Lesson from Alpha Natural to close 11 coal mines and cut 1,100 jobs in US

Alpha Natural Resources has informed around 1,100 employees working at its 11 affiliated surface mines and related infrastructure in West Virginia, US, about the proposed closure of the facilities and job cuts.
 
The company said it is idling operations due to competition from natural gas, the weak demand for coal, falling prices and tougher regulations set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discourage coal-fired power plants in the country.
 
The company said that industry forecasts show the coal production from the Central Appalachian region in eastern US will decline to less than half of the 2009 output, by 2015. Alpha Natural Resources president Paul Vining said: "Many mines in the region have done a great job finding ways to reduce costs and remain economically viable in this unprecedented business climate, but some mines haven't been able to keep-up with the fast pace at which coal demand has eroded and prices have fallen.
 
"So, our operations managers have to take a hard and serious examination whether they can sustain a number of mines and related operations by finding additional cost reductions and whether the business will be there to support them in the year ahead." however these actions also show the real-world impact of the regulatory environment in which industry must operate.
The environmental friendly and high efficiency new energy sources will replace the pollution and low use efficiency sources. Some countries will also implement these actions like US for responding the appeal of protecting the environment. So the coal or mining industries should look for the measures from origin, which is to applied complete environmental friendly, high efficiency, low consumption, rugged, reliable and priced right equipment.