In rural Virginia, the long-awaited energy and economic transition will be substantially boosted by the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which includes the first climate law in America.
Over the past decade or so, unemployment and poverty have forced many Americans to leave south-west Virginia as the coal industry declined. That decline ricocheted across the central Appalachia region. Families have been torn apart, and any talk of renewable energy was seen as anti-coal.
Attitudes are beginning to shift.
People in the region are getting on board with the switch to renewable energy. They are saying that the world needs to move away from fossil fuels that are killing the planet. Green technology is only getting better and better, and many see the future arriving at their doorstep now.
The long awaited energy and economic transition will be substantially boosted by the first climate legislation to be passed in the U.S., the Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation provides $369 billion for the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Scientists estimate that the investment will reduce greenhouse gases by 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and create an estimated 1.5 million new jobs.
Decent well paid jobs are desperately needed.
In Virginia, coal production has declined by 70 percent since it was at its peak in 1990. Much of what is left is semi-automated. These old coal jobs are mostly all gone, and they are not coming back.
The new legislation provides money for training, innovation and manufacturing, as well as an array of tax breaks and other financial incentives to help both consumers and businesses transition to green energy and away from fossil fuels.
Experts said it is a game changer for rural and coal communities, as renewables are a way to honor the region’s energy-producing legacy and to be part of the 21st century global energy transition.
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