Many existing coal plants are now running below capacity, several are idle, and new energy efficiency standards could slow down demand to the point where there may be a glut of costly coal-fired plants.
The resulting glut in aggregate capacity could, in turn, ensure that international prices remain depressed even as protected metals firms grow rustier and greedier.
So the output of YouTube updates was relentless: Every hour, a glut of new videos provided the latest on whether relief was coming and how many dollars of it were likely to arrive.