The coal industry has regularly taken out ads and promoted heavily its importance to West Virginia's economy.

But representatives of two agencies with environmental concerns say that isn't as true as it used to be.

Just Wednesday, the owner of an Ohio coal mine said federal enviromental regulations...both current and proposed...are endangering the mine industry and local economies.

"The current status of the Cap and Trade Bill would eliminate the coal industry as we know it," said Mike Jamison, General Manager of Rosebud Mining.

But representatives of two agencies who spoke Thursday to the Wood County Commission, cite a recent report as saying that, even if cap and trade passes, West Virginia's coal industry is expected to continue to decline.

"They're saying that it's going to decline, whether Mountaintop Removal ends or you do Cap and Trade," said Ted Boettner, Executive Director of the Office of West Virginia Budget Policy. "It's already declining."

So much so, Boettner says, that the state isn't as driven by the coal industry as it once was.

"It was 20% in 1975; it was extremely dependent on one industry," Boettner says. "But over the years, we have gotten more diverse in terms of industries we do have. So now, a little over 6% of the economy is the coal industry."

Coal...and its economic impact...are often part of the debate over Mountaintop Removal...and efforts to restore land lost to mining. But a regional environmentalist says those restoration efforts have had little effect.

"Less than 5% of reclaimed Mountaintop Removal sites have ever been used for anything," says Carol Warren, Project Coordinator for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. "Some people say closer to 1%."

Commissioner Wayne Dunn hopes coal industry supporters can soon come to town...to present their side of the issue.

Those who addressed the commission believe natural gas...regarded as cleaner-burning...will be used more by energy producers in the future.