Slumping coal exports threaten rail and ocean shipping demand

(Source: Freight Waves, June 10, 2019) 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Foreign buyers of U.S. coal threw a lifeline to America’s embattled mines in 2017-18. As domestic demand dwindled in the face of environmental regulation and competition from natural gas, export markets helped fill the gap, giving the coal industry a much-needed boost. But the tide has turned in 2019. The export lifeline is being at least partially withdrawn, and a more pronounced decline could ensue in 2020, compounding the coal miners’ domestic travails. Slumping coal exports also bode ill for the transportation sector, including the U.S. rail industry.

Full story: Freight Waves

Tuesday, June 11, 2019