On the surface, coal going away seems like a good thing. It's better for the environment, some might say. However, there is an ugly side to it. Not only are we still dependent on nonrenewable resources (natural gas), but hundreds of Appalachian natives are without life-sustaining work. Appalachia has never been a particularly wealthy region and it is not one that offers a great deal in the way of work. On the contrary, a great many residents of the area live below the poverty line. It's to the point where many specific groups are dedicated to combating this poverty, which you can read more about here. It's not because the residents are lazy, as anyone who's ever known a miner, trucker, or railroader will readily tell you.
However, now the area is in the grip of an even worse economic situation. The entire economy of the Appalachians was based around coal. The mines that produced it, the yards that refined it, the trucks and rail cars that transported it, the plants that burned it to power the rest of the world -- these were the careers that the natives of my home had to choose from. Now that the mines are gone, the rest has fallen with it. Now that coal-dependent jobs are gone, it has caused a caused a domino reaction. The sudden loss of money means that people aren't buying things that are not absolutely necessary. This means that stores are not getting enough business to survive in many places. The loss of the stores means that there are even less jobs available.
Regardless of the "why," jobs are leaving with the loss of coal and the people are right behind them. Now that people are leaving the area en mass, the future of the Appalachians hangs by a thread. I can hardly think of anyone my age who has ever mentioned plans for staying and even fewer of those who have attended college. If the young are the future and they are all leaving, what future can an area have? Will we be able to overcome the loss of jobs through tourism and outdoor sports or will the area continue to decay? The future is in our hands and it would be a shame to see a place with such a rich and storied history waste away.
