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“The market has spoken,” said a Vectron executive in announcing that the 145,000-customer utility will shift its dependency on coal from 78 to 12 percent. "These old dinosaurs are done.”

Local social consequences of the transition from fossil-fuel extractive industries like coal pose complicated policy questions around how to see that change occurs with communities, families and workers in mind.

The federal government’s latest outlook for U.S. coal companies shows a continued decline as demand plummets across the board, meaning more coal facilities could close quickly without the opportunity for communities to plan for an economic transition.

“We need justice, we need health care and we need benefits,” goes the message from advocates pushing back against a major coal-industry effort to kill federally mandated Black Lung coverage.

“We have over 300 days of sunlight throughout the year,” says the co-founder of the Oakland-based Native Renewables. “We’re in a prime area to develop and manage our own power.”

“Investing in community-led, adaptable enterprises creates a foundation for long-term growth and prosperity,” writes the author, who calls for long-term promotion of post-coal communities that are built around better-diversified businesses.

Collaboration between tribal and state leaders, federal officials, and investors will be crucial for the reinvention of an economy that depended on coal and must retool now for the future.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission has cut some of the red tape that has delayed initiatives to encourage investment in solar energy. The move is a “gamechanger,” one advocate said.

Aiming to catalyze a total of $150 billion in public-private reinvestment, the EU has increased its just transition funding by fivefold, to almost $50 billion, for “social and economic” initiatives.

A group in the former coal-mining town of Shawnee is marketing guided tours of historic sites, live music events, and outdoor recreation in hopes of attracting visitors and new residents.