audio story:

"Tanner Lee Swiger graduated from high school in Wayne County, West Virginia this spring. His father and grandfather both worked in West Virginia’s coal industry. But not Swiger, or any of his high school classmates. Nobody from his graduating class is working in coal, says Swiger. “[They’re] honestly working in fast food, or not working at all.”

Not Swiger. He has a job installing rooftop solar panels. He says his family is delighted with it.

"They’re excited that I’m actually doing something different,” says Swiger. “A lot of people ain’t doing this in West Virginia, a lot of people are against it actually. A lot of people want to go back to coal.

“I ain’t against it, I love solar. It’s way better than coal, I think.”

Solar panels can save people money on their electricity bills and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, which fuel climate change. With battery storage, found in some home set-ups, solar can also allow people to continue to power their homes off the grid during power outages. ..."

Retraining former coal workers in solar or other fields is supported by the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal program set up by presidents Kennedy and Johnson. President Reagan tried to defund it, and President Trump wants to defund it, but for now, Congress has kept its funding intact.

https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-09-12/after-generations-working-co...

Views: 161

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

What a heartwarming story!!

Who knew? All the problems in the country have now been solved....thanks to solar panels!!

and, of course, you, Mr. Heckbert....

Now....I gotta run out and git sum!

DISCLAIMER-This entry is fictional, with no disrespect intended to any individual or group

RSS

© 2024   Created by Keith Mauck (Site Publisher).   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service