I see Voltaire hasn't changed much. When the facts don't fit his narrative, he falls back into his troll mode. Let's see if we can keep him honest this time...
Trump said he could bring coal jobs back. The skeptics said it was impossible.
As you just learned, coal executives said it wasn't going to happen.
It can't be impossible is 35,000 jobs came back since 2016. Trump was running for president in 2016 and made it a major campaign theme.
So Obama changed the rules to make it better? I don't think so. And as you learned, most of the increase was in Wyoming, and the skills needed aren't those traditional miners have.
Barbarian said "
The increase in jobs is almost entirely in the West not Appalachia. "
I guess you think this means all future gains in jobs will not be in Appalachia?
It means that the increase in jobs is almost entirely in the west, not in Appalachia. This kind of thing is exactly why you have a reputation for dishonesty here.
See above. You completely misrepresented what I said (which is from the source I linked).
Barbarian said "And by shutting down EPA rules, Trump has made it easier to just remove mountaintops, to get at the coal, a process that is much less labor-intensive than mining underground. There was a spike in employment when EPA required that the land be remediated when mountaintop removal was done, making underground mining more economically attractive."
Are you saying that shutting down EPA rules made underground mining more attractive and contributed to the 35,000 increase in jobs since 2016?
Read the source. Above-ground mining is more difficult to do within EPA rules. Hence, underground (and more labor-intensive) mining became more economical. Remove those rules, and you cut jobs.
On the other hand, Trump has signed off on continuing Obama's clean coal projects, which might eventually make coal a desirable energy source again. On the downside, Trump wants to pull restrictions from natural gas fracking, which will make natural gas cheaper, and have the effect of further disadvantaging coal, taking away more coal-mining jobs.
The real world is a lot more complex than your talking points. Come and see someday.