In West Virginia, coal has been outperformed by natural gas production lately, according to The Herald Star.

Described as a mature industry, coal was heavily mined 40 to 50 years ago. Now, coal seams are harder to reach, and coal isn’t considered as environmentally acceptable as natural gas.

West Virginia is projected to produce 100 million tons of coal a year and nearly 500 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year by 2020.

From The Herald Star:

“Although coal production is down throughout West Virginia, research by Deskins and his team shows the decline is steeper in the southern portion of the state. Southern West Virginia miners produced about 125 million tons of coal in 2002, but are projected to only yield about 70 million tons this year.”

Via: The Herald Star > Gas taking coal’s place in W.Va. economy