Reading Comprehension Questions:

1. Why has the coal industry been in the news recently?

2. Compare the safety of mining in the U.S. now to mining in the U.S. 100 years ago.

3. How has the government responded to the most recent mining accident deaths?

4. Who were the earliest users of coal? When did coal get very popular?

5. Describe the state of coal mining in the United States? How much coal does the U.S. have and how has mining changed in the past 20 years?

6. What is U.S. coal used for?

7. Describe the two ways that coal can be extracted from the earth?

8. What impact does the growth in coal mining have for coal miners?

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Compare and contrast the state of coal mining in the United States to mining in China. What do you think accounts for the differences? See the following NewsHour Extra story for more information.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec05/toxic_12-07.html

2. Research the most unsafe jobs in this country. Where does coal mining fall on the list? Should people be allowed to work unsafe jobs? If so, how should they be compensated?

3. What are energy alternatives to coal? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

4. Is media coverage of the coal mining disasters helpful in raising awareness of dangerous mining conditions? Or is the media exploiting the accidents for higher ratings?

Write a 300-500 word essay on either of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra (extra@newshour.org). Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.