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I'm not telling anyone where to go. I'm saying given the changes in the coal industry, and the changes in Appalachia, it is not practical to be in most parts of Appalachia. If you want to remain the coal industry, you're better of living in Montana/Wyoming, or other regions in the USA. The coal available in Central Appalachia is harder to get to and more expensive. It also requires mountain top blasting. That isn't good for the environment, and employs fewer people to extract that coal.
I am saying "it is what it is". You can't control the technological changes in the energy industry. You cannot control the changes in the economy. You can only make an adjustment. You either create something where you are. Or if you find it isn't practical to remain in the region, you move.
I know not everyone wants to live in the city. I didn't say "move to the city". I said that at this point, it isn't practical to stay in a place where jobs aren't likely to return.
Energy experts give Trump the hard truth: You can’t bring coal back
Coal wasn’t killed by a political “war” — cheap renewables and fracked gas were the culprits.
My son works in the oil industry and agrees with this. Most of his colleagues do as well.
Obviously coal isn't dead since it is still used and there is demand for it.
hillary tried to squeeze the coal industry and rive it out of business. Trump won't. That's the difference
It's more of a save those jobs that are currently being worked now.
And most of those jobs are in Colorado, and required alot of technical skills. It is like I said. Sometimes the solution means making adjustments. In this case, moving away, or gaining a new skill, or both.
And most of those jobs are in Colorado, and required alot of technical skills. It is like I said. Sometimes the solution means making adjustments. In this case, moving away, or gaining a new skill, or both.
There are still jobs in the coal industry. However, coal demand is not what it used to be. The technology to extract the coal isn't what it used to be. New skills are required. And the geography of coal mining has changed. Appalachian coal is harder to extract now. It isn't about how much is left. It's about ease of access to that coal.
And most of those jobs are in Colorado, and required alot of technical skills.
Most jobs in the fossil fuel industry are skilled. Mechanics, welders, engineers, machine operators, surveyors, chemists etc. The average salary in the coal mining industry is about 75-80K, Exxon might be around $100K.... Then there is the plethora of high paying jobs they support in other industries in particular the heavy equipment industry. Caterpillar is going to be 80, 90 or 100K.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but coal isn't coming back.
Coal isn't profitable and it's never coming back. My tax dollars will not go to a bailout of an irrelevant, dirty, polluted dinosaur industry because Trump thinks he knows what's best for America.
"Economics, not regulation, is the prime driver of near-term coal sector distress," wrote Swami Venkataraman, an analyst with Moody's Investors Service. Cheaper natural gas and renewable energy will be the primary culprit behind coal power plant closures for the next three to five years, he said. "The trend of low gas prices and declining renewable costs are independent of expectations created by the CPP and will continue to affect coal-fired generation even in its absence."
This is something that will disappoint the people of W. Virginia, Pennsylvania, etc., because they were told if they voted for Trump he would get their coal mining jobs back. It doesn't take too much intelligence to understand that an old broken down plant or mining operation is not going to be re-vitalized, rebuilt, and put back into operation. It would just be too expensive. And no one is going to spend money building a new operation that is based on 19th century work. Otherwise, we'd still have lots of horseshoe and horse leather operations around.
LOL... smart, sleezy guy. He'll make a buck off the short term gains. Let's see how long he hangs on to them before dumping them in their final resting grave.
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but coal isn't coming back.
