Facing a declining economy: Coal in Southwest Virginia

Coal, once the backbone of Southest Virginia's economy, has been declining for the past decade or more. Each year, more and more companies close mines, lay off workers, ship more coal overseas.

As the reporter in Southwest Virginia, I cover the industry. I attend the annual coal conference -- essentially a summit for folks in the industry. I talk to miners who have lost their jobs, and are looking for new ones -- or not. I talk to the companies about why this is happening, and try to make sense of it all.

This is a story I wrote in this summer, after a serious round of layoffs that winter and spring.