Will the collapse of coal result in political reform in West Virginia, Kentucky, etc.?

It will result in thousands of lost jobs and the poor getting poorer. There are no jobs to make up for the lost ones.

Coal is collapsing?

I would be very, very happy if we all stopped burning coal (yes, China, “we” especially includes you). But I don’t see coal collapsing unless nuclear power is made a priority.

Wind and solar can help feed the grid, but they can’t provide the steady MW like fossil fuels and nuclear.

No change to speak of. Coal has had many ups and many downs. WV has had great years for coal employment, and horrible years. It’s cycle that has been repeated for generations.

Endemic in WV is horrible and uninspired leadership. Sometimes it has been republican, but more often than not, democratic. The main issue has always been that the state government is corrupt and has been since statehood in the 1830s. WV is (probably next to Illinois) one of the best bought statehouses in America.

(By the way, I lived there for three years. This is based on my experience.)

The major issue with WV is that the panhandle has educated and ambitious people who work largely in white collar jobs, and the rest of the state is far less educated and generally works in agriculture, mining, and other blue collar jobs. (And there are a fair number of ex-hippies blowing glass and spinning pottery (and growing drugs) in the hollers as well.)

The political clout of the panhandle population is way overwhelmed by the yahoos from the other side of the state.

Unlikely.

@elbanditoroso Having lived there,and considering the amount of money generated extracting coal from the ground, is it fair to assume that both the corruption and poverty are necessary for big coal to haul the profits out of state? Who exactly reaps the rewards of the feudal relationship between the extractive companies and the citizens of the state?

@jaytkay The falling price of oil and particularly natural gas is rapidly pushing coal toward irrelevance. The only factor making the filthy stuff viable was the fact that it was cheap. There was already enormous pressure on power plants when oil was $120 a barrel to eliminate the horrendous pollution involved in burning the stuff. Many believe that gas prices have already fallen BELOW the production costs of coal, and if this is indeed the case, the immediate and short term future for the industry looks grim indeed.

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,858211,00.html

@stanleybmanly -I don’t know that is a 1 plus 1 relationship, but I would say that corruption and poverty (which came first, the chicken or the egg?) collectively make an environment where the monied out-of-state interests can thrive with impunity. By that I mean – in an ideal world corruption can actually do some good (see Huey Long in Louisiana in the early days), but in WV you don’t have populist corruption, just corruption.

I don’t know names of individuals, but I think that
a) mine owners (and suppliers) are in cahoots with
b) politicians and regulators, (particularly state and federal mine safety agencies) who work closely with
c) railroads and their unions

TO make an unhealthy combination.

Look no further than the guy who essentially escaped prosecution and had to pay a paltry fine for the Sago disaster (2006) – and the other one in 2011 (Massey Mine) link where the mine owner declared bankruptcy and pretty much escaped all punishment. (Read the section called INVESTIGATION in the Wikipedia article).

@elbanditoroso Don Blankenship, ex CEO of the Massey Mine has recently been indicted and I feel he will actually be prosecuted for the Sago disaster. Here is the story.

@chyna – I’ll believe it when I see him walking into the prison.

Fingers crossed!

The falling price of oil and particularly natural gas is rapidly pushing coal toward irrelevance.

You’re betting on permanently low oil and gas prices?

In that case, I have a bridge in the New York City area to sell. Please let me know the maximum amount you could possibly pay. I am sure we can come to terms amenable to both of us. Don’t delay. I have several prospective buyers eager to take the property, but I would much rather do business with you.