America’s coal heartland is in economic freefall — but only the most desperate are fleeing

Washington Post ^ | August 28, 2014 | By Chico Harlan

[Brad from Tennessee]

LOGAN, W.Va. — For 51 years he’d lived in the same hollow and for two decades he’d performed the same job, mining coal from the underground seams of southern West Virginia. Then, on June 30, Michael Estep was jobless. His mine shut down, and its operator said “market conditions” made coal production unviable.

What has come since, for Estep, stands as the new Central Appalachian economic experience: a job-hunt in a region whose sustaining industry is in an unprecedented freefall. “I don’t know what to do,” Estep said as unpaid bills piled up, his cable cut to black, and his wife withdrew the last $7 from a checking account they’d held for 20 years.

What’s happening now in America’s coal heartland is not just the typical bust. Those in the industry say it’s more dire, potentially permanent, caused at once by declining reserves, a cheaper influx of competing gas and looming environmental regulations. More than 10,000 miners have lost jobs over the past two-and-a-half years in southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, and their plight illustrates how, even amid an economic recovery, certain segments of the workforce are being shut out. . .

[Brad from Tennessee]

Obama's war on coal is minimized as a cause of this economic misery. But the writer does okay in portraying the human casualties and their few options.

[glorgau]

There’s only one left for him to do: vote Democrat just to show those cruel heartless republicans. /sarc

[GeronL]

flee?

in a welfare state?

[Red Badger]

Hope and Change.............

[dware]

I fled West Virginia. Only lived there 4 years, but that was 4 years wasted, that I’ll never get back. WV can keep their banjos, narrow roads and those mole hills they call mountains.

[Arm_Bears]

I might be persuaded to feel badly for Mr. Estep and his co-workers but, having been to Logan and surrounding environs many times, I have this sneaking suspicion that they all voted for Obama.

[GeronL]

lol

[Former Proud Canadian]

Yup, keep voting dem and see what happens.

[DH]

The story is not only about what environmentalism has done to the industry, it’s what the United Mine Workers Union did to it too.

Unionized businesses are like giant slugs that can’t move or do anything quickly or adapt to changes. The slime that holds them down is the Union and its marriage to the National Labor Board and cronyism and pandering that produces only a positive benefit for its ranking leaders and members. The “worker bee” is simply forgotten.

We have the worlds largest reserves of coal and look how the liberal environmental Nazis have destroyed the businesses and professions that can get it out of the ground and actually use it for energy.

Political Correctness is destroying our nation.

[DannyTN]

Raise the import tariffs and bring back American industries.

This would probably help the coal industry, but even if it doesn’t, there would be more jobs. And the tighter the job market is, the more companies seek out low wage, high unemployment areas.

[DannyTN]

Raise the import tariffs and bring back American industries.

This would probably help the coal industry, but even if it doesn’t, there would be more jobs. And the tighter the job market is, the more companies seek out low wage, high unemployment areas.

[morphing libertarian]

Not much to do in Logan or elsewhere except coal, teach school, be a cop.

Logan General Hospital
Dec 1946

[morphing libertarian]

Obama announced in 2008 he would put the coal companies out of business. There has been a trend of non-union coal for the last 20 years. Large unionized companies selling off mines 1 at a time to smaller companies.

Obama’s moves are effecting all of them.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

And the Pocahontas # 4 coal is all gone.

[morphing libertarian]

Don’t know that one. Familiar with Holden and Dehue. I think Dehue shut down.

My brother-in-law retired and my mom moved to VA, so I’ve been out of touch.

Might go to my cousins reunion next July 1 at Chief Logan Park or they may have it in the elementary school in Dehue.

[Olog-hai]

Well, you know what the unions’ reward is for voting Dem all these decades, right?

This. With worse to come. (Same thing happened in communist countries; not mere coincidence.)

[Truth29]

This is a war being won by Obama and the enviros. Where is the army on the coal miners side. Once upon a time the UMW was a feared and fearsome force, now = nothing.

[US Navy Vet]

BUT these inbred RETARDS will continue to vote DEMOCRATE! A$$HOLES!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

“Poky Number four” as it was known was one of the premier coals from W. Va in its day. It was called the perfect coal, with low button, high BTUs, and low sulfur. Just the right coal for old chain grates and underfeed units, mostly all gone now.
The Pocahontas was mined out by the 1960s but still appeared and was sold off coal docks around the Great Lakes into the 1980s. It usually came with little cardboard scatter tags. I have a few from that era...

[morphing libertarian]

I did a search looks like it’s in va. Can you name a nearby town?