[hguant]

>If you started from scratch, there isn't really any easily accessible coal left.

I don't think this is strictly speaking true - certainly not for the US. I believe the majority of US coal production (according to wikipedia at any rate) is surface level mining, not the traditional underground mines people think about. I know that's true for parts of the Appalachian basin, I'm unclear as to whether that's true for the Wyoming mines.

Europe might be in trouble, I believe the only coal readily available on the continent is "brown" coal (lignite) which is suitable for power production, but has too many impurities to be used for steel production.

[zbrozek]

I trip over coal in folks' backyards in Kentucky. You don't need more than hand tools to get at it.

[Tade0]

There's still a significant amount of hard coal in Germany and Poland - Russian/Australian resources are (or were in the case of Russia) simply cheaper.

In any case charcoal can be used as a substitute.

[AnimalMuppet]

Wyoming coal is very much surface coal (at least in the Powder River Basin). The problem is that it's in the wrong place. It's not near iron deposits... well, there was a large iron mining operation near South Pass, but it ended decades ago. I don't know if it ended because it was played out, or just no longer economical.

[flembat]

Trade moves goods where needed. Cornish tin was used by people that had no idea Cornwall existed. It is even possible that ancient Egypt had access to cocaine and tobacco.

[ethbr0]

They do open-cut mining in Wyoming, from what I saw.