I've read a number of reports that basically call coal dead man walking. The only reason it persists in the US is because of politics, while the only reason it exists in China is because they just can't switch away from it quickly enough. I've heard it said that Shake Shack has a higher market cap than the entire coal industry. Which is batshit insane but also an interesting indicator.
So long as a senator from WV or KY can filibuster just as easily as one from NY or CA, we'll be mining coal. In the modern age there's no reason we should be using it for anything other than stuffing Mitch McConnell's stocking. Remember when they tried to rebrand "coal" as "clean coal"? Classic Frank Luntz shit right there, but even the knuckle draggers saw through that one, it seems, as it kinda went away quickly.
Yeah, but as the marginal cost goes down, the mining diminishes. Especially when the subsidies for mining it aren't affecting your state. I can pay extra for solar in LA; ain't nobody gonna be subsidizing coal production if it costs you extra on your bill.
The gosh dang Connecticut Compromise. Last I checked, a Wyomingite's vote for a Senator counts for 70 Californians'. I know the argument originally in 1787 was that small states would get overwhelmed by big states, but to me the Senate is a monument to parochialism and unrepresentative power.So long as a senator from WV or KY can filibuster just as easily as one from NY or CA, we'll be mining coal.