The US exports coal and could export a great deal more.

Well that will be just great for the environment and global warming. Plus how it the USA going to compete against China or India in coal exporting when you consider labor costs? Do you think any American workers are nowadays willing to work in the pit for low wages?

This one hits a bit too close to home as my grandfather on my mom's side was a coal miner in Wales who died in his early 50's of occupational respiratory complications when I was a small kid. I'm sure he never aspired for his grandchildren to grow up to be coal miners.

"You can come right out of high school and make$70,000 a year," said Missy Perdue, 22, a stay-at-home mother whose husband, Jeff Perdue, Jr., 22, is a miner.Apr 7, 2010

Source

For a lot of folks in the certain states in the US, it's either this or dealing meth. I'm not saying coal is good or coal mining is palatable. But, there are segments of the population who rely on those jobs and there is the potential for some of it coming back.

My point exactly. Thank you for proving it. How are you going to compete against labor costs in China or India if you're thinking exporting it. And then its almost a dead product on the domestic market. Coal generating plants can't compete against natural gas. . Donny is telling fibs.

Why limit to coal. Trump and repubs are full of it on so many accounts....all seemed geared to benefit the 1%.

Sorry Canuckian but you may have to adjust your optimist appraisal. Literally two after the election coal shipments by rail went crazy, along with evil oil and fracking sand. A power plant near Detroit ordered 52 train loads of coal a month. That's 100+ railcars per train which I believe converts to 5trucks per railcar which is all going to being fired up shooting some coal dust your way. Enjoy.

My point exactly. Thank you for proving it. How are you going to compete against labor costs in China or India if you're thinking exporting it. And then its almost a dead product on the domestic market. Coal generating plants can't compete against natural gas. . Donny is telling fibs.

What do you have against carbon steel? Why do you dislike Hamilton? Pretty sure they vote liberal there so why the hate?

One of you two is off the mark, that's a fact.

My point exactly. Thank you for proving it. How are you going to compete against labor costs in China or India if you're thinking exporting it. And then its almost a dead product on the domestic market. Coal generating plants can't compete against natural gas. . Donny is telling fibs.

High labour costs are a distraction, the real reason for jobs going overseas is directly related to the lack of enforcement of labour & environmental regulations. But hey, go ahead - keep blaming the worker if that's what it takes to stick to the party message.

Glad you know more than Yale. Where is your source? And 52 train loads a month is fuck all in the big picture.

The author of the article isn't from Yale. He's a professor at the West Virginia University College of Law.

Coal is definitely on the decline, but it's far from dead. Last year was the first time in the US that natural gas electricity production surpassed coal, partially due to the decrease in gas prices due to shale plays. However, as natural gas prices are expected to climb short term, coal is expected to regain some share. https://www.eia.gov/.../detail.php?id=29872

And with respect to exporting coal to China, that is also a possibility. In 2016, China imported 225.5 million tonnes. The US only exported 74 million tonnes (from a total production of ~ 600 million tonnes). Coal is a global commodity, it doesn't matter where it's from, the cost remains the same. Increased labour costs only decrease profits for the owners, it doesn't effect the price per tonne. Smaller profits are better than no profits.

Additionally, the majority of the coal mined in the US is from Wyoming due to it's low SO2 content. Unfortunately, it's also subbituminous which generates less BTU/lb than bituminous coal. However, the bituminous coal found on the east coast has high SO2 content. The high SO2 content increases the cost of the electricity produced from bituminous coal due to the extra scrubbing requirements. If the EPA loosens the emissions requirements, the bituminous coal becomes more lucrative. What are the environmental regulations like in China? How about India?

Don't get me wrong, I dislike Trump and hate coal. But coal will be with us for some time.

I sell industrial equipment for a living, are you telling me that it's normal to require pick up trucks to have an "environmentally approved" $150 drip pan placed under them as soon as they're parked due to the potential of an oil spill? Just remember, that parking lot at your local grocery store doesn't force everyday citizens to place a drip pan underneath their car which is just as likely to piss oil out on the parking lot.