Coal is dead. We should demand more from politicians who refuse to diversify EKy economy | Opinion

During election years, Republicans claim liberal Democrats like Obama and Biden are waging a war on coal that will ruin Kentucky’s economy. They support their argument with lies, half-truths, and disinformation, but the data prove just the opposite.

When Republican Ronald Reagan began his tenure as president in 1981, the Western and Eastern coalfields of Kentucky employed 47,190 coal miners in both surface and underground mining, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. By the time George H.W. Bush left office in 1993, that number had plummeted to 24,624, a loss of about 48%. When Bill Clinton took office in 1993, Kentucky had 24,063 coal mining jobs. During Clinton’s terms as president, that number declined to 15,500 or a job loss of about 36%.

The Republicans confuse the mathematically illiterate populace by misusing data and statistics to muddy the waters. One popular Republican ad states correctly that Kentucky relies primarily on coal burning plants to supply its energy. The ad implies that coal is a major component of the state’s economy, but coal mining accounts for only 1% of the state’s gross annual income.

These deceitful ads ignore the fact that most countries of the world are rapidly reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Since 2015, 76% of proposed coal-burning power plants worldwide have been canceled. Even that bogeyman China has agreed to stop construction of dozens of coal-powered plants around the world. Twenty-three European nations have pledged to phase out coal by 2030 because coal burning power plants account for most of the emission of the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide.

Surely, the obituary for coal was written on the wall when the Kentucky Mining Museum in Benham switched to solar power in 2017.

But old habits die hard. A popular license plate bears the mantra “Friends of Coal.” Notice it does not say “Friends of Coal Miners.” What is life like in these 27 counties?

I analyzed data from the CDC, the Kentucky Youth Advocacy Council, the NIH and the census bureau and discovered some disturbing facts.

The average life expectancy of white males in these counties is about 73. Then national average is 79.

Of the 3143 counties in the nation, 15 of these coal counties are in the top 50 with the highest cancer rates.

Fifteen of these counties are in the top forty with the highest rates of heart disease.

An average of 10 percent of babies born in these counties have low birth weights.

The median family income is $24,930. In 2021, the national median was $69, 717.

Sixteen of these counties are among the 100 poorest in the nation.

Thirty percent of the people in these counties are living below the national poverty level.

Thirty-one percent of the people living there receive food stamps assistance from the federal government.

Over 40 percent of the people in this region are obese.

Nearly a quarter of the children living in these counties are from homes that suffer from food insecurity.

About 66 children of every one thousand live in foster homes.

Twelve of every 1,000 children have been incarcerated.

The prevalence of smoking and opiate addiction rate in these counties is among the worst in the country.

Call me crazy, but I do not understand why anyone would want to perpetuate these living conditions for themselves and their children.

People who blame others for their misfortune often misdirect their anger. The robber barons who have stripped the state of its natural resources for profit are protected by complicit lawmakers who prostitute themselves for monetary donations to insure their re-elections. For more than 40 years, Mitch McConnell has harangued about winning the war on coal long after that horse is dead. Now Kelly Craft is resurrecting that corpse yet again. Kentuckians should demand accountability for politicians on both sides of the aisle who have refused to diversify the economy of Eastern Kentucky to a more sustainable base. Coal is dead. Get over it.

The Scottish polymath John Selden made a statement as relevant today as it was in the 17th century.

“Old friends are best. King James used to call for his old shoes; they were the easiest for his feet.”

We do ourselves no favors by living in the past and believing the fairy tales coal industry promulgates. Just as breaking in a new pair of shoes can be uncomfortable, in the long run we will benefit from rejecting old ideas that have outlived their usefulness.

Roger L. Guffey is a retired math teacher in Fayette County.