In West Virginia, a solar field could soon rise atop an abandoned coal mine, and factories will soon be churning out batteries and electric school buses. The ambitious U.S. climate bill could push up more of these green shoots, but analysts say King Coal will retain outsized clout in the state.
Advocates say the $430 billion package, expected to clear Congress on Friday, could bring a tide of investment to one of the nation's poorest states.
The state's other senator, Republican Shelly Moore Capito, voted against the bill, saying it would hurt the coal industry. At least one of the three West Virginia House members, all Republicans, will vote against it. Representative Alex Mooney is running video ads saying he won't let Manchin "devastate West Virginia."
Coal accounted for 19% of U.S. energy generation last year, down from 45% in 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration . In West Virginia, the industry is no longer a jobs powerhouse, employing only 11,000 workers in 2021, down from 146,000 in 1948, according to state figures. Decisions like that could hinder the climate bill's effectiveness and undercut the Biden administration's goals of cutting U.S. climate emissions in half from 2005 levels by 2030, said James Van Nostrand, head of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at West Virginia University.
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