"The western coal industry's twilight years are upon us."

You had me from hello with the hard but true take, @worcaction. If you care at all about the environment AND about workers, then this report about using reclamation as a temporary job creator is super interesting. https://twitter.com/PRBResCouncil/status/1288158876504928257
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Taking the money still kicking around in an industry like coal that doesn't have a major role in the future economy and using it to employ workers to clean up while you figure out how to implement a just transition is smart!
I wrote about exactly this a few years ago in South Africa for @osfsa (cc @OxCIEJ): "Implementing attainable solutions to transform South Africa's failed mine-closure system into a force for equitable wealth redistribution"
https://www.osf.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/OSF-In-Good-Company-III-combined-WEB.pdf
And if you question the premise, you can check out my recent investigation for @DeSmogBlog that explains how coal in the U.S. is falling fast and how the cleanup system needs an overhaul. https://www.desmogblog.com/2020/06/25/coal-surety-bond-pools-liabilities-mine-cleanup
Exposed: West Virginia and Other States Relying on ‘House of Cards’

For more than a century-and-a-half, the forests, streams, and hollows of the Appalachian Mountains have been scraped and gashed to unearth their heart of rich black coal. These lumps of hydrocarbons

https://www.desmogblog.com/2020/06/25/coal-surety-bond-pools-liabilities-mine-cleanup
In its new report, @worcaction argues that "Surface coal mine reclamation could create up to 4,800 full-time equivalent jobs per year in the critical two to three year period after mine closure....Reclamation is one of the few immediately available job opportunities."
The transition period is going to be really painful for parts of Wyoming, Colorado, Navajo Nation and elsewhere around the West. But, there are solutions that buy some time for both workers and the environment.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. /fin
You can follow @MarkOlalde.
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