Coal prices are way up and long-term commitments from customers are hard to find

Jun 2, 2022
Traditionally, when coal prices spike, many plants switch to natural gas. But with natural gas prices at record highs too, some power providers are at a loss.
A bird flies by emissions from a coal plant in Ohio in 2019. Coal prices in central Appalachia have already more than doubled over the past year.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Why investing in coal companies may not help the people living in coal country

Jan 11, 2018
When we subsidize coal companies, does that make it back to the people living in coal country? In her reporting for Quartz, economics writer Gwynn Guilford found that the answer may be a loud, resounding “no.” For her article “The 100-year capitalist experiment that keeps Appalachia poor, sick, and stuck on coal,” Guilford reported on the […]

A former coal miner's take on the declining industry

Jun 23, 2017
It's a small part of Kentucky's economy, but it plays a big role in politics.
Courtesy of Gary Bentley