Commerce Sec’y Raimondo: We Need to ‘Move Away from Coal as Fast as Possible’

During an interview with NPR released on Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said we have to get jobs into coal communities and “move away from coal as fast as possible.”

While discussing coal communities, Raimondo said, “The reality is, severe storms cost American businesses $100 billion last year. So, I think climate change deniers are clearly wrong, and we just have to help with getting jobs in those communities and move away from coal as fast as possible.”

She also stated, “You can’t say, coal’s going away. You’re going to lose all your jobs, good luck. You have to be there to help people in those communities find jobs, bring new industries there.” And “I’m the Commerce Secretary for all of America. You just leave the politics behind. West Virginia, for example, isn’t necessarily a place that was supportive of Democrats, but they need help to get back to work in this coal transition.”

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