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Abstract:
The coal-energy political issue was considered specific to the Rust Belt region of the US in the leadup to the 2016 Presidential Election. While the diametric difference in policy stances between the two major US presidential candidates failed to garner national attention, the eventual outcome of the election was attributed to slim vote margins in states located in this region. This study will examine the rates of coal usage by Rust Belt states via air pollution data and production rates extracted from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory in the years leading up to the election in order to ascertain to what extent general societal trends were prompting shifts toward cleaner energy sources before and after environmental laws such as the Clean Power Plan took effect.
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