Fayetville, W.VA. – This year’s western Virginia Coal Festival winner Tin Beauty Pageant walked in the ruins of an abandoned community 70 years ago and imagined the rest of the coal press and processing plant’s rust.
Ava Johnson knows West Virginia coal will never happen. However, while he was searching for spikes for his collection, the abandoned railway track of the abandoned Kor mine in the New River Gorge, the Buff of 16 -year -old history said that he had heard of the future of such an industry that had brought good salary jobs for a better paid job in his state.
“You can’t appreciate being a true West Virginian unless you realize that people make us better every day to make us better,” he said.
Most parts of the renewal sense of hope are based on President Donald Trump’s activity, who aims to restore a new executive order earlier this month to restore the source of the energy that has been flagged by scientists as the world’s most polluted fossil fuel, which directly contributes to the planet.
Trump, who has promised to “preserve coal” since the first run in the post of President in 20 2016, ordered to loosen some emissions to allow mining on federal land and to prevent the environmental impact of coal.
“The plants that have been closed are about to be launched, if they are modern enough to be launched.” “(Or) They will be torn and the new ones will be built.”
The news was seen with enthusiasm in West Virginia, where residents like Johnson have said that the coal industry has been misunderstood and they are tired of being heard by their fellow Americans. But others do not think that Trump will be able to fulfill the promise he made to some of his most loyal elements.
Trump and his allies are “turning a false narrative,” Tyson Slokum says, who teaches the power and climate policy of the University Honors College and the Energy Program Director of the Non Profit Public Citizens. He said the market forces have moved away from coal that cannot be the opposite, a widely shared opinion among economists.
“Trump cannot do anything that will be materially an impact on the domestic coal market,” Slokam said in an interview on the telephone. “Energy markets, steel markets have originally changed. And how to adapt and how to provide real solutions to the anxiety and fear of the coal community would be more effective than promising them to make such a comeback that would not happen.”
It was not a common mood in Charleston’s recent coal exhibition, Johnson and many others who were encouraged by the Republican President were present, even if some once again expressed doubts about the skill of making coal great.
“Over the years, our industry has felt that it has become a bit like a political, sacrifice,” Viacor’s Steven Tate says a company that creates a machine that helps to limit the amount of coal in a mine operator in a mine. “We feel that we have finally started getting the recognition of our art.”
Some said that Trump’s orders showed respect to workers who gave them their lives on mines – 21,000 in West Virginia, most in any state – and for a company that helps in the United States.
“Trump was standing the whole way,” Zimbo Clendenin said a retired mining equipment expert whose grandson started coal mining three years ago. “He said he was in favor of coal. And a lot of people – even some of them in West Virginia said, ‘I only think he said to enter the office. ′
“Now, no one is in doubt. He is for coal.”
In recent decades, the aggressive push towards the clear energy of the Democratic Party transforms more renewable energy and transformed coal-based plants into cheap and cleaner-burning natural gas.
In 20 2016, Trump adopted the problem, he promised to finish the Democratic President Barack Obama’s “Fight on Coal” and promised miners to save jobs. It assisted in West Virginia, where most voters of each county supported Trump in the three presidential elections.
Trump did not bring the industry back to its first term. In Western Virginia, the number of minerals in any state, the number of coal jobs decreased from 1,3619 at the beginning of his President, at the end of 2021, it was probably slow to reduce coal.
Slokum said that Trump could distort the federal environmental conservation agency and control the mining control, but he would not be able to save coal.
“This is not the EPA, it is not Democrats that declared this war against coal,” Slokum said. “It was capitalism and natural gas. And being honest about the cause of coal degradation, the Trump administration can do the least for the coal-dependent community instead of lying to what they are doing. Sometimes people want to believe false, because it is easier to face a harsh truth.”
In the 21st, the EPA showed that the planets-green greenhouse gases were in danger of public health and welfare, it was a visual determination determination that the new EPA’s chief Li Jeldine called to rewrite Trump. Scientists have opposed the push of jeldin and Slokum said that the need to turn away from the dangerous search and coal dependence “is not the theoretical debate. This is a truthful, scientific, though it does not happen in the current Trump administration.”
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the culture of coal is woven into the fabric of West Virginia. A mineral can be a coal industry worker, but a sports team can also be a mascot, a picture of the state flag or the name of the morning in the biscuit world of Tudore.
In the 1950s, more than 5 western Virginians worked in the industry, after which there were about 2 million population. Johnson was at the top of the production a year before the birth of the production. However, the number of coal workers was reduced to 25,000, due to most mechanization.
West Virginia Coal Festival Beauty Competition and Social Media, Heather Clae, said that losing coal jobs-six-image income-was particularly important in a state with one of the higher poverty rates in the country.
“This is much more than what people outside West Virginia understand,” he said. ‘They always say’ stop coal, ” stop coal. ‘So do you want to stop our economy? You want to close our family? You want to stop our lives? And it is for a lot of people. “
Trump and coal industry lawyers say that in order to maintain the power grid, to serve the growing demand from innovation centers like artificial intelligence centers, and to keep coal in the US energy portfolio to keep America power-free.
However, John Deskins, director of the West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research, says it will make an important change in the underlying economy to create financial ideas for utilities for the creation of new coal -based plants.
He said that natural gas is clean and cheap, and this is the most utilitry. Earlier this year, the first power announced plans to convert his two remaining coal -based power plants into a natural gas.
Johnson wears sash and crown from his pageant win over a black dress and sneakers when he goes through the ruins of the abandoned K Moore mine. He spoke with enthusiasm about the past of the industry, but sometimes, what he sometimes thought about what could be a bright future for coal in West Virginia because of what Trump did.
“I think it will only affect art positively,” he said, “but people’s lives.”
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Robbie reports from Charleston in West Virginia.
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