Alpha's Crutchfield talks to Rotary Club about government's 'unfair playing field'

摘要

The Bristol Herald Courier was on hand when Alpha Natural Resources CEO Kevin Crutchfield spoke to the Bristol Rotary Club.Kevin discussed the burdens government regulations have placed on the coal industry. "We are seeing out there a governmental interventionist technique creating an unfair playing field," he said. Coal's share of electricity generation in the U.S., once more than 50 percent, could fall to 25 percent.Kevin also warned that the industry could see more layoffs resulting from poor market conditions. "Unfortunately, I don't think we have seen the last of those," he said.A lot has been written about the impact low natural gas prices have had on coal, and the modest cost of gas have given Big Green considerable cover in its battle against coal. Talking points suggest that coal is losing on the basis of economics rather than because of regulatory actions. Hey! Capitalism!