This graph is somewhat dated. But, we know for a fact in 2012 there were a little over 36,000 coal miners in the USA.
The coal companies put coal miners out of work. They aren't needed. It has nothing to do with global warming or the federal government. The federal government could have shut down every mine in the country if it wanted to. The safety violations even with mechanization are always ignored by the companies. Why are they ignored? Because the coal companies are corrupt and know the federal government won't force miners to accept unemployment. Just that simple.
Sorry, but, if fines for legitimate violations is ignored, that is corruption.
There is not a coal company without enormous numbers of safety violations. The owners of the mines don't care about human safety. I think that is obvious.
The current layoffs within the coal industry are not likely to be returned no matter what anyone says or does. The natural gas industry has taken over the energy place where coal has existed.
It's over. The coal industry has no market. The Chinese produce their own coal and are actively seeking alternative fuels. The world has moved forward and coal has lingered in the past.
The current unemployed needs to be serious about retraining. When the unemployment runs out, they won't be recalled. The only chance at work today is retraining. Every unemployed miner needs to take their future seriously and move on. Any advise otherwise is fool hearty.
Coal has been the focus of politics to the extreme. The entire USA will sympathize if there are jobs lost, especially if the rhetoric states it is the evil federal government that did it. The country doesn't realize the silliness in their advocating for coal jobs. It is not the President that has closed down jobs, it is the industry itself. Americans needs to wise up about these MYTHS.
McConnell screams coal jobs in desperation of his own job. We need Mythbusters.
