** We can—and should—help workers prepare for the inevitable decline of the fossil fuel industry
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Coal workers in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, B ([link removed]) ureau of Land Management, Flickr ([link removed])

Workers and communities that rely on drilling and mining fossil fuels are used to weathering the industries’ boom and bust cycles. For example, oil and gas jobs plummeted in 2020 ([link removed]) , due to the pandemic, and mining jobs took a hit as well. ([link removed]) But projections for coal ([link removed]) as well as oil and gas profitability ([link removed]) make it clear the future holds more frequent busts—and the fossil fuel industry is unlikely to ever fully recover.

This trend is occurring in the U.S. because renewable energy is now cheaper than coal energy ([link removed]) , consumers are choosing electric alternatives, and state and federal governments are setting decarbonization goals to help slow climate change. That’s good because climate change is not just costing fossil fuel workers their jobs, it’s costing farm workers their lives ([link removed]) .

Decarbonizing America doesn’t have to be a trade-off, though. Education and jobs programs can help fossil fuel workers transition to new industries.

“When people are moving from a position that was formerly a high-paying one and reinvesting time and energy and resources into a new career, we know that there’s a cost, and that’s why supporting them is an investment in our future,” said Rob Hill, ([link removed]) public policy chairman for the Wyoming Association for Career and Technical Education.

In Wyoming, adult education programs ([link removed]) are helping workers learn new skills ([link removed]) , like welding, truck driving, and nursing. Private foundations have stepped up to help by funding scholarships. And state lawmakers there have proposed creating a scholarship fund, but it hasn’t passed yet. Meanwhile, Hill is pushing an industry-funded scholarship to help workers pursue 2- and 4-year degrees.

These programs are an example of how state, federal and private programs can achieve what the environmental community calls a “just transition." It’s important not only because it helps the folks who have kept our lights on for years keep their lights on, but because it also reduces opposition to the clean energy transition.

Quick hits


** National parks began phasing out reservation requirements on Labor Day
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USA Today ([link removed])


** Fossil fuel jobs are going away in Wyoming. What will replace them?
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Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])


** Opinion: Drop the political theater and confirm Tracy Stone-Manning
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Billings Gazette ([link removed])


** Thousands return to Lake Tahoe after fire evacuations, thanks to weather that helped slow the blaze
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | KCRA ([link removed]) | La Grande Observer ([link removed])


** Judge rejects Tribes’ request to stop work at proposed Nevada lithium mine
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OPB ([link removed]) | This is Reno ([link removed])


** Opinion: The plan to conserve 30% of U.S. land and water is good for ranchers, too
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Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])


** New book traces origins of the “sagebrush rebellion” back to one county in southeast Utah
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Extreme heat in California, Oregon and Washington is making farm work lethal
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New York Times ([link removed])
Quote of the day
What we in rural communities know is now is the time to act before we lose our lands and waters for good — and the Biden administration and our governor are acknowledging that.”
—Kyler J. Brown, rancher, Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])
Picture this


** @USInterior ([link removed])
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About 1.25 million years ago, a volcanic eruption created the 13-mile wide circular depression now known as the Valles Caldera.

The @nationalparkservice ([link removed]) Valles Caldera National Preserve in #NewMexico ([link removed]) is dormant, but not extinct, and still displays signs of volcanic life with scattered hot springs and boiling sulphuric acid fumaroles.

On sunset evenings, the orange reflections still channel the volcanic colors of the past.

Photo by Andrew Gordon (sharetheexperience.org). Photo description: A pink and orange sky reflects off the water surrounded by green grass. Mountains are off in the distance. #usinterior ([link removed]) #sunset ([link removed])

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