This National Miner’s Day we pay tribute to all the hard working Americans who toil daily to ensure we have the electricity needed to power our great nation and our homes and businesses.
As of 2015, there were 102,442 people employed in the mines, and if you include support staff, transportation, and indirect and induced jobs provided by businesses like restaurants that are frequented by mine workers, the total employment balloons to more than 700,000. These employees brought home nearly $37.2 billion in income and contributed more than $65.6 billion to the national GDP. For many communities across the country, coal mining is a way of life and has supported the population with jobs and residences for decades, if not longer.
The impact of coal on communities cannot be understated. Tom, a coal miner from Johnstown, Pennsylvania reached out and told us, “My whole family, including myself, was coal miners. I know for a fact that coal kept the steel mills and power plants going ‘Full blast’! Never forget, ‘Coal will keep the lights on for us’!”
The positive impact of coal, however, is not limited to the communities in which it is mined. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal continues to be the leading source of electricity generation in the United States and helps keeps power affordable for millions across the country who rely it on for life’s necessities.
So if you know a miner, please take a moment and join us in saying thank you for all they do!