Halfway through the 2018 midterm election cycle, coal sector political action committees are spending to support the president and preserve the GOP's congressional majority and the regulatory rollbacks it has allowed.
Throughout the first year of the Trump presidency, the coal sector has enjoyed the repeal or rollback of Obama administration regulations often cited as detrimental to the industry. However, that progress could be stifled or halted entirely if the president's party loses ground in the coming midterms, making GOP congressional victories increasingly important to the sector.
An S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis of major industry political action committees showed they spent $722,780 through the end of 2017 on the state and federal level and have roughly $1.1 million on hand heading into the election year.

Murray Energy Corp.'s PAC contributed $157,531 in 2017, including a payment to the campaign of Congressional Coal Caucus chair Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., as well as other pro-coal Republicans.
A Murray Energy spokesman told S&P Global Market Intelligence that the PAC supported Republicans because they had been "staunch defenders" of coal and industry jobs. Apart from its PAC spending, Murray Energy Corp. provided a $1 million contribution to the America First Action Inc. super PAC dedicated to electing federal candidates who support the agenda of the Trump administration.
The National Mining Association's coal industry PAC spent $87,127 in 2017 but shifted from a recent focus on state races to congressional contests at the federal level, contributing $7,500 each to the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2017 and spending widely on the campaigns of coal country candidates. In West Virginia, the PAC has given money to both Republican Rep. Evan Jenkins and Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, who could face off in a race for Manchin's seat in November.
NMA, which spent $456,182 during the 2014 midterm election cycle, still has $97,774 on hand.
The Arch Coal Inc. PAC also invested much of the $110,000 it has spent so far in Republican congressional campaigns, while Cloud Peak Energy Resources LLC's Employee PAC largely focused on Republican candidates for federal office in Western states.
Peabody Energy Corp.'s PAC took a more bipartisan approach, contributing to coal country Republican campaigns as well as those of Democratic senators like Manchin, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and North Dakota's Heidi Heitkamp, an advocate of carbon capture and storage technology. The approach reflects the company's support for officials "who believe coal is an essential part of the energy mix for affordable, reliable electricity and who understand that technology is the path for continued reductions in emissions," including "greater use of high-efficiency, low-emissions technologies today along with carbon capture over time," spokeswoman Michelle Constantine said.
Focus on state and local races
A large share of the Murray PAC's contributions went to local and state races in Ohio, where many of the coal producer's Northern Appalachia mines are located. The PAC contributed $43,123 to the Ohio Republican Party and donated $20,000 to a Columbus city attorney race.
The PAC for Pennsylvania-based CONSOL Energy Inc., which will stay with the separated coal spinoff, spent $150,900 in 2017, including $25,000 to Republican state Rep. Mike Turzai's associated fund. Turzai is simultaneously running for re-election to his House seat and for Pennsylvania governor in 2018.
Contura Energy Inc.'s PAC spent $28,350, mostly on Republican state candidates in Virginia. Many of the House of Delegates candidates who received contributions from the Contura PAC were re-elected, though Democratic candidates picked up a number of seats and won the gubernatorial election.
North American Coal Corp.'s PAC mostly contributed to North Dakota candidates on the federal and state levels.
Union contributions
The United Mine Workers of America's PAC was one of the largest spenders in the coal sector in 2017 as it pushed to secure its members' healthcare and pension plans. The union's PAC spent $428,894 and still has $322,670 going into 2018. During the 2014 midterm election cycle, UMWA's PAC spent $802,693.
UMWA spokesperson Phil Smith said the union's spending was on par with previous years, and that its goal is to spend money wisely and judiciously.
"We're not just writing checks to everybody," he said. "We will continue to make political contributions where it makes sense."
The investment, which mirrors some of its lobbying efforts, partly paid off, as federal lawmakers found a permanent solution for retired union miner healthcare in May 2017 with a federal spending bill. Lawmakers also sponsored bipartisan legislation in the fall to protect UMWA miners' pension funds that face insolvency in the next few years.
The union also made contributions to committees and numerous lawmakers from both parties on the federal level.
"We've become much more bipartisan than we used to be, or than most other labor unions are. We're interested in helping our friends and making new friends where we can," Smith said.
