Competition from cheap natural gas and heavier environmental regulation of mines and power plants have created the poorest U.S. coal market conditions in at least 58 years, he said.

Though the on-the-ground efforts of groups like the Sierra Club have played a major role in tripping up coal companies actively mining or seeking new areas to mine, environmentalists' air game has perhaps been most touted for pinching coal on the demand side.

SNL Energy Research analyzes the top coal basins in select regions amid predictions of further pain for the global coal industry, including mine closures, liquidations and bankruptcies.

Coal market prices continued to trade under pressure in June, with weather retaining shoulder-season qualities in the primary coal using regions.

Due to the long lead time for environmental control projects, many coal-fired generators have moved ahead with compliance plans.

Unsurprisingly, coal mine employment has continued to fall as coal-fired power plants nationwide are shuttered over regulations and lower natural gas prices, but a narrow band of counties stretching through Central Appalachia continue to bear the brunt of coal job losses.

Demand fears continue to restrict the extent of upside moves, whilst supply disruptions at the mine level have more recently provided a floor to prices following the early-year sell-off.

2 new SNL Energy reports rank the highest-paid CEO's in 2014 for power and gas utility and for midstream.

SNL Energy's analysis looked at 1,086 mines in 2013 and 2014, including 54 union mines and 1,032 nonunion mines.

Production costs for a handful of U.S. coal producers declined in 2014, but some Illinois Basin producers actually reported higher costs, according to a cost-of-coal-sales-per-ton analysis by SNL Energy.

Production at the largest active coal mines in the Illinois Basin declined slightly in the fourth quarter of 2014 from the previous quarter, but full-year 2014 production was 4.6% higher than the previous year, reflecting continued strong demand for coal from the region.

Consumer-facing financial technology companies may benefit from lower prices at the pump, while certain business development companies have come under pressure as the energy sector suffers.