Today, SunRun got an inside look into one of the dirtiest industries around — and it wasn’t pretty. At our headquarters in San Francisco, Pat Gallagher, the director of the Environmental Law Program at the Sierra Club, screened the club’s latest documentary, Coal Country. Taking us into the heart of coal mining in West Virginia, the film brings us to mining sites, public meetings, demonstrations, and the Appalachian homes directly affected by mining to show us how the “coal industry is poisoning Appalachia.”
The problems of coal are clear: the natural environment is being visibly and drastically destroyed, public health is at great risk (one researcher estimates that there are approximately 578 extra deaths per year in West Virginia than the rest of the United States), and 36% of our CO2 emissions are from coal combustion (more than any other fossil fuel!). Don’t trust the hype behind clean coal — there is not a single clean coal plant in the U.S. today. In addition, coal mining can dismantle the local economy, particularly tourism and the real estate market. Staring at her lovely and well-kept house, one homeowner added ruefully that her home had depreciated well over $100,000 to value at a mere $12,000, due to the local coal mining industry. Not only mountains and streams, but also individuals, their livelihoods, and their homes are at stake.
The politics of coal are complicated, but the solution is simple. According to Gallagher, the answer is three-fold: preventing new coal plants from opening, getting rid of existing plants, and finally, offering clean energy solutions.
Now, one of the arguments the coal industry and their miners make is that coal creates jobs and that shutting down these plants are going to hurt the local and national economy. However, as Coal Country revealed, the actual number of jobs at stake are not very high, given the automated and mechanical nature of the industry. Explosives blow up mountain tops and machines push aside the rubble. 
But in any case, these voids can be more than filled with green jobs in renewable industries, such as solar, wind, geothermal. That’s where SunRun comes in! According to the EIA’s latest annual coal report, 86,859 people were employed by the coal industry in 2008. Not a small number, but not exceptional either, if you examine the stats across industries. Thomas Friedman, in a recent New York Times op-ed, cites that there are over 50,000 jobs created by the renewable industry in Germany, with the country generating around half of the world’s solar power! Germany is about the size of Montana and as sunny as Seattle. The potential for a clean growth economy is undeniable! If there are any doubts about the credibility of green jobs, SunRun is here to fill that gap; coal is no longer “the only job in town.”
Join the Sierra Club (and others all around the world) in their fight against coal. To date, Sierra Club successfully halted 108 new coal projects! Coal affects all of us, even those outside of the mining regions, and with everyone’s help, the administration will have to listen.
Host or attend a house party to watch and discuss Coal Country, write a letter to Obama, or show your support for clean energy by signing up for solar today!
Details:
Coal Country, airing on the Planet Green network on November 19th, 11pm EST and November 20th at 3pm EST. Watch the trailer here.
Executive Producer: Mari-Lynn Evans
Written, Produced, Directed by Phylis Geller
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
American needs green jobs now! We must stop investing in dirty energy.
What a well written/researched post! I can’t wait to watch the film.
i’m glad to see the Sierra Club is trying to clear up these misconceptions about “clean coal.” This film sounds very interesting and I hope it receives a lot of attention.
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