by Don Weber@DonWeber_cn2 –

WILLIAMSTOWN – According to Williamstown attorney and former 4th district Democratic Congressional candidate Bill Adkins, it’s time for Democrats to tell the truth when it comes to the future of coal in the state.

Adkins, a Letcher County native, says for too long Democrats in the state have cried about the loss of coal jobs because of tough federal regulations, but the reality is that the coal industry, as many Kentuckians remember it, is pretty well gone.

“Every boon was shorter, and every bust has been longer, and this one’s about done,” Adkins said. “Natural gas has fallen 80 percent in the last 10 years, oil is stabilizing around 50 to 55 dollars a barrel. Reality is coal is not going to be the force it was and it will likely never come back absent a technological marvel.”

Adkins believes that in addition to telling the real story about coal, the time is now for Democrats to start coming up with viable candidates to run for governor in 2019.

“We have to start organizing now,” Adkins said. “This idea of running a campaign, folding your tent, and then revitalizing it 2 to 4 years later, it’s a 4 year, constant campaign.”

Adkins says that he currently has no plans to run for another political office.