For the first time in years, Delta County in western Colorado is experiencing population growth, one indicator that rural Americans are increasingly feeling optimistic about their economic future.
Black lung results from exposure to coal dust. Progressive massive fibrosis is an especially aggressive form, blamed on inhalation of silica dust from the cutting of quartz rock and coal together.
Locals in Jennerstown, Pa., are celebrating the grand opening of a coal mine and the estimated 70 jobs it brings. But the broad trends pushing the industry down are likely to continue, experts say.
State-run coal mines are shutting down in China's rust belt. Facing layoffs, miners are worried about their future — and in the absence of labor unions, are organizing to demand better treatment.
The Affordable Care Act made it faster and easier for a coal miner with black lung to get compensation benefits. Many in coal country want that provision retained, even if the larger law is repealed.
Voters in coal country overwhelmingly chose Donald Trump. They liked his promises to create jobs, even if they didn't like his other rhetoric. Now, they're waiting to see if coal can make a comeback.
More than 24 hours after an explosion struck a coal mine in southwestern China, 20 miners are still missing. Hundreds of rescuers are working around the clock to find if the trapped miners are alive.
At least a quarter of people in West Virginia struggle to afford groceries. In one county, two farmers are finding new ways to help their neighbors sell the food they grow and eat more healthfully.
For a long time, coal was king in eastern Kentucky. But the industry today is hemorrhaging jobs. The region is now struggling to rebuild its economy and find new jobs for unemployed miners.
The state's coal industry is shrinking fast; more than 10,000 workers have lost their jobs since 2008. A small firm in eastern Kentucky is turning unemployed coal workers into software developers.
As the coal industry struggles with falling prices, weak Chinese demand, regulatory changes and competition from fracking, St. Louis-based Peabody has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The explosions, which occurred over several days, are being blamed on a buildup of methane gas. When the first one shook the mine in the Komi Republic in northwest Russia, 111 miners were underground.
Coal is king in India. Some say there's little alternative. So how can this country, the world's third-largest polluter, provide energy and lift millions from poverty while trying to become "greener"?
A huge legal battle is coming over the White House plan to address climate change with additional power plant regulations. The coal industry has the most to lose, and plans to take the EPA to court.
Monday's decision from the high court technically only applies to the Clean Air Act's standards on mercury emissions from power plants. But it could affect future EPA regulations, legal experts say.
Six weeks before trial, the government accused Don Blankenship of hiding the true levels of breathable coal dust in a West Virginia mine that later exploded. He already faced conspiracy charges.
