Overregulation hurts coal jobs

I was sorry to read that coal workers in Eastern Kentucky are being laid off, partly as the result of natural gas replacing coal for the generation of electricity.

Were coal not crippled by overregulation, it is probable that coal, not natural gas, would be the cheaper option.

If you tied his legs together and his hands behind his back, basketball star Lebron James would lose in a one-on-one against anyone, even me. Similarly, coal is not allowed to compete in a fair and open marketplace with other energy sources; so naturally it will often lose out.

This has been President Barack Obama’s stated goal since the start.

Natural gas should be saved for applications it does especially well, such as heating, cooking, transportation, fertilizers and in the manufacture of fabrics, glass, steel, plastics, paint and other products.

Using it for base-load power generation is a waste when the United States has so much high-quality coal for the taking. Using gas for base load power generation is like a reverse Midas touch, turning gold into lead.

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Overregulation hurts coal jobs."