Coal jobs are already gone in West Virginia. It's 'coal culture' that's driving Manchin's resistance

[AZProgressive]

Democrats' clean energy ambitions are being haunted by the ghosts of coal miners past.

Sen. Joe Manchin is opposing renewables projects in the Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill because of his close ties to his state's coal industry. However, those jobs are long gone in West Virginia, where the bulk of the economy has shifted to services like healthcare and education. Despite that loss, coal is still a major part of the state's identity — and its political forces.

Manchin himself has financially benefited from aiding the coal industry and preventing a shift to renewable energy. He owns a $5 million stake in Enersystems, a coal brokerage he founded in 1988 that his son now operates, according to The Guardian. He's also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors in the gas and oil industry.

In addition,"coal culture" — a term championed by the United Mine Workers of America — has a grasp on the Capitol, and on many states' economies. Thanks to longstanding unions, miners have been among the country's most vocal political groups. While the sector's relevance in the 21st century economy has declined, the shared identity borne out of "coal culture" has kept miners powerful. Their influence in swing states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania can boost or tank a political party's ambitions.

https://www.businessinsider.com/manchin-west-virginia-coal-industry-jobs-shrinking-democrats-reconciliation-bill-2021-10?amp&__twitter_impression=true

[doc03]

1. I can't understand why a coal miner would want his

children to work in a coal mine. Every coal miner I know has had a serious injury in the mine, black lung or they are dead at a young age.