The Northwest has long been a major source of exports. Timber and paper once dominated the Northwest market; these days, it's all about coal. Demand for coal has dropped in the United States, but the clamor for coal in Asia's growing markets has American companies lobbying for controversial coal terminals along the train tracks in Washington and Oregon to transport coal mined in Montana. Explaining this coal controversy is Ashley Ahearn, an environmental reporter for KUOW in Seattle, and a contributor to their "Coal in the Northwest" series.

The battle over environmental regulations has reached a fever pitch in Kentucky. The EPA is proposing a package of major policy rules aimed at curbing emissions from coal-fired plants, drawing widespread opposition from business interests. Backers of the Kentucky's coal mining industry are fighting the EPA over regulations, with some going so far as saying Kentucky should be a "sanctuary," protected from all EPA regulations.

Investigations into last year’s coal mine disaster in West Virginia that killed 29 people have found the mine owner squarely responsible. The former federal mine safety chief Davitt McAteer led the investigation into the worst American mining disaster in 40 years. Jessica Lilly, reporter for West Virginia Public Radio shares the on the community's reaction.

Monday night's explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia, left 25 confirmed dead and four more miners missing underground. Rescue operations were stalled yesterday because conditions were deemed too dangerous. The mine is owned by Massey Energy Company, which was immediately criticized for allowing egregious and numerous safety violations. Massey's CEO, Don Blankenship, responded in an interview with the Metronews radio network in West Virginia, saying, “violations are unfortunately a normal part of the mining process. There are violations at every coal mine in America.”

As Congress begins to debate climate change legislation, a fight between environmentalists and industry over a particular type of coal mining is ratcheting up in West Virginia. The Obama administration threatened to revoke a permit to one of Appalachia's largest mountaintop removal mines earlier this month, and all sides are bracing for pivotal policy decisions after decades of controversy. We speak to Erica Peterson, reporter at West Virginia Public Radio, along with Roger Horton, founder of the advocacy group "Citizens for Coal." Horton works at a mountaintop mine as a truck driver.