[TheRealThing]

The 104,000 number that you gave for new coal mining jobs is bogus. Trump has a remarkable economic record since taking office, but he has not added twice as many new coal mining jobs as the current total number of coal mining jobs. Think about it - the 104,000 number that you cited just makes no sense.

Coal mining is a subcategory of mining, which is itself a subcategory of the mining and logging category. You do not need to rely on any reports besides the numbers reported by Trump's own BLS - and those numbers do not even remotely approach the total of 104,000 new coal mining jobs that you cited.

According to SourceWatch; "There are approximately 174,000 blue-collar, full-time, permanent jobs related to coal in the U.S.:"

I don't know how the administration or FOX broke their numbers down, it's hard to say. I do know 'The Hill' is normally a pretty safe bet as are the reporting avenues David Asman cites. In any event I'm quite certain as you mention, that MR Trump's energy policies have things on the upswing. And that includes mining jobs.

Now, I realize Kentucky's coal tipples stand as sad and abandoned reminders of the once thriving coal industry that Obama has managed to decimate. I got that. I also know that Democrats have lied to the people about the relationship of America's need for energy versus readily available fossil fuels, and the myth of reliable and renewable clean energy. I also realize the taxpayers in this land were forced to fund the dismantling of our then viable national coal industry with their tax dollars. The whole coal blitzkrieg was tantamount to saving one's whole life for a new corvette. Only to drive it off the lot and immediately shove it off a high wall. Stupid don't quite cut it. The mechanization, supply lines, transportation lanes and all the rest which comprised the coal industry was bought and paid for and in place. The coal industry was running, the money was spent, the power stations built and the cheap electricity was being produced. Not to mention all the myriad of associated careers that were sacrifice on the altar of stupidity.

Thus I have posted on the matter with some frequency, and it doesn't take an expert in the energy field to understand at present there is no substitute for fossil fuels, coal in this case. And I question the rationale with which we justify using so much natural gas in the place of coal. So when I hear liberally indoctrinated blue collar types defend the very Democrat policies which have destroyed their way of life, I just shake my head in disbelief. At any rate, I am satisfied things are improving and that was my original thought a number of posts back.