Abstract:  West Virginia is a resource-rich state with a 200-year history of providing coal, natural gas, and petroleum to drive economic development in the United States.  It is one of 13 States located in a mountainous region of the United States known as Appalachia.  The Central Appalachian region produced 235 million tons (214 million tonnes) of coal in 2008, 20% of total U.S. coal production that year. Annual production fell to 46 million tons (42 million tonnes) in 2020 and may decrease in the future due to the down-turn in coal use for power generation driven by less-expensive natural gas and the growth of electric power generation by renewable energy.  However, decreased demand for steam coal may be partially offset by an increased export market for coking coal.  West Virginia had 125,000 pick-and-shovel mine workers in 1950 who lived mostly in towns owned by the mining companies.  By 2020, about 13,000 people were working in the mines, with 80% working in underground coal mines. Appalachian communities built primarily on the coal mining industry are now suffering economic hardship due to the shortage of high-paying job opportunities, failing infrastructure and reduced revenues that provide community services, and the loss of residents.  This presentation will review both proposed and implemented measures supported by local governments community residents, the State of West Virginia, and the U.S. federal government to diversify job opportunities and increase economic development in distressed coal communities in West Virginia and the Appalachian region.
 

coal communities, economic development, sustainable employment