William Koch, also known as the other Koch brother, has ditched the business that helped make him his fortune.

"The coal business in the United States has kind of died," the CEO of energy conglomerate Oxbow Carbon LLC told Energy and Environment News, "so we're out of the coal business now."

Advertisement:

Koch uses his billions to protest environmental regulations that affect his fossil fuel-driven business and to fight alternative energy. He blames the rise of natural gas and healthy and safety regulations for the fall of coal: While he admitted to Energy and Environment News that he's glad there are regulations in place because "I don't believe in killing people in your coal mine," he contends that they're driving up costs "tremendously."

Writing for Grist, Greenpeace media officer John Smyth notes that ditching the industry is becoming something of a pattern with top coal executives, and comments that, when it comes to this particular fossil fuel, the EPA just might be winning: