Rule spent 38 years working in West Virginia coal mines before retiring in 2015. His final stint was a ten-month stretch with Wildcat Energy, LLC, which owned the Eagle #3 mine in Bolt, West Virginia. Before that, Rule had worked at the Eagle #1 and #3 mines for Rhino Energy, a subcontractor for Wildcat, from mid-2012 through the end of 2014. When Rhino’s subcontract ended, Rule moved onto Wildcat’s payroll and continued working at the Eagle #3 mine.Â
