Republican candidate for state Senate District 58 Paul Schimpf recently expressed his support for the Illinois coal industry, after the American Coal Co.'s Galatia mine laid off 101 employees.
"Progressives have declared war on the coal industry and — if you care about the economic vitality of Southern Illinois — you cannot sit this election out," Schimpf said. "You have to pick a side. Reason No. 6 to 'Pick Paul in 2016' is that I strongly support the Southern Illinois coal industry."
American Coal laid off 250 of its Galatia workers in 2015. In addition, its New Era mine was scheduled to close this year due to the coal reserves being depleted.
The parent company, Murray Energy Corp., blames environmental regulations and increased opposition to the use of coal in producing electricity. Instead, electric utilities are using natural gas to produce electricity.
In addition to the American Coal layoffs, Peabody Coal and Alliance Coal laid off 75 and 275 workers, respectively. The layoffs affected Gallatin, Hamilton, Saline and White counties.
Galatia faced declines in the coal mining industries after World War II and in the late 1970s and early 1980s. When the mines closed, the younger generations moved out of the area as they looked for better opportunities. The mine closures affect not only the workers, but the small businesses in the surrounding communities that depend on business from the coal companies and their employees.
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