Re: You don't own the air above your ground
"Coal" was a reality TV show made by Original Productions. You may have heard of its other works: Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, Black Gold (aka Oil Riggers), and Ax Men, all recording real-life events as they occurred (IOW, practically all the drama you saw was real, not made up). The ownership rights I mentioned are in accordance with federal and state laws. Now, some mines are located on government land, meaning these belong to the State. Stakes can be claimed by such laws as the General Mining Act of 1872, but that's separate from claims staked on private land, These are covered under mineral rights (except for stuff like sand, limestone, and water, which belong to the surface), and under the law, belong to the surface landowner unless previously agreed to, which would then be noted in the property's deed. That's why easements and leases are allowed and are done through the landowner, not through the government. The government gets involves due to the environmental issues that are an unfortunate part of mining, and they were forced to step in (by enraged public) after such disasters as Buffalo Creek. Remember, mining states tend to be rural, and rural areas tend to be a more-independent sort and would prefer only a light touch by government...until stuff like that comes along.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
