Mining Is the Largest Industry in West Virginia

[TomCADem]

Last edited Sun Dec 19, 2021, 07:10 PM - Edit history (1)

So, does anyone want to explain why anyone expected Manchin to vote on a measure that is designed to curb green house gases generated by fossil fuels such as coal? Also, when Manchin ran, he has always said that he wants bipartisanship. What is surprising is that folks are surprised at Manchin's stance given what state he comes from and what he has always said.

We should have focused on winning another Senate seat, rather than expecting a Senator from a coal mining seat to vote on a measure that is designed to curb reliance on coal.

https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/this-is-the-largest-industry-in-west-virginia/article_a1f959a4-e385-5bac-b6c1-601754f982f2.html

In West Virginia, mining is the largest industry, accounting for 5.4% of the state's total GDP of $78.9 billion. The industry's annual economic output totals $4.3 billion, a 6.2% increase over the last five years.

Overall employment in the industry totals about 14,300, or 1.9% of all jobs in West Virginia. Among these workers, the average annual compensation is $87,510, compared to the average of $46,618 across all occupations in the state.

All data in this story on employment and output is from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and is for 2019, the most recent year for which data is available. Data on wages is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With only a few exceptions, the largest industry in each state is real estate. As a result, we did not include the real estate sector in our analysis. We also excluded all government sectors.

[JI7]

1. I keep saying this. His state supports what he is doing.

Look at the other people they vote for.

[TomCADem]

8. Doubt That. A State That Heavily Went for Trump...

...and that is heavily red in all levels of government does not secretly support Biden's progressive agenda. If you were right, then Biden would have WV or at least the State would have been competitive. Also, separate and apart from partisanship, it is fact that coal mining is WV's largest industry.

[JI7]

9. I'm not talking about Biden. I'm talking about Manchin

and how people in his state support what he is doing on this.

[TomCADem]

11. Name A State That Is Less Likely to Support Curbing Fossil Fuels...

...than WV? The closest I could think of is Texas due to its reliance on the oil industry, but Texas has a pretty diverse economy.

[Thomas Hurt]

13. I suspect that most of the folks in WV are cons. They believe that despite....

what technological, market and societal changes have occurred they still think they are entitled to live their traditional lives of digging coal. They take pride in that dangerous work and being used by the owners.

[JI7]

15. That is exactly what they believe. Even though there have been a few

that tried other things and were successful at it, most of the state refuses to change and is waiting for coal jobs to come back.

[Poiuyt]

2. The US should facilitate moving clean energy jobs to KY and WV

They wouldn't be so opposed to losing coal mining jobs if there was an alternative. Same with the oil producing states.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

3. Are you sure?

I think there would be a lot of resistance to retraining. It’s like that right-wing “learn to code” meme that was thrown around during the Obama years.

[Poiuyt]

5. I'm not sure of anything anymore

But if I had a choice between a safe, well-paying job and going down into a mine, I know what I'd take.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

7. Me too, but people get weird when they're told they have to change

Especially when it's a bunch of "Big City Liberals" who don't understand the WV lifestyle and such.

[JI7]

12. They tend to oppose programs that would provide free things

in order to get different and what most would consider better jobs.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. That didn't take long. NT

[lapfog_1]

6. if it would win his vote

lets just PAY them to NOT MINE COAL.

You say there are 14,300 coal workers in WV. And they make an average of 87,500.

That's 1.250 Billion a year. Let's pay them to not mine coal for, say, 4 years while they do whatever they want (learn a new skill, go on vacation, whatever).

In 4 years with no coal, the country will move to other energy production... we won't go back to coal. If that bribe is what he needs, lets bribe him. It's a total of $5Billion dollars... not nothing, but not a lot either relative to the 1750 Billion over the same length of time for the rest of the bill (or, if he insists, over something like 8 years with some provisions taken out). BUT, the one central thing that MUST be in the bill is the carrots and sticks to transition to clean energy. And $5B to pay off West Virginia.

BTW, WV will lord that over KY for all 4 years. We run ads in KY saying "look you want special deals like this for your state, you need to elect Democrats to the Senate"

[JI7]

14. It's not just those currently working in coal mines

it's also people who lost jobs in that area that refuse to support programs that will help get other jobs. And still waiting for the coal jobs to come back.

[lapfog_1]

16. but Manchin admits that those jobs are not coming back

not ever. So those people frozen out of this deal because they are not in the coal mining industry at present will be no worse off with this deal than without it. And 14,300 relatively well paid (and there is a reason that they are well paid) will pressure Manchin to make the deal because they will get the money without risking their health.

Unfair to other people... sure... but then the proposed student loan debt forgiveness is unfair to those of us who had to repay their student loans... but I accept that life is unfair.

[TomCADem]

18. Mining Is Still The Largest Industry in West Virginia

It is one thing to talk about recovering jobs that have been lost, but right now, mining is still the largest industry in WV. Due to automation, even if coal use were to expand, it is unlikely that coal mining jobs will grow, but to write off current coal miners/voters because some day that industry will be obsolete is not something that most electeds would do.

[lapfog_1]

22. again... the industry is dying anyway

there is no harm in giving it a little help. What I am proposing is free money to what they want for 4 years... if they want to keep working after 4 years they will sign up for vocational training or college or whatever... and if they don't want to be forced into some other line of work... fine.

It's a bribe... we need his vote... they either accept the bribe or do not. I don't care if the bribe is not good for them in the long run.

The only question is "will it work"?

You are trying to use logic on their part to argue against the idea. My theory is that greed outweighs logic.

[JI7]

20. No, look at the other people they elect that do far less for them

[TomCADem]

17. Imagine an Environmental Bill That Required Curbs on Ski Resorts...

...I would imagine that the Senators from Utah and Colorado would no on it. I do not need to know their parties, I would imagine that generally the representatives of those States would be reluctant to vote for such a bill even if we included a massive job training program.

Now addressing what has worked in the past was to pass laws that provide incentives for EVs that do not penalize auto makers or consumers, but rather helped both make the transition. The question is how do you create a similar win-win for coal miners? Telling them to learn how to code is probably not going to work out well.

Alternatively, you can just elect more Democratic Senators so that you have some leverage so that Joe Manchin needs to come to the table lest Democrats go elsewhere for the votes.

[lapfog_1]

19. I am not proposing a job training program

but 4 years of paid employment at full salary.

If we DON'T kill off the coal industry... all those ski resort jobs are going away too because the snow is going away with a warmer globe.

[Politicub]

21. And the largest city's population is less than 50k.

Our electoral system disgusts me at times like this.