frontal attack
Finally, an article on coal.
I bet this one gets 200,000 reads.
Let Each of the 261 get a part time job at Home Depot and Wal-Mart. Job increases +261.
We should have layoffs in the government.
A lot of businesses are being crushed by .GOV, and even more by simple tech advances or social trends...
What makes workers in the coal mining industry deserving of subsidization?
Won't somebody think of the vinyl record and reel to reel tape corps that have been decimate by iPods and internet radio?
What about those poor silent film actors?
What about all those honest god-fearing hard-working leather horse saddle and buggy whip laborers?
Don't forget 8 tracks.
And who in our office of central planning gets to determine what the training will be for? Community organizers, perhaps?
Hey don't be hating on 8 tracks. They were the original iPod (though not quite as portable :)
Maybe the fact that coal mining is highly regionalized (unlike your other examples) means they are deserving of worker training (the "subsidization" you refer to). Or is putting them all on disabilty and food stamps a better solution for you? Oh who am I kidding - you're one of those people who just hate all the rednecks in KY and W Va. and would be tickled pink if they all starved to death...
Couldn't possibly have anything to do with Senate seats up for grabs in KY and WV. Naw, couldn't be.
143000 people in solar....solar operates about 35% of the time...where we getting our energy the other 65% of the time....WHAT A FRAUD
Most of it comes from wind produced by Fed jawboning and political grandstanding activities.
Yes.
Alternative energy is just that: an alternative TO energy.
Get some blanketd and long johns.
I won't go into how grid tied works where you can power your home completely with solar and have a 3 year payback.
But even if you do solar offgrid you can use 1 or more electric cars as your battery bank and power your home cheaper than using gas powered grid electric.
Not my home.
Not even close. Even with an enormous, high efficiency array.
Now, if iI lived in Death Valley, in an 800 square foot crackerbox, partially buried in the sand......
right, anything north of, say, pennsylvania just doesn't have enough strong sunshine. Oh, and it snows and rains a good chunk of the time.
I know people that have it, and it's not a money maker. they break even with the oil folks, at best. And, it's a headache to maintain, so i hear.
I live in St. Louis. We get plenty of sunshine.
Still won't work. Not to ENTIRELY power my home anyway, or even a majority of it.
Even less workable without the 2016 expiring, 20-30% thieving subsidy from the EnviroCommies.
I powered a 5 bedroom home in NY state with 7 KW of solar. I broke even in year 5 with an expected 30 years of free energy. I sold the house and got a $20k premium over comparable because the electricity was free and they could afford a bigger mortgage as a result.
For all those solar haters, you either don't have a house that faces south, don't want to cut down trees, would rather remodel your kitchen, live in Northern Canada or haven't done your homework. You can suck at the tit of big electric all you want. I would rather go off grid and let the MIC, Big OIL and ISIS fight it out over black goo that will eventually become irrevalent.
@cro_Maat what type of system do you have now?
Here in Southern California we pay $0.38 / KWH. It's actually cheaper to supply a fraction of the power to your house with a diesel generator.
Adapt or lose. Whale oil providers had to change or go bankrupt.
Interesting voting track record of these two
McKinsley http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/117396/david-mckinley/29/energy#.VC7kadTD-M8
Welch http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/51272/peter-welch/29/energy#.VC7kX9TD-M8
Adapt to what?
Corrupt environmental Communism, and purely political bureaucratic harrassment?
King Coal doesn't need to "adapt". It is fine as a superb source of energy, just as God made it.
Fission is actually a God made energy source as well, which incidently is mined. We need thorium nukes in the country.
"solar industry"
Government boondoggle.
I'm not up on the energy markets, but if oil is sinking in price, as it is, then would coal also be dropping as well. I am sure most energy users prefer oil to coal, cheaper oil and natural gas would kill "King Coal" would it not? Does government offer subsidies of any type to coal producers? I would think state governments would look to give tax breaks and labor law concessions to give local coal production a boost. We do that in Minnesota with our Iron Ore industry. State House trys to make conditions favorable for mining, and we now have copper, nickle and gold coming on line. Many regulations have been changed to allow for sulfide mining. We are in process of opening the worlds largest "under ground" copper nickle mine. To do it, required the state to rewrite many water laws and pass new ones. Favorable tax rates are also in the pipeline. We are looking to become another Sudbury Ontario here!
Job training? These people live in West Virginia and have no teeth. What jobs are they going to train them to do? Brew Meth? There are no jobs there besides coal. This governent is completely stupid and easy with our money.
Fucking Meth! And Oxyconton, Hill Billy Heroin. Drugs are rife through the valleys and small towns. Out of fucking control. Why do people take drugs? No fucking future, so why not.
Right on, drugs are absolutely endemic there now. I did a stint in east tennessee and meth was all over the place. I mean EVERYWHERE. Drug deals went down in the cvs parking lot in broad daylight. I imagine west virginia is worse, and those guys really don't have any prospects beyond coal, which .gov has shut down. Them handing out benefits almost seems like a big fuck you to me. Its like if your boss fired you, then threw some petty cash at you as you walked out the door and said good luck asshole.
I read rayciss comments all of the time here on ZH. It's mainly these poor whites on all of the gov handout programs. lol
Ha! In my experience all races are equally represented in the low life category. Best believe everyone I described in my previous post was white trash EBT card holders, though farther south the blacks and mexicans fill that demographic. All in all, America sucks.
They will become software app coders and medical specialists and financial engineers and the like, and take prominent places in the shiney new economy, right?
Apparently people don't understand sarcasim unless you specifically tell them it is SARC
Because over regulation and half ass policies only affects coal miners.
Seems like the few that work are the enemy now.
Obama has made production and jobs a thing of the past. All that has been delegated to China and India.
He's playing golf all the time and expects everyone else to do the same.
Get your Obama phone, collect your Federal Assistance and vote for our party in November.
after china takes us over, do you think they'll continue to pay us to not work?
trying to buy votes in W. Virginia where the current admin has seriously pissed of the locals. nothing to see here.
first, the pres through the epa destroys all coal jobs.
second, the pres is told they will lose the senate b/c he pissed off w. virginia.
third, the pres gives free money and phones and houses and ebt to all coal miners.
4th, the retards vote democrat.
I suppose i would too. after they've destroyed me, i may as well vote for them to give me free shit. it's not like the other guy saved my ass when he had the chance.
now what am I supposed to put in this years Christmas stockings?
Silicone.
Hope and Change.
But since you deployed the highly politically-incorrect word "CHRISTmas", I don't think the hate-filled secularists running the country, including the corrupt homosexual, NigInChief himself, will allow you even that.
What is the name of the idiot in White House who decided to close down coke plants, yet encourages you to buy electric devices to roll over the debt obligations. (Chevy Volt).
He is an illegal alien negro from a country called Kenyan. Erecting tents and huts is the specialty for this banana eating US President.
Train them for what? How to say "would you like fries with that?" Regardless of the .gov propaganda there aren't a lot of jobs out there to be had for these poor schlubs.
Can't wait to re-employ the the illegal workforce. Chef, house cleaning, lawn care, pool upkeep, and pay them under the table
Thanks nigger slave master Obama. Your peers must look up to you.
Like banks, automakers, labour unions and mortgage-holders this is yet another bailout of a deadbeat sector.
"No one can be allowed to fail, or be seen to fail!" ~ Government.
Not sure how the coal industry or coal miners constitutes a "deadbeat sector".
Get the utterly useless government off their backs and they should flourish.
They cetainly are subsidizing - with taxpayers' money - workers who should be bona-fide unemployed. That counts as a bailout in my book...
That said, you're right - the government should also get the hell out of trying to put the coal mining industry out of business and let people CHOOSE what to mine, how much to charge, how much in wages to pay and what kind of fuel they wish to use...
What are they going to re-train them in, retail?! LOL
An American, not US subject.
lol
Obama, don't let me pull out my whip when these Ammesty slaves don't meet the daily average of cotton picking expectations.
Is your ass puckering yet?
Goldman can trade Coal Miner Carbon Credits as they sequester the workers in the Sequestered Forests of the Carbon-Credit banks.
They can bail out General Motors?
Well, I guess they can bail out Coal Miners as well...
?
And behold! The list shall grow!
Must be election time again.....
"Jobs" and debt forgiveness for the indebted, unemployed grads; and now this money for West coal miners in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.....
when power prices triple coal will be back
True, this is just a result of falling demand due to global recession....of course you wouldn't know it by the news reports.
Free shit for everyone, no more misfortune. All you need is a sad story that can be used on the campaing trail or a big enough voter block. Fucking criminals.
..........unintended consequences occur (massive coal miner job losses)............
Unintended?
let us revisit yesteryear
BHO: " ....will necessarily bankrupt coal.........."
sounds like their policies are getting their exact intended outcomes
all the feel good band aid crap will create the same results it has in every out sourced american industry. 10% will find better paying jobs. 20% will find equal paying jobs, 30% will find worse paying jobs, and the rest will join the ever growing permenant entitlement crowd. Clowerd/Piven "oh looky, new recruits for the FSA, hurray"
Hey coal miners - remember the Hope and Change, and your unions telling you to vote for now President Golfstix. How's that Hope and Change working out for you now? Now you'll be on handouts. The Feds just permanently feminized you. Make sure you do whatever the union tells you to next time. I'm sure it will be in your best interest.