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Opposing groups seek same things

5 min read

On the surface, it’s a tale of two kinds of Americans.

This Thursday, in downtown Pittsburgh at the William S. Moorhead Federal Building, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held one of a handful of nationwide, public testimonies about proposed carbon-emission regulations.

Just outside during this event, interest groups-environmentalists, mine workers, and worker advocates in the thousands-from our region and beyond gathered to protest or support these new regulations. In the end, 14 people were arrested, all of them union organizers engaging in a pre-arranged act of civil disobedience (there were about 5,000 protestors marching in favor of the coal industry and just a few hundred environmentalists).

As is often the case, the environmentalists, arriving from a clean-air rally with Pittsburgh’s Mayor Bill Peduto, ended up looking a little bit privileged, with their sharp, pretty signs that appear to be the work of graphic designers.

And the coal-industry advocates and workers looked tough in their tattoos and camo, waving bold signs that say STOP THE WAR ON COAL, stamped with a peace sign for a little bit of irony (because environmentalists are supposed to be the peaceniks-get it?).

It’s easy to pit one side against they other, as they differ in almost every single way. From their philosophies to their choice in footwear (work boots vs. faux leather sandals). It makes for a compelling narrative.

But the divide between the two is not as solid as the story would have us believe.

Look a bit deeper, and it’s clear that there is actually no philosophical argument to be had here. Despite the way the issue is framed as idealistic yuppie liberals vs. salt-of-the-earth, downtrodden workers, both sides want the same thing: healthy, productive lives.

And both are fighting many undefeatable factors preventing this happy and productive healthiness: from global warming to partisan politics to the decline in manufacturing to Big Coal itself. The only difference is whom each side chooses as their enemy.

For example, how can anyone hear this KDKA quote, from a West Virginia man who was arrested during the demonstrations on Thursday, and not have compassion for him?: “Absolutely it’s worth getting arrested for, ’cause they are trying to take our jobs,” he said. “They are trying to take everything we got.”

And at the same time, how do you discredit the concerns of one mother, who told the Tribune-Review, “But all I want to do is protect my children. It’s emotional for me. I’m no stranger of going to the emergency room with my daughter on days when the air quality is bad.”

That at least some jobs will be lost with these new EPA regulations is not in dispute. The West Virginia man’s concerns are not entirely overblown (though they may be a bit pessimistic, if one believes the EPA is in fact taking steps to mitigate the economic impact of their regulations).

We’ve seen the effects here in our area, in fact, with the closing of the Hatfield Ferry and Mitchell Power plants and the hundreds of jobs lost.

And that coal and other fossil fuels pollute the environment and affect the health of those who live nearby is also not in serious dispute.

In the end, both groups are battling an undefeatable enemy. And, as I wrote in my column a year ago when the two power plants in our area were shuttered, the divides between the two sides make those giant enemies all the more powerful and unconquerable.

Environmentalists alone can’t take down Big Coal or slow global warming, and the United Mine Workers can’t stop the shifts in society and energy production that will eventually leave them without work.

Where will those shifts come from? Whether it’s the EPA’s fault, Big Coal’s fault (for being unwilling to invest in making their power plants better for the environment) or simply the move toward new types of energy (environmentalist favorites solar and wind, or natural gas), eventually workers in the coal industry will be out of a job.

One environmentalist pointed out that those in favor of the regulations don’t want to take away jobs. They want different, better jobs for the workers before it’s too late: jobs producing wind and solar energy.

It’s a sensible position, and moves in the right direction toward a united front.

And solar power is gaining in popularity, with the amount of electricity generated from solar panels doubling in the last year alone.

Without the necessary infrastructure already in place, and with solar only making up less than one percent of our energy production, it’s understandable that workers would be pessimistic about their ability to transition to a new kind of work.

But finding that common ground is a good first step.

Eventually, the health of our planet will be an issue we’ll have to tackle together, as will the issue of dwindling labor-based job opportunities.

And anger won’t help us tackle either.

Jessica Vozel is originally from Perryopolis and, after attending graduate school and teaching in Ohio, now works as a freelance journalist and copywriter in the Pittsburgh area.

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