In-state coal purchase subsidy may add jobs

Reducing severance tax and adding a subsidy for the purchase of in-state coal could add 200 coal mining jobs, according to the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

In 2013, utilities and other coal users in the Mountain State consumed 31 million tons of coal, but 41 percent came from out of state, usually Maryland, Virginia, and Ohio.

Although West Virginia imports nearly 14 million tons of coal, more than eight million is unlikely to be displaced by policy intervention.