Indiana’s Coal Industry Still Strong, Attorney General Says

INDIANAPOLIS — Coal still powers nearly half of Indiana’s electricity, making the state second only to Texas in coal use with about 26 million tons burned each year. That means steady jobs and reliable energy for homes and businesses.

That’s why Attorney General Todd Rokita toured a coal mine in Gibson County on Monday, talking with workers and seeing the industry up close. While he doesn’t run energy production, Rokita’s role includes making sure rules are followed and energy stays reliable.

“As the Attorney General for the state, we do a lot of work pushing back on the federal government to make sure we have what I call ‘all of the above’ energy policies,” Rokita said. “So we require a baseload as well. That’s where coal still has a role, that’s where fossil fuels still have a role.”

Love Local? Get more! Join the WIBC 93.1 FM Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Subscribe

We care about your data. See our privacy policy.

Rokita also pointed out that renewable energy like wind, water, geothermal, and biomass can be expensive. He said Indiana needs to boost fossil fuel production because other countries are doing the same.

“So we were cutting our fossil fuel production until the Big Beautiful Bill and other things, and China keeps ramping up. China doesn’t have our best interest; we do.”

Coal mining employs between 1,800 and 2,600 Hoosiers, mostly in southern counties, and each mining job supports about two more statewide.

“They truck about a truck a minute down to Mount Vernon along the Ohio River where we have a port,” Rokita said. “One of the routes is to Mount Vernon, where this coal gets put on a barge, goes down the Ohio River, down the Mississippi River to Louisiana and gets put on a big boat, and guess where it goes? China!”

Rokita said one positive takeaway from his visit to the Gibson County coal mine, which he’s toured before, is seeing many young people working in the industry. He added that some Democrats have claimed no one wants to work in coal, but his visit showed otherwise.