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Senator Bernie Sanders on Thursday vowed to invest billions of dollars in coal-mining communities to create jobs, seizing on the issue as Hillary Clinton faces a backlash for promising to put coal companies out of business.

The Vermont senator brought up the future of coal miners while campaigning across West Virginia, which holds its primary on Tuesday, and spoke about poverty at a food bank in Kimball. Though he trails Mrs. Clinton by hundreds of delegates, Mr. Sanders has said that he hopes to close that gap in the remaining contests and has presented himself as more dedicated to helping the middle class than her. On Thursday, Mr. Sanders promised to fight to make sure communities that lose jobs because of his environmental policies would get help rebuilding their employment base.

“While I strongly believe we need to combat climate change to make our planet habitable for our children and our grandchildren, let me be clear: We cannot abandon communities that have been dependent on coal and other fossil fuels,” he said, according to prepared remarks of his speech. “In my view, we have got to invest $41 billion rebuilding coal mining communities and making sure that Americans in McDowell County and all over this country receive the job training they need for the clean energy jobs of the future.”

He added that West Virginia had lost more than 30,000 manufacturing jobs and that he would push for new trade agreements so that American corporations create jobs in the United States rather than abroad.

Mrs. Clinton faced protests during a trip to West Virginia on Monday over her comments about coal mining. In March, she told CNN, “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.”

Mrs. Clinton made her remarks in the context of creating clean-energy jobs in areas of the country that had previously depended on coal. Republicans used her statements to argue that a Hillary Clinton presidency would hurt coal country. She has said her comments were taken out of context.

Mr. Sanders has sought to cast himself as dedicated to combating climate change while maintaining jobs in coal-mining communities as the nation shifts away from relying on coal. He also planned to also hold two rallies in West Virginia later on Thursday.