Coal no longer No. 1 for producing electricity

King Coal has been replaced by King Gas.

For the first time in history, natural gas passed coal as the top source of U.S. electric power generation. Dropping natural gas prices and ever-tougher regulations by environmentalists caused the switch.

About 31 percent of electric power generation in April came from natural gas, and 30 percent from coal. In April, electricity generated with natural gas climbed 21 percent over April 2014 while the amount generated with coal fell 19 percent.

This is not good news for West Virginia, where more than half of the adults are not employed and the official unemployment rate is 7.2%, the highest of any state.