Introducing: America’s Coal Associations

Since the group’s inception in 2022, America’s Coal Associations has been hard at work behind the scenes for the future of coal across the United States. Yet many still don’t know of its existence – and dedication to keeping coal at the forefront.

by Donna Schmidt

America’s Coal Associations represents the only national coal lobby group with the name COAL in its name, and has emerged as a powerful voice for every mining state and operating company impacting coal mining and coal-fired electricity generation.

ACA also provides a forum for industry leaders to work closely with state and federal political leaders on key issues and strategies affecting the industry.

Formalized a little over four years ago, America’s Coal Associations has weighed in on a landmark Supreme Court case against President Obama’s signature legislation which was designed to close the nations coal fleet, significant EPA rule makings and sponsored a national coal summit and multiple roundtable discussions with the Congressional Coal Caucus.

The genesis of the creation of Americas Coal Associations goes back to the industry’s challenge to the WV v EPA. before the US Supreme Court when the mining groups from across the country joined together with West Virginia in filing an Amicus Brief to the case. Included with their argument was a profile of every state coal association which included a summary of coal production, employment levels and economic output to the state and region.

There was a realization that this group packed a much bigger punch and by working together under the auspices of Americas Coal Associations, which would provide a loosely organized structure and protections, the Association could provide a strong, cohesive voice in national politics and coal.

Individual states were also beyond the earlier rift between the western versus eastern states over steam market share and northern app v southern app over domestic met. Over the years various marketing factors had left the countries mining interests from working close together. Western coal was encroaching on eastern mining territory as northern and southern met producers were competing for shrinking domestic markets.

Another factor drawing all mining states closer together was the major political issues wreaking havoc on the entire industry and a president using his resources to transition away from coal.

As thousands of coal plants were closing around the country under President Obama from 2008 to 2016 and coal production and employment numbers were cut in half, it became necessary to pull the industry together to mount the force and effect necessary to combat the country’s desire to transition away from coal. Working closer together allows the industry to draw from one another on specific technical issues.

Top performers
The top ten coal producing states mined over 527 million short tons (mt) of coal in 2021 and are ranked by production as follows: Wyoming (239.2 million tons); West Virginia (78.6 mt); Pennsylvania (42.4 mt); Illinois (36.8 mt); Montana (28.6 mt); Kentucky (26.6 mt); North Dakota (26.5 mt); Indiana (19.5 mt); Texas (17.3 mt); and Utah (12.3 mt).

Collectively, the industry represents a total of $261 billion in annual economic impact and about 400,000 workers across America according to an economic analysis commissioned by West Virginia University’s Center for Business and Economic Research.

Upon completion of the study, Dr John Deskins, center director and West Virginia’s lead economist, was quoted as saying: “Despite production declines in recent years, coal remains a very important part of America’s economy, as illustrated in our research. Coal continues to support a sizeable share of the nation’s economic output and thousands of high-paying jobs.”

Deskins noted that the total economic impact of coal mining does not end at the mine – it goes far beyond the portal and upstream through the economy. “In 2021, coal-fired power plants across the U.S. generated 899 million megawatt hours of electricity. This activity generated $217.5 billion in direct and secondary outputs in the United States economy, resulting in a total employment impact of 245,300,000 and $33.3 billion in labor income impact,” he stressed.

Other notable coal industry leaders were quoted by America’s Coal Association following the release of Deskins work.

“Coal and coal-fired electric power has always been a major driver behind our nation’s economy, and this study clearly demonstrates that not only is coal the bedrock of our economy, but it is also a key component of our countries’ electric manufacturing and steelmaking future,” said West Virginia Coal Association President Chris Hamilton.

“Wyoming alone accounts for 45% of our nation’s coal production and when combined with the output of other western states, it becomes obvious that coal and coal-fired electric generation supports a big piece of America’s economy and job base” said Vern Lund, CEO of Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC). “The number of high paying jobs associated with the production, the transportation sector and local suppliers and contractors is irreplaceable.”

Joe Craft, CEO of Alliance Resources, also commented.

“Given the results of this study and the contribution of our nation’s coal plants to grid security and resiliency, and homeland security, it’s inconceivable that policy makers in Washington want to see these facilities close prematurely or transition away from the use of coal,” he stressed.

“Coal is a valuable feed stock for electricity manufacturing and provides a dependable revenue stream for a large number of state governments throughout America.”

Jimmy Brock, CEO of what is now known as CORE Natural Resources (formerly of CONSOL Energy), noted these facilities are responsible for a big piece of the economy as they continue to “provide low cost, uninterrupted power to tens of millions of families” across the nation.

“Coal is the necessary ingredient that ensures the reliability of household and industrial power supplies which are required to maintain the quality of life we enjoy as Americans,” he added. CEO Paul Lang, from the other half of what is now CORE Natural Resources, ARCH Resources, said: “At a time when energy-driven inflation is weighing heavily on all Americans and electricity grids are being stretched to their limits, the coal industry’s significance has never been greater, providing high-paying direct and indirect jobs for Americans, economic benefits for communities across the country, the fuel for affordable and reliable energy, and metallurgical coal for steelmaking.”

America’s Coal Associations, said West Virginia Coal Association president Chris Hamilton, believed that the U.S. should not trae one energy job for another or unnecessarily shorten the life of those foundational contributors to the economy and industrial job base.

“We are all about coal and singularly focused on affordable and reliable, baseload power,” he said.

The study, conducted by the West Virginia University Bureau for Business and Economics Research (BBER), shows that the mining industry alone spends more than $10.6 billion on wages nationally and coal operators generated approximately $43.5 billion in economic activity in 2021.

Highlights from the study include:

• Coal mining and coal-fired electric power generated approximately $261 billion in total economic activity in the U.S. in 2021.
• Coal mining and coal-fired electric power generation supported nearly 381,000 jobs nationally with 29,674 jobs in W.Va., 15,852 in Ind., 13,735 in Tex., 13,418 in Ill., 12,266 in Ky., 7,027 in Utah, and 3,895 in Mont.
• Coal mining and coal-fired electric power generation provided around $43.8 billion in employee compensation. Coal mining offers some of the highest average annual wages among all industries.
• Coal mining and coal-fired electric power generated nearly $8.1 billion in state and local tax revenue nationally.

What was the ACA’s impetus?

• There are more than just a few reasons America’s Coal Associations exists today. Here are just a couple that you may or may not have been aware of.
• After President Biden was elected, he immediately called for a zero economy, waging war against fossil energy industries and interests;
• The early Biden efforts were focused on Congress and enacting Green New Deal, Build Back Better Plan, Carbon Taxes Utility Buyout Plan and the Inflation Reduction Plan;
• Across-the-board level of concern and realization of the serious nature of political forces desiring to transition away from coal,
• More frequent “calls for climate action” went up across politics;
• Concerns over the future of the industry went up, as the challenges were clearly more serious and threatening than ever before.

Our group didn’t appear to be engaged or as excited as they were during the “Obama Years” – or the first War on Coal. A downsizing of the industry did not help matters.

This was still early in the Biden administration, but we clearly saw what was coming. What was confined to the halls of Congress was growing. Prior to the IRA, we went a year or more watching now-Sen. Joe Manchin single-handily stopping coal killing legislation before authoring the job-killing IRA legislation.

What followed was alarming; more people were writing off coal. A president increasingly coercing a transition away from coal and fossil energy. Administratively, it was becoming a “War on Coal II”. It is absolutely mind-boggling that this industry almost fell by a single vote, thanks only to the impact of public policy on coal. There are great opportunities today, but our challenges need to be better managed. We have our work cut out and we need to be better prepared to deal with whatever comes our way.

Elevating, committing to coal: ACA is born
So, as a collective, we said: how do we elevate our game? Importantly, how do we get everybody on the same page sharing the same top priorities? Also, do we pull all our resources together to enhance our collective effect or become more engage with policy issues?

Hence, Americas Coal Associations was born. Once organized, ACA issued numerous press statements and wrote several letters to Congress in support of key issues or in opposition thereof. The ACA of today is dedicated to providing the framework for us as an industry to move this forward in a more cohesive, synchronized manner.

The timing is right. Industry has downsized. State and national coal groups are collaborating and working closer together. Rules and regulations were changing, including a consolidated amicus in WV versus the EPA.

All of that led to the Coal Summit in June 2022. By the end of that meeting, we strived to complete the following:

• Identify and agree upon a platform of specific high level policy issues that we can devote resources towards and jointly pursue;
• Improve the coordination of needed actions among our state and national coal groups (grassroots); and
• Activate allies and favorable political forces on the state, regional and national level so when coal industry leadership blows the whistle or signals action, we are all in and everyone runs towards the fire! 

What that equaled for us was a significant realization: We have a lot of work to do in a relatively short period of time.

Help, help, help
We are asking more of coal-based groups financially like the National Energy Council, Southern States Energy Board, Rocky Mountain Lignite Council and even the North Carolina Coal Group. We’ve brought in mining school alumni groups, many of whom now work as operators, and activated them into action.

Their leadership is now coming to the helm at our Coal Leadership Summits.

We need everyone to step up and become a Friend of Coal and also become an ally of coal. As the world experiences energy shortages, the U.S. coal industry is severely hampered and challenged by a president and federal government that are using every resource, agency and regulatory platform to coerce the accelerated transition away from coal and fossil energy.

The coal industry remains strong, but has undergone major downsizing over the past decade with losses in production and manpower that are well documented leaving the industry with fewer resources and a reduced political impact. However, even in its current reduced profile, the coal industry continues to drive our economy and job base.

To compensate for this reduced profile and become better prepared to meet the colossal challenges awaiting ahead, industry trade groups must commit to working closer together by parlaying resources to grow its base and to pull everyone together, from northern Appalachia and southern Appalachia to eastern coal and western coal, even the met and steam and thermal producing member communities.

We must also develop a national grassroots initiative to provide the platform for the ancillary businesses and contractors to become engaged in the politics and policies impacting coal and related employment.

Moving forward
Politically and process wise, the industry should work toward:

1. A consensus approach on climate concerns and what it is willing to do or be for;
2. Change or alter the public energy and climate narrative;
3. Incorporate “innovation not elimination” into across the board talking points;
4. Enhance efforts to engage coal-friendly groups and elected officials;
5. Revive the Congressional Coal Caucus;
6. Include the need for reliable power as part of the House of Representatives Commitment to America;
7. Concur for all coal groups and associations to work closer together; and,
8. Initiate Freedom of Information requests with the GAO; among other initiatives.

America’s Coal Association has now held subsequent coal leadership meetings in Wyoming, Indiana, Denver, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. At each meeting, local Association members and ACA’s core group has interacted with state and local representatives engaging in coals priority issues and building broader support for the coal industry.

Currently, ACA is working with the Trump Administration and members of Congress to develop comprehensive federal legislation comprised of federal law changes and initiatives for the industry to achieve the mandates and Executive Orders issued by President Donald J. Trump. The third annual ACA meeting will be held alongside the Congressional Coal Caucus in August 2025 at America’s Resort, The Greenbrier, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

Note: West Virginia Coal Association president Chris Hamilton helped contribute background information to this story.