When many people think of eastern Kentucky, coal is often one of the first things that comes to mind. The Trump Administration has made several policy and rule changes designed to promote coal mining. However, Shiloh Hernandez, a senior attorney for the environmental group Earth Justice, said they’re not likely to work.
“Coal simply is not competitive economically with other energy resources, namely, and especially renewable energy and with storage, it wasn't competitive. It hasn't been competitive for some time,” Hernandez said.
The Trump Administration has instituted rule changes to speed up the mining permitting process and weaken environmental regulations. Despite those efforts, Hernandez said coal will only become more expensive to mine.
“All the cheap coal reserves have been mined out in the United States. For the most part, it's just getting more expensive. On the other hand, renewable energy is just getting cheaper every day, so the market fundamentals are what's discouraging anyone with smart money from investing in coal development right now,” Hernandez said.
The Kentucky Coal Association declined an interview request. WEKU also reached out to more than 20 coal operators, none of whom agreed to an interview.
