Inter-Regional Coal Mine Competition in the US: Evidence from Rail Restriction

Kanishka Kacker () and Ian Lange
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Kanishka Kacker: Economics and Planning Unit, Indian Statistical Institute

No 2017-11, Working Papers from Colorado School of Mines, Division of Economics and Business

Abstract: There has been much discussion recently in the U.S. press about the fate of coal mining and its employees, specifically in the Appalachian region. This analysis looks at how Appalachian coal mining responds to changes in coal production from the Western US, whose mines are generally on federal land. Specifically we look at how an unexpected reduction in the ability to move coal from Wyoming to Eastern power plants in 2005-06 impacted the rate of opening and closure of mines in Appalachia. The findings reveal that restrictions in coal from federal lands leads to a reduction in the rate of Appalachian coal mine closure but no impact on the rate of coal mine openings. The results imply inter-regional coal mine substitution possibilities and shed light on the tradeoffs inherent in policies to encourage production in one region.

Keywords: Coal switching; Railroads; Supply Shock (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L71 Q35 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22 pages
Date: 2017-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene
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http://econbus-papers.mines.edu/working-papers/wp201711.pdf First version, 2017 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Inter-regional coal mine competition in the US: Evidence from rail restrictions (2022)
Working Paper: Inter-Regional Coal Mine Competition in the US: Evidence from Rail Restrictions (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mns:wpaper:wp201711

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