President Donald Trump promises the American people coal. More coal production, more coal jobs, more “clean coal.” Unfortunately for the coal miners of America, the odds are against Trump in keeping these promises.
Starting off with coal production, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has reported that coal production has been decreasing in the three major coal mining regions: Western, Appalachian and Interior. In fact, 2016 had the lowest production rate of coal in American history since 1978. It is false equivocation, however, to attribute the decline in coal production to increased regulations as Trump repeatedly does.