April 3, 2026 - Nowhere close to the fighting in Iran, West Virginia's coal industry still is feeling the impact of the international situation.

Even before the war started, coal was negatively hit by the president's trade war tariff policy.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz looks like it will cause a surge in thermal coal demand and prices.

Asian utilities are moving to shift to coal amid soaring liquified natural gas and oil prices. The increased diesel prices are impacting production and transportation costs for coal.

Recent events have been a double-edged sword for the coal industry, but a lot of the world's liquefied natural gas supply travel through the Strait of Hormuz, which is closed.

"You know it's anybody's guess, but right now there is a question over whether or not it will be sustained, but we are seeing some immediate spiking levels for thermal coals that are being exported," West Virginia Coal Association president Chris Hamilton said.

While the Trump administration has been highly supportive of more domestic coal use, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said President Donald Trump has been reluctant to grant tariff exemptions linked to the coal trade concerned it will undercut his broader efforts.

“He doesn't want to make an exception, but I think it's having a big impact on our coal industry and on our international, our international ability to sell coal," Capito said.

The current administration has been decidedly pro-coal, but it doesn't mean its actions and policies can't do damage. The industry cheered Trump dropping environmental issues that it called a "War on Coal" but still has its struggles.

"It's a real bitter sweet situation that we have going on here within the coal industry,” Hamilton added. “On one hand we have a federal government, trying to do everything imaginable to help us. On the other hand, we've been hit with some headwinds and challenges we're just going to work through."

A loss of approximately 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas that flows through the Strait of Hormuz is moving power generators in Asia and Europe to switch back to thermal coal.