A BRIGHT ECONOMIC FUTURE FOR THE

MOUNTAIN STATE

#WVBrightFuture

A Roadmap for Sustainable Economic Development in

West Virginia

L. Jeremy RichardsonUnion of Concerned Scientists

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Study Areas

Northern WV: 29 Northern App counties

Southern WV:Central App counties

Non-Mining counties

Questions?

JRichardson@ucsusa.org

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Research Questions

• What factors will impact coal production in the coming decade, and how will WV be affected?

• What are the employment trends in the mining industry for the state?

• How are different parts of WV (which mine different types of coal) vulnerable to these changes?

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Pressures on Coal

• Low Natural Gas Prices• Environmental Regulations• Declining Productivity• Competition with Other Regions• Competition with Renewables and Efficiency• Economic Recession and Excess Capacity• Climate Change Policy

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Methods

• Considered different EIA scenarios for coal production through 2020

• Estimated WV production based on average from previous three years

• Conducted multi-regional analysis using an input-output model to gauge employment and output impacts

Results: Statewide Economy