Series examines transition of coal country economy as coal declines

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Energy News Network and WyoFile chart.
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"Transition in Coal Country", a three-part collaboration of the Energy News Network and WyoFile "examines how the declining coal industry presents immediate and long-term changes for coal communities in Wyoming and Appalachia, how those communities are coping with change, and what they might learn from each other in charting a path to a sustainable future beyond coal," Mason Adams and Dustin Bleizeffer report.

The first part, "What's next for coal country?" discusses the overall state of coal communities' economies and the coal industry, and how market and policy forces have contributed to that, as well as predictions for the future.

The second installment, "Coal country faces a healthcare crisis," shows how the pandemic has hurt rural coal communities already struggling with lack of healthcare resources.

The third part, "Coal communities increasingly rely on federal health programs," explores how the decline of coal has forced conservative politicians to reconsider Medicaid expansion and obliged rural communities to depend more on such programs as well as telehealth care.