About US
Our mission is to provide effective leadership for the coal industry, ultimately enhancing the ability of the Kentucky coal industry to compete in domestic and world coal markets. Our membership represents both Eastern and Western Kentucky operations that mine coal through surface and underground methods. This diversity helps us build a consensus approach in problem solving and proactively works to resolve the complex issues facing the coal industry.
Latest News
Kentucky Coal Association Announces New President/Executive Director
The Kentucky Coal Association has selected Sam McKown as its new president and executive director. “I am excited to build on and continue the vital mission of the Kentucky Coal Association,” said McKown. “A cornerstone industry of the Commonwealth, coal not only powers Kentucky, but it supports thousands of jobs from one end of our […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
The staff of the Kentucky Coal Association wishes each and every one of you a happy holiday season filled with love, laughter, and family. Happy Thanksgiving!
Lies, Damn Lies, and the Sierra Club
“The Sierra Club lives in some weird Orwellian world where up is down and left is right, where “reality” is whatever they decide it to be. Fortunately, most people don’t live in that world. We live in a world bounded by objective reality — a world where people need reliable energy, not fairy dust and […]
Global data center investment reached $580 billion by end of 2025. U.S. Energy Information Administration analysis shows that under high data center demand growth, coal provides the majority of additional electricity generation across PJM, MISO, and SERC — the grid regions that serve Kentucky. Existing coal plants have spare capacity that no other source can match on the timeline the grid requires. #kycoal #GridReliability ... See MoreSee Less
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On March 30, the Department of Energy issued its second 90-day emergency order to keep Craig Station Unit 1 in Colorado running through June 28.
The 427 MW coal plant was scheduled to close in December. DOE has now issued more than 40 Section 202(c) orders since May 2025, keeping approximately 4,300 MW of coal capacity on the grid.
Grid operators and reliability officials confirm these plants are essential to preventing shortfalls. #kycoal #EnergyReliability ... See MoreSee Less
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Since 2023, plans to retire more than 37 GW of U.S. coal capacity — one-third of all previously announced coal retirements — have been delayed or avoided. At least 10 GW of that has occurred since the start of 2025 alone. The market and the grid are sending the same signal: these plants are still needed. #kycoal #GridReliability ... See MoreSee Less
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