As a West Virginian, I have to say that this doesn't surprise me. In the southern part of the state, everything is controlled by the coal companies. And with both the houses of the legislature to be Republican led this coming year, I expect to see more changes in support of coal at the detriment of the state and its people. These companies only care about their bottom line. We are seeing increasing rates of black lung at the hospital that I work at and of course , there was UBB. Some type of compromise would be beneficial within the coal industry, but it is not going to happen. It is cheaper to spend money on getting someone elected to do your bidding, than it is to compromise.
