Out of the Mines investigates the impact winter has on the coal industry and people that live and work outside of the mines in Appalachia.

The season exacerbates the harsh living conditions in the rural areas from Pennsylvania to Virginia. Coal mining has provided employment to many people in the area. In 1947 Appalachia’s coal mining industry peaked to meet demand for fuel caused by World War II. Coal production has since been replaced by increasing oil use, causing economic hardship in the region.

However, the area itself is a region rich in and dependent on coal. More than half of the nation’s electricity is generated from coal and 99 percent of the generated electricity in West Virginia comes from coal.