An editorial from The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Despite the political rhetoric we hear this election season, even some our region’s biggest advocates for coal do not expect the industry to return to its glory years.
Where coal once accounted for almost 60 percent of the electric power generation in the United States, today that figure is about 32 percent. Forecasters say that even if the U.S. Supreme Court finds unconstitutional the Clean Power Plan, which puts greater restrictions on coal-fired power plants, coal usage will continue to drop.
But coal can and should continue to play a role in the country’s energy future…