Oct 3, 2015 3 min read

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently held one of its 14 listening sessions for developing a Clean Power Plan (CPP) in Waynesburg.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s CPP establishes the first-ever federal limit on carbon pollution from existing power plants in the United States, but it is up to the states to decide how they will meet reduction goals. Pennsylvania has the opportunity to craft a plan unique to the commonwealth that reduces pollution, improves public health, lowers electricity bills, and creates jobs. DEP is looking to community members across the state for ideas on how to maximize these outcomes.

As a resident of Greene County who is concerned about the impact of climate change, I felt unwelcome and intimidated at the Waynesburg listening session. Many pro-coal supporters made it clear my concerns were not valid in their opinion. People in the crowd walked out of the room or talked amongst themselves when people spoke in support of the state creating a plan that involves renewable energy or expressed concerns about

climate change, because that perspective was apparently too unbearable to listen to.

This type of behavior is what prevents Greene County from being somewhere I want to raise my family. Some people refuse to step outside of their comfort zone, choosing instead to live in their own world, pretending that coal is this region’s future.

People in Greene County need to face the fact that the coal industry is declining rapidly and young adults working in the coal industry now will not retire from a coal job. Even without any external factors like market conditions, regulations, and the difficulty of mining certain areas, the most recent DEP report reviewing underground coal mining showed that there are only 37 years of worth of coal resources left in Washington and Greene counties. Mining does not happen in a vacuum without external factors, so in reality, the years of mining left are far less than that. One company is already filing bankruptcy and closing a mine in November.

Coal company executives are going to pull out of the area once they can no longer exploit us for company profits. Our community needs to decide if they are going to sit around in denial that the coal industry is dying, or push up their sleeves and start preparing for a future without coal.

Veronica Coptis

Carmichaels

Coptis is the deputy director of the Center for Coalfield Justice.