When the TransAlta Coal mine closed and laid off 600 workers in 2006, Lewis County lost its biggest employer. In 2011, the TransAlta Coal plant eliminated another 300 jobs and announced its intention to close by 2025.  To help with the community’s transition away from coal, TransAlta, environmental groups and the State of Washington agreed to create a 55$ million coal transition funds. From the beginning of the project, Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council has been represented on the board by former powerplant foreman, IBEW 77 member and Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council President Bob Guenther.  As a part of the board, Bob has advocated for a just transition away from coal for TransAlta workers and the community and continues to be a voice for good-paying jobs in Lewis County and in particular jobs in green energy sector.

Now, the Ohio River Valley Institute, a non-profit whose mission is “is to support communities in the region working to advance a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable Appalachia… with a focus on shared prosperity, clean energy, and equitable democracy”, views Centralia as a model to follow. You can read the entire report and read more about the successes of the transition fund here:

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/turnaround/