Clinton releases plan to help coal country adapt to climate

WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton unveiled a $30 billion plan Thursday that would protect coal miners’ benefits and prepare their communities as the US transitions to cleaner energy sources. The plan additionally would use a mixture of tax incentives & grants to assist coal communities repurpose old mine sites & appeal to new funding.

During Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid, she staunchly defended “clean coal” and swept the Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio Democratic primaries. She has said fossil fuel extraction on public lands should be phased out and that she would not oppose lifting a long-standing ban on crude oil exports if it came with tradeoffs for clean energy.

As Clinton fights with her rival Bernie Sanders for stronger climate change and environmental policies, the coal country plan could be a way for the Democratic Party to bring back workers who see strong environmental policies as little more than a threat to their livelihoods.

In recent weeks, Clinton has argued the US should move away from coal as an energy source.

While millions of Americans in coal country have been hurt by the global transition from coal to other sources of energy especially throughout the Great Recession this drama has been overshadowed by the bruising political and legal battles between the Obama administration and the coal industry and its congressional allies including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Dubbed the Secure Coal Community Schools program, the campaign said it would be similar to the Secure Rural Schools program, which gives federal money to counties – largely in OR and California – that lost tax revenue as timber harvests on federal land declined in the 1990s.

Lastly, Clinton is proposing a series of grants to promote local business development, job training, housing, arts and culture.

When Obama announced a plan to limit emissions at coal- fired plants (which the White House has paired with a smaller $10 billion proposal to rebuild coal-producing regions), the head of AFL-CIO received “the historic step” coolly.

Declining demand for coal and anti-pollution regulations have dented the industry, pushing several companies into insolvency. As an example of a project to emulate, the campaign pointed to Google’s plans to build a data center on the site of a recently closed coal plant in Alabama. And it would invest in the building of new bridges, roads, airports and water systems, including the completion of the Appalachian Development Highway System – a project that was established to boost economic development in previously isolated areas.

Eight years ago, Clinton ran as a champion of coal beating then IL Sen. In her second bid for president, she has adopted a more progressive stance on environmental issues that includes her recently stated opposition against the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

But throughout her campaign, Clinton has maintained a commitment to coal miners and ensured their families and communities aren’t left behind.

Her latest plan includes a vow to advocate on behalf of sick miners who have been wrongfully denied coverage under the federal black lung benefit program, and emphasizes the need to ensure that retired coal workers receive pension benefits from mining companies that in a few cases have sought to abstain from those obligations after declaring bankruptcy.

Clinton said she would increase public investment in research into carbon capture and sequestration technology, to burn coal more cleanly.