Episode 6 | Coal Country | West Virginia Coal Association
My coal episode was a bit of a homecoming for me. I started out representing coal interests in Texas, but it has been nearly 7 years since that chapter of my life closed.
To catch up on where the coal industry was in 2017, I could do no better than the West Virgina Coal Association. They represent the interests of miners, coal producers, and utilities in one of our most important coal-producing states. Our interviewee, VP Chris Hamilton, told me that West Virginia is the largest coal-exporting state in the country (50% of all exports).
I met Chris last February during a busy legislative session in the WV State Capitol in Charleston. For the interview, Chris found us a legislator's office filled with coal memorabilia, some of which are in the slideshow.
Last year, the WVCA endorsed Donald Trump for president and made it official during a May 6 rally in Charleston. You may remember Trump was presented with a white coal miner's hard hat. I make the strong argument that when he put on that hard hat, he clenched the vote from a formerly Democratic block of voters that allowed him to win the election.
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