U.S. coal mines are on the decline: The Energy Information Administration is reporting that the number of active coal mines has fallen to 671 nationwide, from 1,435 in 2008.
The big picture: It's increasingly clear that the market has chosen natural gas over coal as a more affordable, more efficient power source. During the past decade, the primary factor driving the closure of 764 U.S. coal mines — most of them underground — was simply a steady decline in demand.
Details: Coal consumption, 82% of which stems from electricity generation in coal-fired power plants, has fallen to its lowest point in four decades. Spurring on the decline is a nationwide retreat by power providers from coal-fired electricity generation, which fell by a near-record 14.3 gigawatts last year.
Be smart: The Trump administration's failed attempt to block the closure of the remaining coal-fired unit in the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Paradise Fossil Plant made little economic sense. After shutting down two other coal-fired units in the Paradise location in 2017 and replacing them with more efficient gas power generators, the TVA officially voted to close the third on Thursday. This is a trend grounded in the need for efficiency and lower operations and maintenance costs associated with coal units.
What to watch: Now at just 691 million tons, U.S. coal consumption is expected to continue declining, down from 29% to 2% of total electricity production by 2035. This generating capacity will be replaced mostly by less expensive natural gas power plants, whose share is expected to rise from 30% to 37% over the same time period.
The bottom line: With electricity power providers seeking cleaner, more cost-competitive options and the shale revolution unlocking new natural gas reserves, the market — if left alone — will continue to replace coal with natural gas as the dominant fuel source for U.S. electricity.
Richard D. Kauzlarich is a former U.S. ambassador and the co-director of the Center for Energy Science and Policy at George Mason University.
After his intelligence officials contradicted President Trump multiple times in sworn, public testimony Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Trump tweeted that their national security assessments were “wrong!” and that perhaps they “should go back to school.”
Why it matters: This is not the first time President Trump has cast doubt on the findings of the U.S. intelligence community, especially when they run counter to his interests or preconceived notions. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, notes: "People risk their lives for the intelligence he just tosses aside on Twitter."
Trump: "We have won against ISIS. We've beaten them and we've beaten them badly. We've taken back the land and now it's time for our troops to come back home." (Dec. 19, 2018)
Trump: "The Iran Deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know what will happen. In just a short time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapon." (May 8, 2018)
Trump: "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." (June 13, 2018)
Trump: Putin "said he didn't meddle, he said he didn't meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask so many times...Every time he sees me he says I didn't do that and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it." (Nov. 11, 2017)
White House spokeswoman: The Mueller probe is "probably one of the smallest things that they’ve got going on their plate." (May 11, 2017)
Trump: "A total WITCH HUNT with massive conflicts of interest!" (Mar. 19, 2018)
Trump: The Inspector General report on James Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton emails "totally exonerates me" with relation to the Mueller probe. "There was no collusion, there was no obstruction." (June 15, 2018)
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders: Comey had "lost the confidence" of "rank-and-file" FBI employees. (May 9, 2017)
Trump: "Sounded to me like maybe there could have been rogue killers — who knows" who killed Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Oct. 15, 2018)
White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah: The background investigation into former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who was accused of domestic abuse, was "ongoing." (Feb. 8, 2018)
Shah: The "scope and duration" of the investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, "has been set by the Senate." (Sep. 29, 2018)
Trump: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" (Mar. 4, 2017)
Go deeper: Everything Trump says he knows "more about than anybody"
