"For much of the hundred-plus years of its existence, the industry has been on a kind of artificial life support, as state and federal governments have, directly and indirectly, subsidized coal companies to keep the industry afloat."

That is not capitalistic as the article claims.

"A deeply cynical capitalist experiment has taken place, in which coal companies are kept profitable by passing on the costs they incur to the public."

This is corporate welfare. I hate how this sort of thing is being labelled capitalistic, most who support capitalism hate this sort of thing.