猫咪社区

Like many men raised in eastern Kentucky, Frank Morris spent a chunk of his working life in the coal industry.

Raised in the city of Hazard, Morris did a little bit of everything, from shoveling belt to diesel mechanics.

鈥淏ack then, if you were going to pick to live around here and make good money, you either went into the coal business or you went into the medical field,鈥� Morris said.

Like many others, however, Morris was laid off several years ago when the coal industry started contracting. Metallurgical coal, used for making steel, was waning as part of a regular global cycle, and steam coal, used to produce electricity, suffered a long-term decline as power utilities increasingly moved toward cheaper, cleaner-burning natural gas and renewable wind and solar energy.

Morris found a job at Walmart, but given the cost of child care, he realized he was actually losing money by working there. He tried being a stay-at-home dad, but he found himself yearning to contribute to his family鈥檚 financial well-being in a more tangible way, so he started taking small carpentry jobs. Morris had been doing that for a while when he heard about an internship for former coal miners.

The six-month internship with Mountain Association for Community Economic Development offered training in new energy efficiency professions, placement with a local employer, and the potential for longer-term employment after the job ended. Morris applied for the internship and was accepted, along with another ex-miner named Randall Howard. The two received hands-on training in conducting energy audits鈥攍earning how to use equipment such as infrared cameras, duct blasters, blower doors, and much more鈥攁nd went to work at their respective jobs, Morris for the nonprofit Housing Development Alliance and Howard for Christian Outreach with Appalachian People, an affordable housing organization.

Today 鈥渢hings are a lot better for us,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in a better position financially and with our home lives. I鈥檓 able to be home every day, most days, before 5 o鈥檆lock. That鈥檚 something I鈥檝e never had before in my life.鈥�

The money isn鈥檛 quite what he made working coal, but it鈥檚 a lot better than what he earned at Walmart. He鈥檚 also found a better work-life balance than either of those two previous jobs offered.

MACED鈥檚 energy efficiency internship program is just one of many initiatives designed to retrain workers laid off during the cratering of the coal industry over the last decade. The coal industry has steadily declined since the 1950s, . With the advent of hydraulic fracturing technology in the 2000s leading to an abundance of natural gas, as well as federal regulations that resulted in the closure of older coal-fired power plants, the industry has collapsed in the last decade. Many companies went into bankruptcy or shuttered, resulting in mass layoffs and a ripple effect that鈥檚 spread to related businesses, such as railroads and equipment manufacturers.

According to a report produced by Kentucky state officials and , the number of coal jobs in 2013 had declined to 12,550鈥攖he lowest since the state started recording the figure in 1927. By August 2018, even further to 6,238, according to the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy, which produces quarterly reports on the coal industry.

鈥淓nergy efficiency is something that is especially needed in the coal regions.鈥�

As a result, many coalfield communities have suffered economic distress and depopulation. Local and state officials have tried a number of approaches to reverse that trend, retraining miners for jobs in industries on the rise, such as computer coding and outdoor recreation.

MACED鈥檚 program, funded by a $2 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, $100,000 from Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program Inc., and a $1 million match from MACED鈥檚 venture capital loan fund, is designed to build on related skills used in mining that can be adapted for energy efficiency, a growing sector. According to a study by E4TheFuture and Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), nearly 2.25 million , including 24,579 people in Kentucky. That figure includes those who work with efficient appliances and lighting, heating and ventilation systems, building materials and insulation, energy audits, building certifications, and more. MACED saw the internship program as an opportunity to add to a growing field while also building local expertise.

鈥淲e thought, let鈥檚 see if we can develop some local champions who have technical skills,鈥� said Chris Woolery, a program coordinator at MACED. 鈥淭hey can be advocates, they can be independent third-party experts, and they can connect folks to financing through various mechanisms. When I come to Hazard and talk about the gospel of energy efficiency, I鈥檓 not received the same way Frank Morris is when he speaks to his community. When Frank became the resident efficiency person at HDA [Housing Development Alliance], we immediately we saw the ripple effects.鈥�

As the first two interns, Howard and Morris were both placed at affiliate organizations of the Appalachia Heat Squad, a collaborative program aimed at expanding access to energy efficient home improvements. They learned how to evaluate a home鈥檚 energy efficiency, how to identify and implement improvements, and how to educate homeowners about programs that could help them fund those investments. During their internships, Morris conducted 23 audits and 13 retrofits, while Howard did 22 audits and 5 retrofits.

Energy efficiency programs carry additional possibilities for improving people鈥檚 lives. 

鈥淓nergy efficiency is something that is especially needed in the coal regions,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淎round here, electricity has always been cheap. Now we鈥檙e getting all these . That touches everybody鈥攏ot just doctors and lawyers but grandmothers on fixed incomes, people who have to make a decision: 鈥業f I don鈥檛 pay my electrical bill they鈥檒l cut my power off, but if I do, I might have to miss a few meals this month. Or do I really need my blood pressure medicine this month?鈥� It鈥檚 a hard decision.鈥�

Instead of providing financial aid to pay those electric bills, the Heat Squad aims to fix the issue that鈥檚 causing the bills to be high, Morris said.

鈥淓specially around here, housing stock is especially old,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淎nd people living in mobile homes and double-wides can really benefit from this program.鈥�

These energy efficiency programs carry additional possibilities for improving people鈥檚 lives. A five-year study of respiratory health in Letcher and Harlan counties found that people who lived in either a mobile home or public housing were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with asthma than people who lived in single-family housing.

The study, known as the , now in its second phase, involves prevention. Study participants who have been diagnosed with asthma and had symptoms within the past year meet four times with a trained nurse, and on the third visit, they receive a home assessment. In Harlan County, that鈥檚 conducted by Howard, one of the former MACED interns.

鈥淗e looks for sources of allergens and irritants in the home,鈥� said Beverly May, a 28-year nurse pursuing a doctor of public health degree at the University of Kentucky, and who manages the Mountain Air Project.

She said Howard is 鈥渞eally brilliant in finding things that can cause trouble. He鈥檚 looking for leaks under the sink, pests that are hidden away in dark places you wouldn鈥檛 think to look, sources of mold around the outside of the house, water in the basement. Then he talks with the homeowner about what they can do to correct the situation.鈥�

There鈥檚 often overlap between healthy homes and those that are energy efficient.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a ton of different ways we could diversify this economy.鈥�

鈥淚f a home has cracks and crevices, the door isn鈥檛 properly sealed, the windows aren鈥檛 properly sealed, then not only does cold air come in during the winter, but there鈥檚 also the possibility for pests to come in,鈥� May said. 鈥淚f you can fix one problem, you might be fixing several problems.鈥�

There are two main challenges. One is that people often feel uncomfortable letting strangers examine their homes, even for a beneficial reason. The other is that the repairs needed to fix problems sometimes outstrip the finances of homeowners. In both cases, Howard is well-positioned to help.

As a local, Howard can talk to homeowners to reassure them.

鈥淚鈥檒l try to connect with them in any way possible to try to ease their mind about letting me go through their home,鈥� Howard said. 鈥淚 try to show them I鈥檓 more of a friend than an enemy, that I鈥檓 there to help them. I live in the mountains myself. I guess they connect with me pretty good because I have lived in the past in some of the conditions that they live in. I鈥檓 open with them. I tell them I ain鈥檛 here to judge you because you鈥檝e got clothes piled up in the corner or dirty dishes in the sink. That鈥檚 no concern to me unless there鈥檚 mold growing on it. I talk to them a little bit to show them I ain鈥檛 there to judge them.鈥�

As for the financial piece, the mission of Howard鈥檚 employer, Christian Outreach with Appalachian People, is to build affordable rural housing and offer programs that can offset costs.

The results can make a big difference in a homeowner鈥檚 life. Howard describes one such rehabilitation project: 鈥淲e went in, it didn鈥檛 have no insulation under the floor, and the roof was leaking. We put a new roof on, insulation under the floor, a new heat pump. I had to go back later to test everything out. I walked in and there鈥檚 an 80-year-old man. He stood up, walked over to me, and gave me a hug. He said, 鈥榃e鈥檝e been here 15 years and I鈥檝e never been as comfortable as we are now. You鈥檝e made this house better, so much more comfortable.鈥欌��

The homeowner鈥檚 electric bill was cut in half, Howard said.

MACED has now hired two more interns in Hazard for its second round of the program. Their focus is on commercial and industrial instead of residential projects. Because of economies of scale, Woolery said, businesses are often quicker to invest in energy efficiency projects than individual families, and there鈥檚 more immediate work available. MACED is hiring for three more internships as well: one doing commercial energy efficiency work in Paintsville, a second more focused on the marketing of energy efficiency and renewable energy in Berea, and a third trained for solar photovoltaic cell installation in Lexington.

Woolery hopes to push some of those interns toward the solar power, where there鈥檚 potentially even more opportunity.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just showing that there鈥檚 a ton of different ways we could diversify this economy,鈥� Woolery said. 鈥淜nowing we don鈥檛 have access to any silver bullets, all we can do is shoot as many silver BBs as we can.鈥�

This article was funded in part by a grant from the One Foundation.