WASHINGTON, DC — If you ring up the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and ask how many coal jobs there are remaining in the United States, they will invariably tell you there are about 53,000. However, independent studies show this number to be ridiculously low.
The argument is also that the coal industry has become relatively insignificant economically, with U.S. coal industry employment declining from a half-million in 1950 to currently only about fifty-three thousand. Critics of the industry argue it employs fewer workers than Wendy’s restaurants.
However, this study finds that coal-dependent jobs in the U.S. are, in reality, eight times larger than the 53,000 jobs estimate and total approximately 420,000 — hardly any decline at all in the number of people working directly and in support roles for the industry.
This number represents a more accurate estimate of the jobs impact of the coal industry in the U.S. Further, these jobs are disproportionately concentrated in specific regions, such as Appalachia and in a number of states and communities, where they comprise some of the highest paying jobs available.
file:///C:/Users/prdoc/Downloads/Undercounting_Explained_How_Many_Coal_Jo.pdf
Uniontown (September 29, 2022) — Kentucky Coal Association President Tucker Davis and Alliance Coal hosted Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Williams for a tour today of River View Coal in Union County.
“As most know by now, River View Coal has announced the opening of a new mine in Henderson County,” Davis said. “Secretary Williams wanted to meet with company officials and some of the miners here in Union County. He’s a strong supporter of coal and wanted to express his thanks to the company for their investment, and to the miners for their hard work.”
What’s dressed up as “progress” these days increasingly looks and sounds like a drift back to our Dark Age of misery, poverty and ignorance.
Anyone who still thinks wind turbines and solar panels equate with Earthly salvation, is more than just a little confused. But that’s the very point and purpose of those pushing the so-called inevitable ‘transition’ to an all wind and solar powered future.
As in days gone by, the model rests on inventing new forms of fear and firmly instilling them. And then following up with the promise of redemption through sacrifice and worship; albeit worshipping wind turbines and solar panels, instead of saints and idols.
The faithful readily subscribe to the myth and the mantras, merrily chanting them in the Twitterverse, trumpeting their peculiarly smug sense of superiority to the world at large.
Hot tip: if it looks like a cult and sounds like a cult, it’s a cult.
Over the last year and a half, the renaissance of coal – both kinds – has been gobsmacking.
No one saw coal prices of $400 to $600 per tonne coming, including those in the coal industry.
“If, a year ago, fifteen months ago, you had said to people thermal coal could be $440, and coking coal could be $600, they’d call the ambulance and recommend a nice doctor,” Neil Bristow, managing director of H&W worldwide Consulting, said Thursday at a recent Coal Association of Canada conference.
“Who would believe it?”
“These high coal prices are occurring at a time when the Chinese economy is just dead flat on its back,” CEO of Xcoal Energy and Resources Ernie Thrasher added.
https://www.mining.com/coal-price-renaissance-how-long-can-it-last/
Coal mining is returning to Henderson County in a big way and with a proven company.
Alliance Coal LLC on Thursday morning announced that it will develop a new $35 million underground mine in southern Henderson County that will be part of its existing River View Mine complex in Union County.
Once in operation, River View Henderson Portal 1 will create 260 new jobs plus employ a certain number of miners who will be transferred from the existing River View operation. Wages are to average $34.50 per hour. Including benefits, compensation will average $49 an hour.
LEXINGTON, KY – As Californians swelter in daytime temperatures topping 100 degrees, they are being asked to turn off air conditioning and halt any unnecessary use of electricity. Kentucky Coal Association (KCA) officials say the myopic policies of California’s Governor Gavin Newsom are the reason the state’s electricity grid is being strained to the breaking point, and are a clear example of what will happen nationwide if we continue to shut down scalable baseload coal-fired power plants.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) is asking for a second consecutive day of voluntary electricity conservation today, from 4 to 9 p.m., due to continuing extreme temperatures pushing up energy demand when the grid is most stressed from higher demand and less solar energy. During that time, consumers are urged to conserve power by setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, if health permits, avoiding use of major appliances, and turning off unnecessary lights. They should also avoid charging electric vehicles while the alert is in effect.
“The current problems in California are just the tip of the iceberg,” said KCA President Tucker Davis. “Look at what happened in Texas last winter. A grid based on solar and wind simply can’t meet demand in a reliable way. Californians are learning that the hard way and unfortunately the problems will only get worse and expand nationwide as the grid inches closer and closer to failure.”
“In the past 11 years, coal-fired electricity in the US has declined more than 30 percent – from a high of 318 GW of 2011 to less than 210 GW of capacity today,” Davis continued. “The result has been increasing stress on the grid because alternative energy sources can’t scale up production as needed. Coal and other fossil fuel sources can.”
Additional conservation calls could be issued through the Labor Day weekend as record-breaking triple-digit temperatures are forecast across much of California and the West. In what’s likely to be the most extensive heat wave so far in the West this year, temperatures in Northern California are expected to be 10-20 degrees warmer than normal through next Tuesday. In Southern California, temperatures are expected to be 10-18 degrees warmer than normal.
“Our nation needs to return to a focus on energy independence and a return to market-driven decision-making,” Davis said. “If we fail to heed the warnings from California and Texas, the end-result could prove to be disastrous.”
LEXINGTON, KY–Anheuser-Busch is running a Super Bowl commercial claiming that Budweiser is “now brewed with wind power for a better tomorrow.” Budweiser beer cans now say “brewed with 100% renewable electricity from wind power.”
According to Tyler White, President of the Kentucky Coal Association, “Actually, Budweiser is brewed with mostly fossil fuels.”
Two-thirds of the energy used to brew Budweiser is industrial heat (not electricity), which Anheuser-Busch admits comes from “a mixture of energy sources including natural gas.”
Only one-third is electricity–and even most of that doesn’t come from wind. Because wind is an erratic energy source, no electric grid on Earth uses it as a primary fuel.
But according to White, “Anheuser-Busch and other publicity-seeking companies want to pretend they are 100% wind. So they pay power companies to give them credit for the wind power others use–and give others the blame for all the coal, natural gas, and nuclear power that Anheuser-Busch uses. This unjust scam is called ‘renewable electricity credits.’ Anheuser-Busch buys credits from a wind project near Billing, Oklahoma–even though no Budweiser beer is brewed in Oklahoma.”
When companies like Anheuser-Busch, Facebook, Apple, and Google lie about their energy usage by claiming to use 100% wind or solar, they encourage dangerous policies to prohibit the use of reliable power sources like coal, gas, and nuclear.
“Anheuser-Busch should pull its Super Bowl commercial,” says White, “and apologize to all Americans—including the workers of the coal, natural gas, and nuclear industries—for its ‘100% wind powered’ lie.”
Lexington – The following statement may be attributed to Tyler White, President of the Kentucky Coal Association, in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed revisions to the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for carbon dioxide emissions from new coal-fired power plants.
“This reasonable proposal is vital to keeping Americans safe by ensuring that our nation can construct efficient, reliable and resilient new coal-fired power plants. Coal is the backbone of American energy, providing 30 percent of the nation’s energy and nearly 80 percent of Kentucky’s. If adopted, the proposed NSPS will ensure that coal can continue to provide grid resiliency and security for American energy dominance for years to come through the use of demonstrated technologies rather than technologies that remain unproven and uneconomical.”
-Tyler White
“If adopted, the proposed NSPS — established under Section 111(b) of the Clean Air Act — would replace the current NSPS that were adopted in 2015. The current NSPS are based on the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, which is a promising but not economically viable technology for coal-fired power plants. Requiring the use of CCS technology effectively banned new coal plants by making them prohibitively expensive.”
-American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
West Virginia University’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research recently released a study looking at the economic impact of the nation’s coal industry. They looked at the nation as a whole and then broke down the impact by coal-producing state.
The study showed that in 2021, the coal mining industry in the state of Kentucky produced around 26.6 million short tons of coal and employed around 3.5 thousand workers. The reseachers estimate that this coal production generated around $1.4 billion in output in 2021. This output is estimated to generate $1.0 billion in secondary output impacts, resulting in a total economic impact of more than $2.4 billion in output in the Kentucky economy.
They further estimate that the 3.5 thousand coal mining jobs in Kentucky in 2021 are expected to generate nearly 5.0 thousand additional jobs in the state economy, resulting in a total employment impact of 8.5 thousand jobs. Further, coal production generates more than $670.0 million in labor income in the state.
Finally, coal production is estimated to generate $172.0 million in select state and local tax revenue.
At KCA, it’s our mission to lead the coal industry in the Bluegrass. Coal touches everyone across the Commonwealth, powering our state literally and figuratively. That’s why we want all Kentuckians to have the opportunity to get connected with the coal industry. You can join the coal conversation at our educational, interactive Kentucky Coal Annual Meeting on September 6th-7th in Lexington.
Where’s the action?
The event begins with a reception at Limestone Hall, one of the newest event spaces in Lexington. This picturesque space is nestled on the top floor under the recently renovated rotunda in the historic courthouse downtown. The next morning, the action heats up at the Hilton Downtown Lexington with a full day of presentations and events. You won’t want to miss our engaging speaker lineup!
KCA was the recent recipient of a grant for over $120,000 to incorporate coal into the curriculum at Junior Achievement Biztown. We’ve been busy working with the Cabinet for Energy and Environment to implement our coal unit into the curriculum and will expose over 65,000 kids to our industry over the next five years. That’s why our Annual Meeting will include a trip to Junior Achievement Biztown, where our supporters can see firsthand the impact that this program will have on local youth. During this portion of the event, we’ll be joined by Governor Matt Bevin for the Keynote Address.
After lunch, we’ll hold our KCA Annual Board of Directors meeting, which is open to our entire membership. This is a great opportunity to understand the inner workings of our organization. Dinner will take place at the Kentucky Castle, where we’ll enjoy a keynote address from Alex Epstein of The Center for Industrial Progress.
Who’s on the guest list?
We’re thrilled to welcome a curated group of coal industry insiders to our Annual Meeting:
MICHELLE BLOODWORTH
President and CEO, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE)
Beginning her career as a power plant engineer, Bloodworth worked for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, America’s Natural Gas Alliance and Energen/Alabama Gas Corporation before joining the ACCCE in 2018.
MARK HEATH
OSHA Jurisdiction Over Inactive and Abandoned Mine Properties
Heath is a member of Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC, in the Charleston, West Virginia office. He co-chairs the firm’s OSHA and MSHA practice group and concentrates his practice in safety issues, litigation and labor and employment law.
DAVE ZATEZALO
Assistant Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Labor
Zatezalo is a native of West Virginia and has spent a lifetime working in mining. He began his career as a union miner and since then has held positions at a number of companies as shift foreman, engineering superintendent, mine manager, vice president of operations and chief executive officer.
GOVERNOR MATT BEVIN
62nd Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
A veteran and former small business owner, Governor Bevin is passionate about strengthening Kentucky’s financial foundation, passing a fiscally conservative budget in order to restore fiscal responsibility in the state government.
ALEX EPSTEIN
Founder, The Center for Industrial Progress
Epstein is a philosopher who argues that “human flourishing” should be the guiding principle of industrial and environmental progress. He founded Center for Industrial Progress (CIP) in 2011 to offer a positive, pro-human alternative to the Green movement.
How can you get involved?
Don’t miss a moment of the action! On our registration page, you can register to attend the Annual Meeting and also find information on how to be a part of our exciting sponsorship opportunities.
We look forward to seeing our supporters next month!
