Trump’s Coal Spin
President Donald Trump touted the opening of a new coal mine in Pennsylvania as evidence that his administration is “putting the miners back to work.” But construction of the mine in question began before the 2016 election. And experts say it’s not evidence of a resurgence in coal mining.
The U.S. has added about 1,000 new coal mining jobs since Trump became president, part of a modest 5 percent increase since a modern low of 48,300 jobs in October. But the current number of coal mining jobs, 51,000, is 43 percent lower than in January 2012. Industry experts do not anticipate a return to that level, even with Trump’s efforts to roll back regulations.
Trump has twice referenced the new mine in Pennsylvania as emblematic of a new trend. The first came during the president’s June 1 speech
