HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS EDITORIAL: ….[C]oal production in the state plunged in 2001, the first year President Bush was in office, through 2003. It rebounded, then declined again beginning in 2005 through the end of the Bush years. The trend has continued during the Obama administration.
The truth is many factors shape the energy industry, and a new one is the efficient exploitation of Marcellus Shale for natural gas, now booming in Pennsylvania and other states. With its ready availability, gas has become a low-cost energy option to coal-fired power plants.
So it’s not a war waged from the White House or the EPA that’s putting the squeeze on coal. It’s something very American, something Republican congressmen love to applaud. It’s called competition… (more)
