patrick morrissey. he had a spirited primary contest against former coal company executive don blankenship. he will trot out the new regulations there. the question is, is the horse already out of the barnners already left the mine? coal mine something a dirty job. coal miners love it. why? not because it is tough and dirty and they can get black lung, but because it pays so well. with natural gas a lower cost alternative, may be tough to bring coal all the way back. as the president said, food to have all the options open. cheryl: jeff, good to bring that up. natural gas is cheaper. coal mining is a dangerous job and they know that. reporter: it is not like these guys love going down in the mines and never seeing the sun during the day and potentially exposing themselves to black lung, going through all of that. no, because the job pays well. it's a good-paying job. that is a noble thought. the problem now, free market is dictating that the fracking boom has made natural gas so much less expensive, it is tough to compete. >> jeff flock, great story. great perspective for you coming from the heartland even better. reporter: thank you, cheryl. cheryl: we have a lot more coming up next. p