Nobody reports on coal and Appalachia better than Ken Ward Jr. down at the Charleston Gazette. He’s got a good article up on what the coal industry should expect from an Obama administration, namely that he will "reverse Bush administration rule changes, beef up enforcement, and put the nation’s first ever limits on carbon dioxide from power plants."
This is particularly worth noting:
For the coal industry, among the more important decisions will be who takes over two government agencies that are little known outside the coalfields: The Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement. Decisions about such sub-Cabinet posts are months away.
During the Bush years these agencies have been run by industry advocates, which has led to lax enforcement and the coal mine tragedies of 2006 and 2007.
Something to keep our eyes on.
