Agreed. But I don't think this all falls on the current administration. US energy policy has been weak if not non-existent for as long as I can remember. Why shouldn't they believe it? No one (had the stones) to declare it dead; not part of our energy future; etc.

Furthermore, along the same lines, look at domestic oil. That is, fracking. Production has hockey stick'ed in the last 10 - 15 years. We didn't shift to renewables. We stuck with oil.

So again, why shouldn't coal believe the same? Most of the signals support their POV than otherwise.

Note: I agree 100%. Coal is f'ed. As it should be. But from the miners' POV there really isn't a clear message that say "time to give up." Clinton didn't say it. Bush didn't say it. Obama didn't say it.