[ROCKMAN]

Dup

[ROCKMAN]

Sub - Not predicting it but I won't be shocked if a President Trump isn't as big a friend to coal burning plants as some expect. Remember not going after them real hard isn't the same thing as breaking promises to coal miners about jobs.

The coal industry problems didn't stem from the EPA: more coal was produced in this county in 2009 then ever before. Even with the recent decline we are still producing more then anytime prior to 1990. Coal miners' problems came from 2 factors: a slump in prices and competition from the 40% of US coal production that comes from western govt lands utilizing low manpower strip mining. The competition between western govt coal and eastern private coal mines hurt those companies despite coal exports (mostly from govt leases) increasing almost 400% from just 2009 to 2013. President Obama's derailed plan to build 3 new west coast coal export terminals would have disadvantaged easterrn mines even worse had not local opposition gotten in the way.

So we need to keep coal burning by power plants a separate dynamic from coal mining/exporting. Shutting down power plants would hurt consumers but not necessarily mining if the president-elect continues promoting coal exports as strongly as President Obama.

But as the article indicates the SCOTUS appears to be leaning towards castrating the EPA when it comes to plant emissions. IOW a President Trump may have no choice in the matter. And if some clever folks on his staff that start pushing CO2 sequestration projects as part of a govt funded national infrastructure campaign (he has to spend those monies he promised somewehere, right?) then it could be a win/win for the new POTUS.

In fact he might even hold back on new coal leases on western govt lands: much of the east coast coal goes to Europe. Not many electorial votes in those states, eh? Pulling that govt coal out of the global coal market might bump up prices for the private mining companies. He could be THE man that reversed President Obama's policy that lead to US coal exports to China, the largest GHG producer on the planet, increasing 500%. Note: most eastern coal is shipped to Europe.

How f*cking Machiavellian would that be? LOL.