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U.S. NEWS Saturday 3 June 2017

American Living:

Coastal disappointment, inland joy at Trump climate move

By ROBERT BUKATY STORMS
DYLAN LOVAN In Belmar on the Jersey
Associated Press Shore, Tom Rodgers, owner
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — of TR’s Food Court, said he
From coal country to the didn’t feel qualified to talk
ports of Maine to the wind about science.
farms of the West Coast, “You wanna know about
Americans react to Presi- Burgers, Fries I can tell you.
dent Donald Trump’s an- You wanna know about
nouncement Thursday that climate, I’m really not an
he’s pulling the country out expert, so I leave certain
of the Paris climate accord. things up to the experts. I
just hope the president has
WARMING WATERS AND done his due diligence and
LOSING LOBSTERS spoke to the right people.”
Tim Pettis, a Maine lobster- Rodgers’ restaurant was
man, said he’s felt the ef- damaged by Superstorm
fects of climate change Sandy, as were the homes
in the waters he works in, of many in Belmar including
and wishes President Trump Sandy Snyder.
could feel the same. “There was devastation
“I think most people believe here, the streets were full
that the climate is chang- of sand and water, homes
ing over the years,” Pet- were damaged,” Sandy Retired coal miner Kenny Smith sits at his kitchen table in Centertown, Ky., Thursday, June 1,
tis said as he stood in front said. “They call it the storm 2017, as he speaks during an interview. President Donald Trump announce Thursday during a
of stacks of yellow lobster of the century, but why was news conference a decision to pull out of the landmark Paris climate accord. Smith worked in
traps. We can all see it, just there a storm of the century underground mines in western Kentucky until he retired in the 1990s after 22 years. He supports
because he doesn’t want when there are reports that Trumps decision to pull out of the accord. Next to Smith on the table is the heart pump that keeps
to believe it, he shouldn’t climate change is affecting him alive. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)
be able to pull the whole the planet, I think we are
country out on his own but going to see more of it and ing to do that.” COUNTRY EYES REVIVAL “You can burn the coal,
he is the president so I guess unfortunately if we don’t Trucks constantly rumble In West Virginia’s coal and if these companies do
you can.” take care of it now I think through town from the country, Tod Tuttle, the co- it right,” Tuttle said. “They al-
Pettis said he and his fel- that is going to be the norm Midway mine, a major em- owner of a small roadside ways blame the coal mines.
low workers in the far north rather than the rarity.” ployer, but production has grocery store near two It’s not the coal mines. It’s
have been beneficiaries fallen from around 10 mil- mines, applauded Trump the electric plants them-
from the changes so far, RETIRED COAL MINER LA- lion tons of coal a year to for what he’d done for the selves.”
because there are fewer MENTS JOBS LOST less than half that figure. local industry.
lobsters further south in In Centertown, Kentucky, Trump “said when he (got) “Under Obama our busi- CALIFORNIA WANTS MORE
places like New York and retired coal miner Kenny elected, that’s the first ness was lacking big time. WIND, CHANGE OF DIREC-
Connecticut. Smith watched Trump’s TV thing, jobs, jobs, jobs. That’s West Virginia has had an TION
“As the water keeps warm- announcement with ap- what he said he’d do, and uptick in coal production The president’s decision
ing up, the numbers keep proval. that’s what he’s doing,” late last year and so far this disappointed Nancy Rad-
going down from the south “He’s keeping his promise Smith said. “I mean, I’m year, attributed by indus- er, executive director of
up to us,” Pettis said. “The that he’s going to help get proud of him.” try officials to higher mar- the California Wind Energy
last three or four years the coal jobs back, help Smith, 67, dismissed the ket prices and increased Association.
we’ve been doing better people get back to work, idea that coal is unhealthy demand for metallurgical The Berkeley-based non-
lobstering and I think it does and that’s what we need, or environmentally un- coal. Tuttle credits Trump. profit is supported by mak-
have to do with that.” anywhere in this country,” sound. He pointed in the “When the mines are work- ers of wind turbines, con-
“Some of the fish are dis- Smith said. “You can go direction of a coal-fired ing it’s booming like crazy,” tractors, component suppli-
appearing,” Pettis said. to Detroit, you can go to power plant. he said. “When the mines ers and project developers.
“We’re catching fish now in Pennsylvania you can go “I’ve lived in this house are down ... our business “I think it’s pretty sad that
our traps that are southern to West Virginia, there’s since 1974 and that pow- was just trickling.” Trump sees this in terms of
fish; it just tells you that the people that have been er plant has never made About the Paris agreement, a deal, as something as
water is warming up every laid off for years, they’re me sick,” he said. “There’s he said that issue isn’t really simple as that,” Rader said.
year a little bit.” just forgotten. And most of good jobs that come from with coal itself, which is still “This is about the future of
our factories have gone power plants.” needed for reliable electri- the planet. This is about the
JERSEY SHORE REMEMBERS overseas, we need to get cal generation without out- health and safety of our
SANDY, FORESEES MORE them back, I think he’s try- WEST VIRGINIA COAL ages. children.”q