The Miami Coal Forum, an annual conference on topics concerning all aspects of the coal industry, wrapped up on Thursday. Emily Arthun, CEO of the American Coal Council, told Just the News that the event saw record-high attendance with over 200 people attending the three-day event.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, all fossil fuels faced ever increasing regulatory burdens, and the coal industry was not immune. The Environmental Protection Agency issued rules aimed at shutting down coal-fired power plants, including the “Good Neighbor” rule and the power plant rule, both of which were expected to drive up costs and lower reliability of the U.S. electricity grid.
In Wyoming, which produces 40% of the nation’s coal, the Bureau of Land Management approved a Resource Management Plan in November that blocked all new coal leases. Under these ongoing attacks, coal production peaked out in 2007, and it’s been declining ever since.
With the second Trump administration comes a whole new outlook on energy, including plenty of support for fossil fuel development. With the energy vision for America decidedly shifting, and a citizenry eschewing “green” products, even the coal industry is hoping to see some improvement.
“There’s definitely a level of reserved optimism,” Arthun said of the atmosphere at the coal conference. She said “reserved” because coal has been a whipping boy for climate activists going back to the Obama administration, and there’s no certainty how Congressional elections will turn out in two years or who will occupy the White House in 2029. […]
— Read More: justthenews.com
