Coal Going Down, Naturally

In January, Morgantown-based Downstream Strategies released a report that shows Central Appalachian coal production could be cut in half before the end of this decade, even before any potential impacts of climate-change legislation or restrictions on mountaintop-removal mining are considered.

The report indicates that the steep production decline will result from depletion of the best coal reserves here and competition from other coal-bearing regions.

So, it is resource depletion and market forces at work not those wacky mountaintop removal opponents trying to get mining laws that protect human health enforced and strengthened.

The report maintains that diversification of Central Appalachian economies is now more critical than ever.

Read the 42-page report (in pdf form) here: tinyurl.com/Cen-App-Coal.