It wasnt regulation that killed coal; it was natural gas

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

It was a pathetic scene, coal miners flanking President Donald Trump as he signed an order to dismantle the Clean Power Plan. Trump’s imagineers have turned coal miners into a Madison Avenue version of the besieged American working man, the pretty wrapping on a toxic package of environmental delinquency.

This event, held tragically at the Environmental Protection Agency, was almost as celebratory as the one in which Trump called for ditching a rule that would have stopped coal companies from dumping waste in streams. Some waters in coal country are so polluted they run orange.

One forgets that there are only about 80,000 coal mining jobs left in America, and nearly 40 percent of them don’t involve the dangerous work of going underground. The solar power industry employs twice as many people.

Anyhow, Trump insists that his rollback of Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan will do two things — make the U.S. energy-independent and “put our miners back to work” — to which informed observers respond, “Has already happened” and “Won’t happen.”

Thanks to shale oil and natural gas production, U.S. imports of oil have shrunk from 65 percent in 2005 to around 25 percent today. Add in the rapid growth in wind and solar power and America has already approached energy independence, and that occurred under Obama.

http://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/it-wasnt-regulation-that-killed-coal-it-was-natural-gas/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=ad7152667d-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-ad7152667d-228635337

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Ironically, if the Obama Adminstration HAD regulated fracking,

a process allegedly necessary to capture subterranean natural gas, coal might have remained competitive.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. The real reason Natural Gas

is raising hell with Coal,technology. When one can drill up to two dozen wells from one platform,and the invention of the directional drill bit. Frack helped to extent Oil Field life,it really is the new Technology.

[LuckyLib]

3. The Dump Dynasty doesn't know and doesn't care. It used those coal miners

in an exploitative photo op. Disgusting. They first bought their bill of goods on November 8, and they are still lining up for more.

Every news outlet in coal country needs to be visiting viewers/readers on a regular basis, asking "How's this working for you?" Six months from now, repeat. Rinse and repeat. It might take awhile for them to catch on that they were used. Maybe not.