FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2021
[TRIANGLE, VA] United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“I commend Energy Secretary Granholm for coming to West Virginia and going underground at the Harrison County Mine with Senator Joe Manchin to see for herself the hard, dangerous work our members do to energize our nation. Our union has been asking for more than a decade for someone with authority in Washington to tour a mine and meet these workers face to face. I am so glad that she stepped up and did that, and I thank Senator Manchin for facilitating it.
“Coal miners want to know that their jobs, their families and their communities are being considered as decisions are being made about the future of their industry. They want the decision-makers to know that they have done everything asked of them, they have built and maintained their communities, and they deserve more than a pat on the back and political mumbo-jumbo about some sort of ‘just transition.’
“There never has been a just transition in this country. Never. It’s not reasonable to expect that there will be one now. That’s why the UMWA issued our Energy Transition Initiative, to create a true transition focusing on three main goals; preserving UMWA jobs, creating new coalfield jobs and preserving UMWA families and their communities. Secretary Granholm has heard our voices, and that is a good start.
“We will continue to work with the Department of Energy and others in the Administration on this critical issue, and fight for our Principles as Congress considers legislation that will accelerate the transformation of the nation’s energy marketplace. UMWA members have fulfilled a critical role in our nation’s history, and the union is doing everything we can to ensure that they continue to do just that for many decades to come.”
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