China may soon be buying a lot more coal from the United States as part of a larger plan to narrow its trade deficit with Washington, according to reporting by Bloomberg . The coal would largely be sourced from West Virginia in what would be a major boon for the state’s ailing economy. Last month China pledged to increase spending on U.S. energy and agricultural exports to begin reducing its merchandise trade deficit of $375 billion, in the interest of de-escalating the warning signs of a trade war of massive proportions. If coal makes up a significant portion of these purchases, it will be a big, unanticipated turnaround for West Virginia. The state was a major supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2016 election thanks to lofty campaign trail promises to revive the dying domestic coal industry, particularly in Appalachia. However, it had looked like those promises […]