Coal executive: The majority of individuals within the mountain country of Montania have historically been coal miners. However, many coal mines have closed and the number of coal mining jobs available has decreased by nearly 90%. The best way to get these jobs back is to ensure that demand is at the same level it was before we lost these jobs. Our country must offer subsidies that will allow producers to decrease the price of coal and increase the demand for coal and therefore the need for coal mining jobs in order to recover these lost jobs. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the coal executive’s argument?
A. Coal is already less expensive per unit than is natural gas within the country of Montania.
B. Many of Montania’s trading partners use a combination of solar and wind power.
C. Montania has invested heavily in retraining programs for former coal miners, many of whom have transitioned to other industries.
D. Improvements in technology have increased the amount of coal that can be produced per worker by 1000%.
E. No new coal deposits have been discovered within Montania for the last fifteen years.