Most casual observers hear sound bites and web clips talking about coal jobs coming back to the United States and think that it must be happening, but it just isn’t.

The Trump EPA and other regulatory bodies have notably deregulated the coal business, but you can’t sell what people don’t want.  In this case ‘people’ are the companies that produce electricity, and they don’t want coal.  Power companies have turned toward a much more stable form of energy input that never goes on strike, doesn’t kill its work force and… oh ya… also is several time better for the environment, natural gas and renewables.

Something that has changed in recent years is that you no longer have anyone credible talking about natural gas or renewals like wind and solar, not being competitive.

This has meant that all of President Donald Trumps bluster is meaningless.  The fact is that More Coal Plants Have Shut In Trumps First Two Years Than Obama’s First Four.

2019 is bringing an acceleration to the power industries transformation and is expected to see 20 more coal plant shut down.

On the ground the news just keeps getting worse for the hard working coal miner.  Look at some of these headlines:

Colorado could save $2.5 billion by rapidly shutting down its coal power plants SOURCE

PacifiCorp, one of the biggest U.S. coal-burning utilities, reported that most of its 22 coal-fired plants are not economical.  SOURCE

America’s coal plants closing despite Trump SOURCE

US Coal On Track For Record Capacity Decline, Closing 15.4 Gigawatts SOURCE

The only positive for those in working in coal is that 2000 more jobs have been temporarily added (net) because of exports to China.

Watch this 90 second clip:

 

 

 


1 Comment

Belinda · June 6, 2021 at 5:10 pm

Coal is doomed, not because of environmental badness but because of pricing. What company wants to deal with trucking and mining unions… just put a pipeline in and natural gas will flowwwwwwww

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