State and federal regulators are pressing U.S. coal companies to prove that they can pay for the cost of cleaning up after they are finished mining, putting new financial pressure on an industry already facing historic strains. Regulators even in energy-friendly states such as Wyoming and West Virginia are stepping up oversight on coal companies amid concerns that taxpayers could be left on the hook for expensive and environmentally complicated cleanups if the companies go bankrupt. That has created a political challenge for governors of coal states, who don’t want to be viewed as pushing vital industries into further financial trouble. “It is tough times in the coal fields right now,” said Harold Ward, acting director of the mining and reclamation division at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. “You hope for them to be successful, but you anticipate the worst.” Coal producers have been rocked by competition […]