On Trump’s Watch, Coal Players, Not Analysts, Hopeful

As the first full month of Donald Trump’s presidency begins, the coal industry is more optimistic about its prospects than it’s been since before his predecessor took office, fueled by promises to bring back thousands of lost coal miner jobs and reboot the industry. Coal companies are looking forward to a combination of legislation in Congress and executive actions by Trump to undo damage inflicted by the Obama administration that led to lower production and employment, according to Luke Popovich, a vice president of the National Mining Association, a top coal lobbying group.