SUGAR LAND, TX -- (Marketwire) -- 12/05/12 -- Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- President Barack Obama was re-elected a month ago, but a frequent claim during the presidential campaign -- that Obama was waging a "war on coal" -- continues to echo throughout coal country. Tougher power plant regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Washington, D.C.) have cut into demand for thermal coal by U.S. electric utilities. But beyond tougher environmental regulation, coal's woes today also stem from a combination of factors: low natural gas prices, slow U.S. economic growth, geologic reality, extraction economics, and softening demand for coal in rapidly industrializing countries like China and India.

Other companies featured: CONSOL Energy Incorporated (NYSE:CNX), Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU), Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE:ANR), Joy Global Incorporated (NYSE:JOY), Caterpillar Incorporated (NYSE:CAT)

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