{"id":1757971,"date":"2022-12-01T06:30:16","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T11:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1757971"},"modified":"2022-12-01T09:33:14","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T14:33:14","slug":"rail-strike-would-help-aid-bidens-war-on-coal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rail-strike-would-help-aid-bidens-war-on-coal\/","title":{"rendered":"Rail Strike Would Help Aid Biden\u2019s War on Coal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frail-strike-would-help-aid-bidens-war-on-coal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1757971&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/2022.11.30-05.47-thepoliticalinsider-6387971bd8d9f.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em>By Duggan Flanakin for RealClearEnergy<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Remember that rail strike that President\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/biden-says-deal-averting-rail-worker-strike-avoided-real-economic-crisis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biden saved us<\/a>\u00a0all from just in the nick of time \u2013 right before the November elections?\u00a0\u00a0It was in late September that Pal Joey announced a deal between rail companies and union negotiators that staved off a \u201creal economic crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Joe himself explained, \u201cThe alternative was just not thinkable. If, in fact, they\u2019d gone on a strike, the supply chains in this country would\u2019ve come to a screeching halt. We would\u2019ve seen a real economic crisis.\u201d He proclaimed his handiwork as a \u201cwin\u201d for everyone and the U.S. economy. The railroads boasted it was the \u201cmost generous contract in modern history.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/biden-punts-possible-devastating-rail-strike-dilemma-to-congress-to-solve\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biden Punts Possible Devastating Rail Strike Dilemma to Congress to Solve<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hardly mentioned during the hoop-la over the \u201cdeal\u201d in which rail workers won a 24-percent wage increase over a 5-year period (dating back to 2020), as well as an average $11,000 immediate payout upon ratification was this caveat:<\/p>\n<p><em>The Association of American Railroads quietly added that \u201cthe deal is tentative\u201d and subject to ratification by union members.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But no worries? Who in their right minds would turn this down? Greed, after all, is a disease that solely affects Republicans and \u201cthe rich\u201d (which excludes billionaire Democrat donors).\u00a0\u00a0Virtuous union bosses assured us\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/travel\/news\/breaking-amtrak-to-resume-full-operations-as-labor-strike-averted\/ar-AA11S7jO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">that Amtrak<\/a>\u00a0would quickly resume its full schedule \u2013 especially its route in which Washington crosses to Delaware.<\/p>\n<p>The election thus went smoothly enough. Peace (despite Ukraine) in our time. Afghanistan? Ho Hum. Inflation? A myth. The coming polar vortex at a time when fuel prices have escalated and there may even be shortfalls? Not yet on the radar. Sam Bankman-Fried? Still celebrated by\u00a0<em>The New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>But wait, you say! The rail strike was not averted \u2013 just delayed. Looks now like it will show up just about the same time as that polar vortex. The deep freeze is on the horizon \u2013 just after the Georgia Senate runoff.<\/p>\n<div id=\"subscribe\" class=\"email-signup inarticle\">\n<h4>Support Conservative Voices!<\/h4>\n<h5><strong>Sign up to receive the latest<\/strong> political news, insight, and commentary delivered directly to your inbox.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/11\/21\/1137640529\/railroads-freight-rail-unions-vote-contract-strike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NPR itself<\/a>\u00a0tells us that four of twelve freight rail unions have now voted against the Biden deal \u2013 the five-year contract that would have gotten him through the 2026 midterms. All 115,000 freight rail workers may be \u201chome for Christmas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Surely this is BAD NEWS! About\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/8d01158e-0d0b-4da3-b357-91884a2e2a93\/Rail%20Strike%20Could%20Halt%20Amtrak,%20Coal%20Shipments%20Weeks%20Before%20Holiday%20%7C%20WVPB%20(wvpublic.org)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">40 percent<\/a>\u00a0of U.S. freight moves by rail \u2013 and the Association of American Railroads estimates a national rail shutdown could cost $2 billion a day in lost economic output \u2013 right in the heart of the holiday shopping season! Even Biden\u2019s precious Amtrak would once again be off track.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/epa-to-spend-13-billion-on-environmental-justice-and-climate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EPA to Spend $13 Billion on \u2018Environmental Justice\u2019 and Climate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Except that in her final glorious act, Nancy Pelosi could save the season. Congress, you see, has the power to order the rail workers back on the job. The Railway Labor Act allows Congress to take a variety of measures to keep the trains running, and Nancy might like nothing better than to impose a temporary \u201cfix\u201d that would kick the problem over to whoever ends up being the GOP Speaker of the House.<\/p>\n<p>But would they? The facts are that a rail strike plays right into the hands of the Biden Adminstration\u2019s war on coal. Coal travels largely by rail, you may recall.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Joe Biden has for half a century portrayed himself as the nation\u2019s greatest champion of Big Labor \u2013 and Dennis Pearce, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, says that any Congressional intervention would be\u00a0<em>a blow to the unions<\/em>. Fortunately for the Biden Democrats, it is a long time until the next election, plenty of time for any short-term anger to dissipate.<\/p>\n<p>Federal data show that about 70 percent of domestic coal is transported wholly or partly on railroad tracks. Shutting down freight rail would thus cause an abrupt halt to 70 percent of the coal that today fuels power plants, factories, and (ultimately) electric vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>In Joe Manchin\u2019s West Virginia, coal is shipped mostly by rail to the ports of Baltimore and Norfolk-Newport News. Railroads also move about 40 percent of intercity freight \u2013 food products, animal feed, chemicals, automobiles, and other consumer products for which there are not enough trucks or truck drivers to take up the slack. The state\u2019s economy would be crushed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In Wyoming,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/8d01158e-0d0b-4da3-b357-91884a2e2a93\/With%20Rail%20Strike%20Looming,%20Wyoming%20Has%20The%20Coal%20To%20Ship%20But%20Can&#039;t%20Get%20Enough%20Trains%20%7C%20Cowboy%20State%20Daily\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">another state<\/a>\u00a0that did not vote for Biden, coal producers have already been facing shortfalls of trains to ship their low-sulfur coal to eager customers in more populated areas. Coal production in the Mountain State is down from a record 446 million tons in 2008 to under 200 million tons through October 15 of this year \u2013 despite high prices of nearly $17.50 per ton. A rail strike could force the entire state into bankruptcy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/amazon-founder-bezos-has-a-dire-warning-about-the-economy-how-to-prep-for-disaster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon Founder Bezos Has a Dire Warning About the Economy, How to Prep for Disaster<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s the goal. Over a year ago, Biden\u2019s \u201cclimate envoy\u201d John Kerry declared that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/changing-america\/sustainability\/energy\/580901-john-kerry-predicts-america-wont-have-coal-in-less\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his boss\u2019s goal<\/a>\u00a0was to end U.S. coal production within eight years. \u201cBy 2030 in the United States,\u201d said in Gleneagles at COP 26, \u201cwe won\u2019t have coal. We will not have coal plants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And less than a month ago, President\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/8d01158e-0d0b-4da3-b357-91884a2e2a93\/Biden%20says%20coal%20plants%20&#039;all%20across%20America&#039;%20will%20be%20shut%20down,%20replaced%20with%20wind%20and%20solar%20%7C%20Fox%20Business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biden reiterated<\/a>\u00a0that intention, claiming that coal plants are too expensive to operate and boasting that, \u201cNo one is building new coal plants because they can\u2019t rely on it\u2026We\u2019re going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It should be obvious, then, that a rail strike would be the quickest way to destroy any remaining viability of U.S. coal production. If you cannot get your product to market, your income dwindles to zero.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Why wait eight years when you can, simply by allowing rail workers to inconvenience American consumers for a brief enough period (say, through the winter), you can conquer King Coal and put your political enemies into the poor house forever?<\/p>\n<p><em>Syndicated with permission from RealClearWire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Duggan Flanakin is a policy analyst and journalist based in Austin, Texas.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">The opinions expressed by contributors and\/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Political Insider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Duggan Flanakin for RealClearEnergy Remember that rail strike that President\u00a0Biden saved us\u00a0all from just in the nick of time \u2013 right before the November elections?\u00a0\u00a0It was in late September<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1757974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1757971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1757971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1757971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1757971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1757974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1757971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1757971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1757971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}