• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

WyoFile

Indepth News about Wyoming People, Places & Policy. Wyoming news.

  • Latest News
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Legislature
    • Native America
    • Natural Resources
    • People
    • Photo Friday
    • Places
    • Policy
  • Voices
    • Drake’s Take
    • Madden’s Measure
    • Guest Column
    • Studio Wyoming Review
  • Supporters
    • Membership
    • Underwriting
    • Foundations
  • COVID-19
  • Latest News
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Legislature
    • Native America
    • Natural Resources
    • People
    • Photo Friday
    • Places
    • Policy
  • Voices
    • Drake’s Take
    • Madden’s Measure
    • Guest Column
    • Studio Wyoming Review
  • Supporters
    • Membership
    • Underwriting
    • Foundations
  • COVID-19

Clinton questions coal future; Trump doubles down on comeback

Clinton questions coal future; Trump doubles down on comeback

Employee vehicles fill a parking lot at Belle Ayr mine. Hundreds of miners have been laid off in Wyoming in recent months, as part of an industry-wide downturn in coal. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile)

August 2, 2016 by Environment & Energy News Leave a Comment

Tweet
Share
Pin
Email
0 Shares
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

— by Dylan Brown, E&E reporter

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Saturday that steel jobs could make a comeback in Pennsylvania, but coal was a different matter.

Clinton told Pittsburgh news station KDKA-TV that addressing unfair trade practices, particularly with China, could boost steel manufacturing in the Keystone State.

“Coal is a different issue because we’ve got to figure out, is there a technology that can create clean energy from coal?” she said.

Clinton, who has proposed spending $30 billion in distressed communities, particularly those affected by coal’s downturn, said she wanted to give Appalachia a helping hand.

“We can do that with infrastructure, with advanced manufacturing. We can do that with clean energy,” she said, noting the “reinvention” of Pittsburgh in recent decades.

After last week’s Democratic National Convention, Clinton and her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, launched a tour of Pennsylvania and Ohio.

She is still dogged by comments in May that she would put coal “out of business” — something Republican rival Donald Trump was all too eager to bring up at a rally in Scranton, Pa., last week.

“We’re going to bring our coal back, and we’re going to have clean coal,” he said, pointing to the GOP’s pro-coal platform.

Trump doubled down on his pledge to put miners back to work despite Murray Energy Corp. CEO Robert Murray cautioning against setting unrealistic expectations.

In Scranton, Trump said he didn’t even know why he first made the promise during a primary victory party in New York City.

“I said we’re going — and this is in the middle of Fifth Avenue, OK? — we’re going to put the miners back to work. I said that. I don’t even know why,” Trump told the crowd.

Trump said West Virginia coal miners have told him they want to keep mining and don’t want to do anything else.

“I love that. I love that. I can understand it, and I love that. Love it. These are amazing people,” he said.

In 1990, Trump told Playboy magazine that if he had been born a coal miner, he would have had the “it” factor to find different work (E&E Daily, Feb. 23).

Coal boosters are hoping the debate over the fuel’s future once again plays a role in deciding who wins in key states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity released an analysis today noting that coal provides 48 percent of the power in 13 states with 149 electoral votes.

“Coal-fired power plants not only provide the dependable and reliable electricity our nation needs, but they support hundreds of thousands of families and their communities,” said CEO Mike Duncan.

“It is imperative that Mr. Trump and Secretary Clinton work to protect these people and ensure we all have the affordable power needed to keep food on the table and the lights on,” he said.

SUPPORT: If you enjoyed this story produced by Environment & Energy, please consider supporting WyoFile. WyoFile pays a subscription fee to E&E for the right to bring E&E stories to our readers.

— Originally published by GreenWire. Contact E&E publishing for permission to republish.


Popular Articles:


Cheney’s ‘vote of conscience’ deserves respect


Lawmakers defied mask orders at session kick-off in Capitol


Lummis, Eathorne responses to insurrection are delusional


Filed Under: Capitol Beat, energy, Energy Report, Politics

About Environment & Energy News

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to join the discussion? Fantastic, here are the ground rules:
- Identify yourself with full name and city. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish and expects commenters to do the same.
- No personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats. Keep it clean, civil and on topic.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Tweets by @WyoFile

Search WyoFile

Become an Underwriter
Sign Up for Free Weekly Newsletters

Recent Comments

  • Jim Hicks on Wyoming’s fiscal challenges aren’t unique, just our failed approach
  • Damon Jensen on Jobs on the line as lawmakers resume school funding debate
  • GARY TRAUNER on Wyoming’s fiscal challenges aren’t unique, just our failed approach
  • Britney Wallesch on It’s time to value and empower the women who run Wyo’s nonprofits
  • Jean Ferguson on Jobs on the line as lawmakers resume school funding debate

Footer

Recent Posts By Date

January 2021
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Dec    

From The Archives

  • About Us
  • People
  • Careers
  • Freelancing
  • Underwriting
  • How to Republish
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 by WyoFile