THE STATE OF the Coal Industry--Lost jobs may not come back

摘要

Not since coal began being mined on an industrial scale in the United States has it come under such scathing and unceasing attacks as we have witnessed in the past several years. The business, environmental and political forces that have aligned themselves to eliminate the coal industry are formidable. It is also impossible to discount the impact that natural gas is having on the industry. The cost of using gas to produce electricity is not just competitive with coal, it is currently cheaper.