{"id":1449,"date":"2017-05-03T10:45:39","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T15:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1449"},"modified":"2017-05-03T11:23:15","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T16:23:15","slug":"the-hopes-and-broken-promises-of-coal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2017\/05\/03\/the-hopes-and-broken-promises-of-coal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hopes and Broken Promises of Coal"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_1451\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1451\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1451\" src=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2017\/05\/9304143669_416d3b5287_z-600x398.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2017\/05\/9304143669_416d3b5287_z-600x398.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2017\/05\/9304143669_416d3b5287_z-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2017\/05\/9304143669_416d3b5287_z.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1451\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Open cut coal mine, Hunter Valley. Max Phillips (Jeremy Buckingham MLC), Flickr CC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a group of coal miners standing behind him, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in his first 100 days reversing Obama-era climate change policies and claimed that he would be bringing back coal and\u00a0putting miners to work. With this move, Trump has tapped into the concerns of rural communities with economies dominated by resource extraction. Yet, can or will coal mining jobs come back, and will this lead to economic and social development in places like Appalachia? <\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The loss of mining jobs in the U.S. is largely due to increasing mechanization and other labor-cutting management practices &#8211;not the result of environmental protections. Thus, placing the blame on climate change policies is an unfounded, but typical, argument used to scapegoat environmentalists rather than industry or changes in the global economy.<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csrm.uq.edu.au\/people\/jo-anne-everingham\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jo-Anne Everingham<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2016. \u201cTransformation of Rural Society and Environments by Extraction of Mineral and Energy Resources.\u201d Pp. 272\u201384 in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Routledge-International-Handbook-of-Rural-Studies\/Shucksmith-Brown\/p\/book\/9781138804371\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Routledge International Handbook of Rural Studies<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, edited by M. Shucksmith and D. L. Brown. New York, NY: Routledge.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cabrini.edu\/about\/departments\/academic-departments\/school-of-business-arts-and-media\/leadership-and-organizational-development\/faculty\/matthews\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Todd L. Matthews<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2010. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/02732173.2011.525696\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Enduring Conflict of \u2018Jobs Versus the Environment\u2019: Local Pollution Havens as an Integrative Empirical Measure of Economy Versus Environment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sociological Spectrum<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 31(1):59\u201385.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Researchers have long argued that economies based solely around mining are prone to booms and busts, lacking resiliency and often becoming dependent on one industry. Contrary to common assumptions, research has found that mining does not always lead to economic growth and well-being. Thus, even if coal mines stay open, this does not necessarily mean wider economic prosperity and well-being. In Appalachia, for example, the counties with coal mines actually have some of the highest rates of poverty and unemployment compared to surrounding counties without active mines.<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.es.ucsb.edu\/people\/william-r-freudenburg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">William R. Freudenburg<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 1992. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/j.1549-0831.1992.tb00467.x\/abstract\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Addictive Economies: Extractive Industries and Vulnerable Localities in a Changing World Economy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rural Sociology<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 57(3):305\u201332.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.es.ucsb.edu\/people\/william-r-freudenburg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">William R. Freudenburg<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Lisa J. Wilson. 2002. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/1475-682X.00034\/pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mining the Data: Analyzing the Economic Implications of Mining for Nonmetropolitan Regions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sociological Inquiry<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 72(4):549\u201375.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/soc.appstate.edu\/faculty-staff\/robert-t-perdue-phd\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robert Todd Perdue<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.norc.uab.edu\/people\/gpavela\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gregory Pavela<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2012. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/1086026612464767\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Addictive Economies and Coal Dependency Methods of Extraction and Socioeconomic Outcomes in West Virginia, 1997-2009<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organization &amp; Environment<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 25(4):368\u201384.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sociology.osu.edu\/people\/lobao.1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linda Lobao<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aede.osu.edu\/our-people\/minyu-zhou\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minyu Zhou<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aede.osu.edu\/our-people\/mark-partridge\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mark Partridge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ehe.osu.edu\/human-sciences\/directory\/?id=betz.40\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michael Betz<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2016. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/ruso.12098\/abstract\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poverty, Place, and Coal Employment across Appalachia and the United States in a New Economic Era.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rural Sociology<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Nevertheless, the rhetoric of saving coal resonates with strong cultural connections to mining and people\u2019s identities of coming from multiple generations of miners and living in a coal community. The identity of being a miner is interconnected with masculine ideals of hard work and providing for family, and mining companies have played off of these sentiments. Mining companies, particularly in Appalachia, have actively worked to create community support through public relations and other cultural and political tactics. These corporate strategies, such as sponsoring high school football tournaments and billboard ads, have helped to place the blame on outsiders and environmentalists, while providing a cover for the environmentally destructive and cost-cutting industry practices.<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sociology.missouri.edu\/people\/scott\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rebecca R. Scott<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2010. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.upress.umn.edu\/book-division\/books\/removing-mountains\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Removing Mountains: Extracting Nature and Identity in the Appalachian Coalfields<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/inside.mines.edu\/Jessica-Rolston\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jessica Smith Rolston<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2014. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/awr.12105\/full\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mining Coal and Undermining Gender: Rhythms of Work and Family in the American West<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sociology.okstate.edu\/people\/directories\/faculty-directory\/dr-tamara-mix\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tamara L. Mix<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.enmu.edu\/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=717:history-social-sciences-religion-faculty-staff-detailed&amp;catid=108&amp;Itemid=1871#Kris_Waldo\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kristin G. Waldo<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2014. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/tsq.12065\/pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Know(ing) Your Power: Risk Society, Astroturf Campaigns, and the Battle over the Red Rock Coal-Fired Plant.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Sociological Quarterly<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 56(1):125\u201351.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soc.as.uky.edu\/users\/sebe223\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shannon Elizabeth Bell <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/sociology.uoregon.edu\/profile\/rfyork\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Richard York<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2010. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/j.1549-0831.2009.00004.x\/full\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Community Economic Identity: The Coal Industry and Ideology Construction in West Virginia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rural Sociology<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 75(1):111\u201343.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With a group of coal miners standing behind him, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in his first 100 days reversing Obama-era climate change policies and claimed that he would be bringing back coal and\u00a0putting miners to work. With this move, Trump has tapped into the concerns of rural communities with economies dominated by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1957,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,55,13,85],"tags":[14951,96433,38543,38545,38541,38546],"class_list":["post-1449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-gender","category-inequality","category-politics","tag-appalachia","tag-coal-mining","tag-culture","tag-gender","tag-inequality","tag-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1957"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1449"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1455,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1449\/revisions\/1455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}