http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/opinion/the-coal-industry-isnt-coming-back.html
This is an interesting analysis from M. Webber of U. Texas. There are some interesting aspects of this which are not well known. For example, one of the reasons East Coast coal companies are going out to businesses is because years ago the railroad industry was deregulated. This lowered the cost of shipping Western coal, which is "cleaner and cheaper then Eastern coal." Webber points out that big energy companies such as Exxon Mobil are opposed to coal. Quote: Natural gas companies are the primary beneficiaries of, and now defenders of, clean air and low carbon regulations. They include Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, which operates in a lot of countries that care about reducing carbon emissions. The company issued a public statement in support of the Paris climate agreement on Nov. 4, the day it took effect. Shutting down coal in favor of natural gas, which is cleaner and emits much less carbon, is a big business opportunity for companies like Exxon Mobil. In the battle between coal companies and major oil and gas producers, I expect the latter will be victorious. - Jed
