Will coal interests allow green jobs?

what about WVHTA? (4.00 / 1)

Is the West Virginia Hospitality and Tourism Association (WVHTA) equally supportive of green jobs?

   From: WVHTA
   Dear Tourism Colleagues,

   U.S. coal and coal mining are under attack.  Coal mining in Appalachia could end and, eventually, in the United States.  Coal is vital to our economic health and American consumers rely on American coal for affordable electricity.

   I'm asking you to consider joining FACES of Coal - the Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security.  It's an alliance of people from all walks of life - coal miners, people who work in local businesses, church leaders, manufacturers, school teachers and more - who are speaking up for U.S. coal.

   Joining FACES is free, fast and easy.  Go to www.facesofcoal.org, to join and support coal.  See what FACES is doing to protect jobs and our communities.  You also can "Take Action" and contact your elected representatives.

   It's time to stand up for jobs - join FACES of Coal now to be heard.

   Thank you for your support.

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by: Clem Guttata @ Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 19:18:32 PM UTC

When we make them, which will be when we care enough (4.00 / 1)

People in general, not just government, don't yet see how life could be better some other way.

As I quoted from the Archbishop of Canterbury in a previous diary,

We are still haunted by the dogma that the economic world, 'economic realities', economic motivations and so on belong in a completely different frame of reference from the sort of human decisions we usually make and from considerations of how we build a place to live.

Two bits, just today, from Grist:
Making buildings more efficient: looking beyond price
This Friday, don't just Buy Nothing-use nothing!

Until many more of us see that money and growth are not important, that building a sustainable place to live is, the coal interests will win (and the natural gas, plastics, chemicals, factory-farm, big pharma, financial, insurance, etc. interests). We have to care more about an alternative vision and communicate it better.

No matter how much we think government is not responsive to us, it is generally responsive to those with power - and those with power are those who control what people want. What people want in this country today is mostly stuff - despite much evidence that money and the stuff it buys doesn't make you happy. Wanting stuff drives all of those interests above. Persuade people that they can live more happily with less stuff but cleaner air and water, a less stressful job, more time with their friends and family, home-cooked, home-grown food, hunting and fishing, making music, making art, and government (and the economy) will change to support that.

(All that aside, I think you despair, or are exaggerating for effect. We tend to focus on the bad news, but there are lots of good things happening in West Virginia, including economic development, even economic development supported by state government and the Chamber, that aren't coal-related.)

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by: JAWVMM @ Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 20:09:57 PM UTC

Familiar faces of coal (4.00 / 1)

It's not funny that coal has such a grip on WV's political power base.  The powers that be will do almost anything to make it easier to extract, bury streams, blow up mountains, clean the raw coal by ruining more water, and then burning it to produce electricity that is priced well below market.  It's no secret that MOJO wants those pesky PATH and TRAIL projects to transport his dirty business to other states.  The enviro-politico community should start taking pictures in the legislature of the bona-fide faces of coal and then make a calender with the caption, CW of the month based on their birthday's or something, good fundraising idea to keep the protesters out of jail and help defer legal expenses.

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by: JBdem4usa @ Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 04:58:06 AM UTC

Those are great questions, Clem. (4.00 / 2)

U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-W.Va.) addressed members of the Logan Rotary Club in Logan back in May about green jobs, saying (among other things),

I do not, by the way, buy into the notion advocated by some that we have to replace good coal mining jobs or good manufacturing jobs with so-called green jobs as part of our response to climate change.  

In this economy, we need all the jobs we can get - whatever their color.      

The better approach, as I see it, is to preserve those existing jobs while enabling them to become greener - and given America's vast capacity for innovation, that is absolutely doable. source

Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

The Energy Independence and Security Act passed in December 2007. It incorporates the Green Jobs Act of 2007, which

"authorized up to $125 million in funding to establish national and state job training programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, to help address job shortages that are impairing growth in green industries, such as energy efficient buildings and construction, renewable electric power, energy efficient vehicles, and biofuels development."

Then when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) passed, it included provisions for new jobs in industries such as energy, utilities, construction, and manufacturing with a focus toward energy efficiency and more environmentally-friendly practices.

Apparently Rep. Rahall does far more than blow smoke about bringing green jobs here.

For example

Simonton Windows of Parkersburg, W.Va., announced in August that it had extended offers to rehire 402 seasonal and full-time workers - 263 in West Virginia and 139 in Illinois - who were laid off by the company last winter, and that it is set to hire 55 additional employees in the near future. The reason is the increased demand for energy-efficient windows from consumers who qualify for tax credits under ARRA to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. source

Mark Savan, president of Simonton Windows, said

"The economic recovery started showing itself at our company after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was implemented"

Another source of green jobs could be the Brownfields Development Program, which has recently gone state wide.

Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized properties that have not been redeveloped due to real or perceived environmental barriers. Examples include former gas stations, glass factories, machine shops, manufacturing and processing facilities, dry cleaners and mine scarred lands.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to participate in one of the web-based conference call training sessions on Dec. 1 and 3 at noon. RSVP to: focuswv@mail.wvu.edu or (304) 293-2867 x 5447.

Information about the FOCUS WV Brownfields Program is at www.wvbrownfields.com. The Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center is at the West Virginia Water Research Institute, at WVU's National Research Center for Coal & Energy; the Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University is in the Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences. source

If you get a chance, check out what Manchin had to say regarding "green jobs" in this Executive Summary by the Southern Technology Council, then compare it to statements by other Governors. (pdf file, 12 pages)

Note that while other governors (with the exception of Mississippi's Haley Barbour) were positive about developing real green jobs, Manchin relied on his same lame script, boasting

"West Virginia keeps our nation's lights on. We are leading the way in the pursuit of the latest in clean coal technology"

blah blah blah

Although he may actually believe it, because according to one report,

The coal industry's major lobby group, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, shelled out a stunning $47 million last year on lobbying, advertising and "grassroots outreach" efforts to fight climate legislation and tout the benefits of "clean coal."

After all, spending that much cash on a high falutin' ad campaign ought to be be pretty convincing.

The ACCE's efforts to actually develop clean coal technology, however, were a lot less impressive. The same report goes on to say,

ACCCE's members made a combined total of $297 billion in profits between 2003 and 2008-meaning, as the report notes, that they're spending less than two cents on clean coal research for every $1 of profit.

They're definitely getting their 2 cents worth out of Joe Manchin.

I'm just wondering if that carny barker in the above commercial shares the same hair stylist as Mojo.

One last note. I may have found one major reason that WV's coal barons have decided to back Rodighiero.

Making the scofflaw coal companies clean up their own mess instead of just letting them abandon those impoundments wouldn't be legislation that a Blankenship-backed Rodighiero would likely sponsor.

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by: One Citizen @ Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 00:19:09 AM UTC

Green jobs (0.00 / 0)

Thanks for pointing out the brownfields program and Simonton windows. I keep noticing greenish or diversifying things going on, but haven't spent the time to go through my notes and make a list. Off the top of my head, the Ag Extension has been promoting local food and farmer's markets, and there is some weatherization going on.

Politicians often say one thing and do another - Rahall is in big trouble for, as far as I can tell, matching his statements to his actions. Sometimes the things they don't publicize are things we want.

Meanwhile, I ran across this statement from Delaware Governor Jack Markell, with a much better attitude ;-)
http://www.globalurban.org/Del...

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by: JAWVMM @ Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 17:39:38 PM UTC

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