All true but...
Obama cracked down on coal regs at the very time gas was cheaper.
Should have ‘cushioned’ the blow to coal- that’e the fed’s role -but did the opposite: they exacerbated it.
Things change, but they can change gradually.
My point exactly, if in inverse. It’s been a slow, long-term decline, almost like it was encased in amber at times, but the likes of Obama caused very painful and obvious damage at a time when they needed help. The coal mining industry was vibrant there once (I can remember what seemed like miles of coal cars slowly rolling through town on a single train), but once the EPA started mandating clean coal, a lot of mines went out of business. Other industries suffered, as well. Last year, the Westvaco paper plant had to close down, and it was a hammer blow to one of the most economically-depressed regions in America. Been that way for decades now. The steel industry is shot to hell, and we were a major artery for Pittsburgh to utilize, being two hours away. Businesses in every sector are finding faster, cheaper ways of moving goods and commodities. As much as I hate to say it, I don’t see a time when rail is going to see a post-WW II style boom again, even if we had a white-hot economy. Too many other mitigating factors in 21st Century America now. And I’ve always been pro-rail (although I may be a little culturally biased there).