[Old School]

All this proves is that the Coal companies had figured out a way, or several ways to make more money with a smaller workforce. It's called "downsizing". It was all the rave in the 1990's. And let me tell you something else in case you forgot. Corporate downsizing in any industry does nothing for the middle class working people of this country. All it succeeds in doing is allowing these coal barons sitting(symbolically) on top of their own private mountain, in a 20,000 square foot chalet overlooking Pikeville. Not unlike a 5 year old does with his Army Men!!!!
Meanwhile, thanks to downsizing, more families are out of work. And the coal companies try to bust the union.
What it boils down to is, the coal companies have been robbing the families of central Appalachia for way to long. I don't propose doing away with not 1 coal job. Because that 1 job supports a whole family.
Someday soon a Global emissions reduction treaty of some kind will be accepted and part of that will include a reduction of coal energy usage and a total change in the processing of coal.
But by that time the industry will have become stagnant. The natural resources and landscape will be gone. No tourism and no harvesting of the "renewable" natural resources. It'll all be gone.
But the coal companies are good at telling the future. So they'll mine the hell out of Kentucky, West Virginia and anywhere else they think there's an extra buck to be made for as long as we let them. The industry needs to change and that can only be done by the ownership. Who can make the ownership change? The government? The UMWA? Who? When?

Downsizing?....I don't think so!! Couldn't it be because of better technology and equipment!. 30 years ago underground coal mines could not economically mine seams that were less than 70% recovery rate, (meaning 7 tons of coal for every 10 raw tons mined) todays coal companies are mining seams that have a recovery rate of 35% to 45%. In the 1970's surface mines were mining seams over 7 foot thick with little or no rock in the seam, today surface mines are mining coal seams that are split with small seams of coal and rock, A coal seam may look like this (10" of coal, then 15" of rock, then 15" of coal, then 14" of rock and another 17" of coal), a loader would come in and remove the top 10" of coal, then come back and remove the 15" of rock and so on until all of the coal seams have been removed, now 30 years ago companies would have left this seam alone. In 1979 there were 35,902 coal miners that averaged 1.54 tons of coal per man hour worked, then in 2004 there were 15,522 coal miners that averaged 3.13 tons of coal per man hour. From 1979 to 2004 the tons per man hour has doubled, how can you downsize and double your production rate? There is a shortage of coal miners across Appalachia, many companies are hiring people with no mining experience. So do you still think coal companies are downsizing? I don't think so...I think the technology and equipment is better today than it was 30 years ago. DW let me ask you can you name one industry that has not changed or upgraded their equipment or production method with new technology in the last 30 years.

You brought up the Union, I disagree I don't think it's as much as coal companies trying to bust the union as the union is self distructing. Let's check the facts, from 1970 to 2006 total coal production percentages mined by union operation has decreased from 70% to 11%. From 1975 to 2006 total employed coal miners with union representation have declined from 127,500 to 12,340, and before you try to blame it on the Republicians this downward trend has continued under both Republician and Democratic administrations. Coal companies alone could not do that much damage to the union.

I have one question, If a energy resource is renewable how can it be gone forever?