Democratic presidential candidates seeking to address climate change must account for thousands of coal workers whose jobs are at risk because of mine closures and competition from cheaper natural gas, the head of the largest coal miners’ union said Wednesday. Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, said the Green New Deal and other climate plans threaten union members’ jobs and their families’ standard of living. “I don’t think a good starting point for Democrats is eliminating union jobs,” Roberts said in a speech to the National Press Club.
