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Some hope for the coal industry

For some time during former President Barack Obama’s administration, it appeared that the coal-fired power plant just south of St. Marys, W.Va., was doomed. FirstEnergy attempted to transfer it to subsidiaries, but regulators blocked that. No one wanted to buy the plant.

At the time, that seemed logical. It was clear an all-out offensive against coal and reasonably priced electricity from generating units using that fuel was underway.

So FirstEnergy officials decided to close the plant.

Last week, they revealed the facility will remain in operation, at least through June 1, 2022.

That is excellent news for the station’s 160 employees — and for tens of millions of Americans worried they will be forced into paying more for “alternative” sources of electricity.

Let us hope FirstEnergy’s decision signals that the utility industry as a whole is reconsidering its strategy to shut down coal-fired power plants.

That, too, would be logical, given President Donald Trump’s recognition that using regulatory agencies to pursue a vendetta against coal does not serve the American people well.

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