In the 1980s, in the United States, coal and aluminum production were each thriving industries. The production of primary aluminum depended, at that time, on plentiful, inexpensive coal – and the rich mines of Appalachia supplied it. Coal production in Kentucky reached a peak in 1990, and dozens of aluminum smelters were operating. 

Coal production has steadily declined in the region as the mines are depleted and climate change demands we continue to shift away…