Coal mines and coal plants continue to close, the cost of simply operating a coal-powered plant now exceeds what completely replacing that plant with new solar or wind power could cost, and coal miners are developing the worst kind of black lung at a record pace. On top of all that, the Republican tax cut slashed the amount that coal companies have to contribute to pension and health funds. Put it all together and what Donald Trump has “dug” for coal miners is one deep, dark pit where their healthcare costs are going up, their employment is going down, and their pension funds are simply going away.
Coal miners have tried going to Mitch McConnell for help, but they apparently didn’t have the big cash needed to lure the turtle out of his shell. After the miners left, McConnell made it clear that there was no way he would put back the fees that were fees that were eliminated as part of the Republican tax plan just because thousands of miners are suffering from a disease that leads to misery and death.
So last week, miners showed up on Capitol Hill—in wheelchairs and dragging along oxygen tanks—to see if they might do better with someone who is … not from their home state and supposedly out to represent their interests like McConnell. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin did what he does every day, beg Trump and McConnell to do something about the miner’s pension fund. McConnell and Trump did what they do everyday, ignore him.
Actually, that’s not entirely true. Because as NBC News reports, Trump did something. He ran off to West Virginia for a fundraiser from mine-owing billionaire friend-to-squirrels Robert Murray. Not only has Murray been good at funneling dollars into Trump’s campaign fund, he’s also been the primary source for those miners who show up to be props at Trump campaign rallies. And, just like workers for Shell petrochemical, those Murray miners know they need to show up and at least pretend to love Trump if they want to stay employed.
Coal mining is a dying industry, employing fewer miners than the number of employees remaining at the bankrupt Sears. And everything that Trump has done to deregulate the industry hasn’t had the least effect on its inevitable collapse. However, Trump’s efforts have meant that the last tons coming out of the ground have rewarded the mine owners with extra profits. That’s why the owners of this small industry are one of Trump’s largest sources of campaign contributions, pouring at least $6.1 million into returning Trump to power.
With coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler running the EPA, Trump has not just dropped the Clean Power Plan that was started under President Obama, he has:
- reinterpreted the clean streams rule to allow mines to dispose of mining waste in streams and rivers, even those serving as primary water sources.
- relaxed rules on disposing coal ash both in how it’s handled at plants and how it is stored in slurry ponds.
- increased limits on heavy metals, including mercury, that can be released from coal plants.
But perhaps even more importantly, Trump has allowed enforcement of the rules to dwindle to nothing. There are not just fewer violations being cited, those violations are coming with drastically reduced fines and punishments. The “patterns of violations” in safety and environmental issues that could in the past lead to a mine being suspended or closed … are no longer an issue.
With everything that Trump has been doing, the mining industry continues on its downward spiral for the simplest reason possible—it costs too much. No matter how cheap the mines are able to produce the fuel, the cost of operating coal power plants greatly exceeds that of renewables or natural gas. That’s a formula that guarantees that mines will continue to close as the industry dwindles away.
But until it does, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell will continue to see that mine owners get to extract every last penny from the ground. And miners, mine communities, and everyone who has to share their air or water, will pay the price.