Except the AP’s facts don’t really check.
The fracking boom has made natural gas price competitive with coal… not less expensive. But given the anti-coal pressure on utilities from the Obama administration via EPA rules, utilities are switching from coal to gas where possible.
From the AP:
Hard to have any meaningful coal production when the EPA has shut down all the coal generating plants with onerous requirements imposed for continued operation.. Shut down the EPA instead, and let coal users start back up, and the demand will instantly return.
Smoke and mirrors…
The equipment for using coal is not the same as the equipment for using gas. It’s not as easy as switching from pure gasoline to 10% gasohol. The decline is coal is driven simply by the artificially inflated price of coal, thanks to the EPA. Coal-using companies that can no longer afford to use coal must shut down. Those that don’t must raise the price of their product to stay in business.
Here in Texas we have a huge copper refinery that uses a LOT of electricity, provided by a dedicated coal-fired power plant. Thus the price of copper is also driven by the EPA’s draconian cost increases on coal.