Most people don't know this, but south east Oklahoma has some of the best coal in the world. That is not a rash statement; it is a fact.

The area was, for about 85 years, a solid producer of high grade coal. In some instances it could be plowed up since it was so close to the ground.

Shortly after oil was discovered in the region all the coal mines shut down. Today the area is a large producer of natural gas and despite there still being enormous amounts of coal in the area there are no working mines.

There were no regulations in place during that era, and coal miners were routinely killed off through accidents, but that's not what shut down the mines.

It was economics. Coal could just not compete with gas and oil.

I don't expect this to change anytime soon.