Rapid City Journal: Coal production is expected to decline this year after more than a decade of steady, record-setting increases, but an industry official remains bullish on the energy source. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that U.S. coal consumption for electricity generation will drop 4.6 percent this year. The reasons include falling demand and utilities switching to natural gas, nuclear power and renewable energy. The result could be a 7 percent drop in U.S. coal …