Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
11/13/2015
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton this week released a $30 billion plan to support communities reliant on coal that have been hit by the trend toward lower-carbon energy sources. “Building a 21st century clean energy economy in the United States will create new jobs and industries, deliver important health benefits, and reduce carbon pollution. But we can’t ignore the impact this transition is already having on mining communities, or the threat it poses to the healthcare and retirement security of coalfield workers and their families,” the six-page plan says.
The many-faceted plan includes support for carbon capture and storage. “To help seed the next wave of innovation and industry creation,” Clinton, if elected, “will increase public investment in research and development at universities, national labs and other institutions in coal-producing regions. Given the important role that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology can play in meeting long-term global climate change objectives, Clinton will support CCS R&D and demonstration projects, both in the electric power sector and in industry," the plan says.
The plan also includes an infrastructure investment program, an initiative to repurpose mine lands and power plant sites for forestry, agriculture, or manufacturing; increasing high-speed broadband access; and streamlining federal permitting for renewable energy and transmission lines to allow states to take advantage of renewable resources.
Clinton also proposed a “Coal Communities Challenge Fund” that would award new competitive grants to small businesses, education and training programs, health and wellness programs, arts and culture programs, and housing.
Clinton is not the first Democratic candidate to voice support for revitalizing coal communities. Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced his intention to introduce a coal country jobs bill in the Senate in coming weeks. “What we have got to do is to understand that workers in the fossil fuel industry, through no fault of their own, they’re just trying to make a living, are producing a product that is endangering our planet,” Sanders said. “We have the moral responsibility to make sure that as we transition away from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and sustainable energy these workers are protected.”
