Most operations are a combination of area, contour, mining points, etc., which complicate this issue in Kentucky. October 21, 1998. The need for economic diversity in the coal fields. The future of Eastern Kentucky has to be tied to economic diversity. Ideally, jobs that pay factory wages are the goal.
Higher wages insure that every household can sustain a decent standard of living.
Tourism has been touted by many as a viable alternative. The second major drawback is adequate roads into the region, connecting the region to major interstates, and thus markets for its products. For an individual to create level land in mountainous terrain, this task is difficult and financially nearly impossible. That's why for many years we've argued for the responsible use of mountaintop mining to create level land. Once reclaimed, it's hard to tell that mining had ever occurred there, unless someone locally told you.