Forget where I found this link, but there's this long diary post on Daily Kos by a lifelong (and third-generation) coalman from Kentucky that is a pretty great read - "This Diary Could Cost Me My Job." The author discusses his history with coal, the impressive environmental strides made by the coal industry over the last thirty years, and the role that environmental regulations like the Clean Air Act have played in that progress. In addition to the generous personal/historical details and useful information, it's kind of a fascinating read just to watch him wrestle with his conflicted feelings about working in the coal industry and posting on dKos:
I don't know whether I want this to be widely read, or to sink into the tar. I know it's a bad idea to write this.
Not only am I risking my job to address this issue so directly, I'm also risking any credibility I have here at dailyKos. Many of you are going to hate parts of this just as much as my employers hate the rest.
I'm not even sure what I hope to get out of it. A bit of catharsis, maybe. Or the chance to do something about a problem that I've had a very real hand in creating. I guess I'm hoping for both those things.
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to talk to you about coal.
He's worth a listen.