Coal is considered to be the dirtiest energy source. Its negative environmental impact is more so when it is burned to release energy. On burning, it releases pollutants that include mercury, sulfur, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a chief contributor to global warming. Sulfur contributes to the formation of acid rain; mercury causes toxicity of the nervous system; nitrogen leads to the formation of acid rain and smog. Issues related to coal mining include contamination of water, pollution of the air through coal dust and destruction of ecosystem in areas where coal deposits are found. This occurs mostly in surface mining where the covering vegetation is destroyed and the displacement of wildlife and the habitat (Freese, 2003). Another problem coal faces is greed. Companies put workers lives in jeopardy and are mainly concerned with profits. To some theorists, the coal mine operators’ greed for profit overrides any apprehension they may for the miners’ safety (Caudill, 1977). Caudill wrote about this dilemma in 1977 and still today mining accidents occur. In 1969, the most recent U.S. mining legislation passed. The 1969 Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act was , “the first time the federal government to the rein in…fragmented…, and still ideologically laissez-faire coal mining industry” (Caudill, 1977 pp. 493). Despite the government’s attempt to end the laissez-faire reign in coal mining, corporations tend to put profits ahead of the people’s safety. Islam and Clark (2005) conclude that when “pursuing such extreme high (economic) growth objectives without due environmental and social considerations can threaten present social welfare and future sustainability.” The sustainability of coal maybe in a crisis due to coal mines valuing profit over the people and the planet. In a recent U.S. article relating the Massey Energy coal mine accident in West Virginia, reporters have uncovered mining concerns regarding worker’s safety. USA Today states, from 2001 to 2008, the average injury cost a miner 48 days of missed work or restricted duty as he recovered from such trauma as an amputated limb, a broken bone, or a lost eye, according to (MSHA) records. That figure is up 45% from the years 1983 to 2000, when the average injury resulted in 33 days of missed regular duty (Frank, Thomas, 2010 c, pg 1). These serious mining injuries are more common than other occupations. The USA Today notes, “in 2008, the median number of days lost for a job injury was eight, Labor Department figures show” (Frank, Thomas, 2010 c, pg 1). In 2008, the MSHA recorded serious accidents in mines. The unsafe mines resulted in “1,200 instances of fallen overhead supports, 40 explosions from flammable gases or dust, and eight mine fires” (Frank, Thomas, 2010 c, pg. 1). These problems are undervalued by the government and the mining companies. The peoples’ lives who work for the mines are being abruptly affected. The MSHA counted “more than 1,800 miners broke or chipped bones, 176 were crushed under rocks or machinery and 92 lost a body part such as a limb, finger or eye, federal records show” (Frank, Thomas, 2010 c, pg 1). It is needed to be highlighted that these are only the reported unsafe incidents, so it is fair to assume that there were more than what was reported. This crisis is may be brought down to an individual level with a miner’s story. “In May 2008, a 30-year-old worker at a Pennsylvania coal mine was operating a mining machine when a piece of material flew into his safety glasses ‘and embedded in his right eye, ‘one report states. The man returned to work that August” (Frank, Thomas, 2010 c, pg. 1). It is admirable the sacrifices the mine workers make to produce this important energy source. Most people would refuse to return to work when an accident such as this occurs. It is important for the government and companies to protect the employees.