By Christopher B. Daly
One month into the Trump era, the number of new jobs in coal mining remains steady, at zero.
Now comes word that employment in the oil patch is declining and not coming back. The problem: automation.
When will we figure out — and acknowledge — that these industries are dying a natural death. There is no need to look for scapegoats like liberals, regulators, environmentalists. Congress should act quickly to flood the states dependent on coal and oil with money for income support and for retraining those folks for decent jobs in renewables or in other fields.
Prof Chris Daly's Blog 