Coal country residents in Kentucky are concerned about President Donald Trump's call to bring back jobs in the coal industry, CNN reported.
Tyra Johnson, a resident of Beattysville, Ky., said she does not want her children to work in the industry. She also drinks bottled water because she believes the local water is not suitable for drinking due to the industry's effects.
"I think our community should focus more on eco-tourism rather than destroying the mountains and blasting the mountains away trying to get coal and polluting our streams," Tyler Chrisman, a 27-year-old Beattysville resident, said.
"I think we need to look at something a little bit different," John Smith, the town's mayor, said.
A company that trains people in customer service has brought in 80 jobs to the area, according to the mayor.
Coal companies are still paying Appalachia area towns and families severance money for cleanup and healthcare.
Patricia Cole, a local EMT, said she sees frequent cases of black lung among residents, CNN reported.
Residents supported Trump, and they want a balance between coal industry jobs and protecting the environment, they said.
"I'm not saying throw everything away," Steve Mays, an area judge, told CNN. "There's a balance there."
At an event in Kentucky last month, Trump said, "We will put our miners back to work." He signed executive orders March 29 to ramp up use of coal and other fossil fuels, CNN reported.
However, electric utility companies say they are retiring coal plants and do not plan on building new ones, according to The New York Times.
"It doesn't really change anything," said Jeff Burleson, vice president of system planning at Southern Company.
"Whatever happens in the near term in the current administration doesn't affect our long-term planning for future generations," he added.
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