Coal Industry Stabilizing Around Region By SCOTT McCLOSKEY Staff Writer Coal production dropped in recent years as coal-fired power providers worked to comply with new federal regulations, but Ohio Coal Association President Mike Cope believes there are a number of positive takeaways as the industry moves into 2021. “We have stabilized in Ohio. There was a period (of uncertainty), especially (when) American Electric Power was divesting itself of coal power plants. They had been one of the biggest users of coal in Ohio — I think across the country,” Cope said, explaining how the number of coal-fired electric generating facilities across the Buckeye State has ”rapidly” decreased in recent years. “But that has at least taken a breath now,” Cope commented. “One of the things that we are doing legislatively -- we are exploring working with a member of the General Assembly in the (Ohio) Senate to introduce legislation to require whoever owns a plant … to put them up for sale before they close them. So we’re working on that.
The Coal Industry n The coal industry has somewhat stabilized regionally. n Coal officials are working with Ohio lawmakers to introduce legislation to mandate that coal-fired power plants be put up for sale before they are closed. n The coal industry has made some progress with environmental regulations. That’s just a fairness issue to us.” Cope said in many cases coal-fired power plants have closed prior to reaching the end of their full “useful lifetime.” Cope said there are cases where companies have come into Ohio and purchased power plants, believing they can operate them at a profit. He said the Cardinal Plant near Brilliant, where two of the three units are owned by electric cooperative companies, is a good example. “Electric co-ops themselves are still heavily using coal -- so they’re a primary example of where,
if a co-op can make it work, then we think it can be commercially viable for other corporations,” Cope said. “So it (the coal industry around Ohio) has stabilized and we made some progress with nuisance environmental regulations,” Cope continued. “The Trump administration relaxed some of those things. But really the major issue for coal in Ohio and the United States is the cost per ton. It’s too low, and we’ve had a difficult time competing against the really cheap natural gas, which of course in Eastern Ohio is really abundant.”
File Photo
Coal barges travel on the Ohio River. Industry leaders say the coal business has stabilized regionally.
However, he is quick to point out that with the supply of natural gas currently going down, the demand will go up -- and the price will go up. “If the price goes up, then that takes some pressure off of coal and makes it more economically feasible,” Cole explained. “So those are some of the things that are on the horizon. We’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
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Following a year when U.S. coal production fell by 168 million short tons (24%) in 2020 due to less demand for coal amid low gas prices last year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects overall coal production to rise in 2021 due to an increasing demand for coal in the electric power sector as natural gas prices are expected to increase, according to the agency’s
website. Cole said the industry as a whole did not have to close down since the onset of the pandemic, as the industry was designated as a necessary industry. “So, we didn’t have to shutter like when they closed down some of the restaurants. … As far as (coal mine) shutdowns in Ohio, we haven’t had any,” Cole added.
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What’s New This Year In Vehicles? Better Safety, Mostly By ALAN OLSON Staff Writer Yearly improvements on modern vehicles tend to focus on two areas — superior safety for drivers and passengers, and an eye toward the future of electric vehicles. Joey Thurby is chairman of the board of Neighborhood Ford Store, which consists of the 80 dealers in northern and central West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and the panhandle of Maryland, has been selling vehicles for 40 years and now operates Thurby’s Riverside Ford, in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Especially over the last year, due to COVID-19 Thurby said, the clear distinction between model years has become blurred, as new models enter the lot at a staggered rate, meaning new improvements are nearly always just around the corner. “New cars come out every month. There’s no longer an introduction day; all these vehicles come out at different times,” Thurby said. “We’re just getting the bulk of our ‘21 (Ford) F-150, which is COVID related, and we still don’t have the ‘21 Big Bronco. … Everything was late, because of COVID.”
The 2021 Ford F-150 boasts expanded safety features, which are among the most notable improvements across the automotive industry this year. Pictured is Joey Thurby, chairman of the board of the Neighborhood Ford Store. Photo Provided
Ted Showalter, owner of Whitesides GM in St. Clairsville, said the customer’s need for a new vehicle determines the best time to buy -- there’s no better time than when you need one. “I don’t know if there’s ever a better time to purchase than when you need to purchase,” he said. “To say that technology may be better in three or six months, I just don’t think we can say one way or the other.” Thurby said that as a salesman, he compares auto sales to computer sales — a customer who waits to see what “the new stuff” is going to be will find themself on the cusp of another technological leap.
“If you need a computer and you say you want to wait until the new stuff comes out, by the time it’s out, the new stuff is already being made that will be out before you know it. It’s the same in the car business -- everything they do in the auto business is technology.” The new feature Thurby was enthusiastic to talk about was the embedded modem in Ford vehicles, which connects to the FordPass app, as the vast majority of consumers have mobile phones. Through the app, he said the vehicle’s onboard system is able to communicate diagnostic concerns such as maintenance due, give the owner access to remote
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start or door locking, and find the location where it was parked. In addition, service appointments and car payments can also be made through the app. This app is regularly updated, which future-proofs it to some extent. Thurby said it’s a common occurrence for customers with vehicles a few years old to come looking for a new model and to be enamored with the new technology, which makes it hard to go back. A particular favorite is the Blind Spot Information System. “Once you have it, you’ll never (want to) not have it,” he said. “You’re driving down the road and someone pulls into your blind spot, … this
little light comes on and beeps, letting you know. Once people get that, you can never sell them a car that doesn’t have it. They get so used to BLIS, and it saves a lot of accidents.” Thurby said these improvements come out nearly constantly, aimed at improving the safety features available to the consumer. “The Automatic Electric Braking, that comes on all of our products,” he added, noting the system uses cameras to automatically stop the car when an unseen obstacle, such as a bicyclist or deer, comes running. “... I have people say all the time, ‘A deer ran out, and before I could
even hit the brakes, the vehicle stopped.’ That’s what it’s supposed to do.” Showalter echoed the sentiment, saying that safety features are improving each year. “(The safety features in) most GM vehicles today are so much better than they were five or 10 years ago,” he said. “Back in the day, the technology was airbags, then passenger airbags, and then you’ve got side airbags, and now you’re surrounded by airbags. Nowadays, they’re trying to prevent the crash with alerts and extra vision in your blind zones. The alerts are there to prevent the crash from even happening.” (Please see NEW, Page 8)
Automotive Technology n Most improvements to vehicles in recent years have been on superior safety features. n Safety features aim to prevent accidents entirely, on top of better protection if it’s already too late. n The future of the automotive industry seems likely to be electric vehicles.
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