After President Trump announced the U.S. was pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, Virginia's Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced he wanted his state to continue following the carbon emission polices. For this report, I talked with lawmakers and coal advocates in Southwest Virginia who were fighting McAuliffe's plan. They saw exiting the Paris Accord as a way to bring back coal jobs.
President Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Accord could mean the return of coal mines in our region. However, Virginia's Governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, wants the state to continue reducing carbon emissions, calling the president’s decision “foolish” and “dangerous.” The Republican-controlled legislature sees McAuliffe’s plan as crippling to the already struggling coal economy.
“The governor's statement is a slap in the face to Southwest Virginia when it comes to the coal industry,” State Sen. Bill Carrico said.
McAuliffe wants regulations to protect the environment and slow climate change. Instead of increasing coal production, he wants Virginia to be a leader in clean energy.
"I now have 80,000 clean energy jobs in Virginia today,” McAuliffe said. “80,000 just in the last couple years. There's nothing the governor or anyone can do about coal jobs if China's not buying our coal."
Local advocates for coal mining say we are already doing a lot to protect the environment. They point to clean coal plants that capture carbon dioxide before it's released and say regulations could stop advancement of that technology.
"I think sometimes when you put artificial standards on there that just kind of determine certain percentages, I think it can inhibit you as much as it can help you,” said Harry Childress, president of Virginia Coal and Energy Alliance.
President Trump says lifting regulations will return coal jobs to our region.
"We're having a big opening in two weeks,” he said. “Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, so many places. A big opening of a brand new mine, it's unheard of. For many, many years that hasn't happened."
Carrico is also hoping for coal to return, but he emphasizes the need for a diverse economy. He says one place production can increase is in metallurgical coal, which is used to make steel.
With McAuliffe leaving office in January, Carrico is looking to the next governor to see how policy evolves.
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