Forcing the market to preserve coal assets through legislation or litigation is like swimming into the current to save yourself — wasting precious energy with little result. Rather than fighting the inevitable, we should put our energy toward helping coal communities transition to a more sustainable and economically promising future. Former mines and other coal assets like power lines, machines and buildings could save hundreds of millions of dollars for new industry, while also reusing existing cleared land to avoid disruption to migration corridors.
To kick off the Broadband Initiative, the JTF has invested nearly $1 million in eight organizations working to close the digital divide in coal-impacted communities across the U.S.
A bipartisan pair of legislators in Colorado proposes the creation of new entities in state government to help coordinate economic development in communities transitioning away from coal.
The effort to help displaced coal workers had a rocky start, but there is better coordination across the state and a few grant awards are initiating programs to get the ball rolling.
Our reflections on the 2022 National Convening and how we plan to help coal communities seize this historic moment.
We're working to ensure coal communities can access federal and state broadband funding and advocate for their needs in the design of new programs.
