Sep 6 Energy & Environment Toxic “Teflon” Chemicals On EPA Regulatory Agenda Environmental Protection Agency officials told a Congressional panel Thursday that the agency will announce by the end of the year whether it will take the next step to regulate a group of toxic fluorinated chemicals found in some water systems in the Ohio Valley. The PFAS group of chemicals, which include PFOA or C-8, were […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 6 Energy & Environment Toxic “Teflon” Chemicals On EPA Regulatory Agenda Brittany Patterson
Aug 24 Energy & Environment Trump Power: Industry Analysts Say New Rule Will Not Fuel Coal Comeback When President Trump wants to talk coal, he comes to West Virginia. So it was not surprising that the president visited Charleston just hours after his administration unveiled a long-awaited overhaul of the Obama administration’s signature climate change regulation, the Clean Power Plan. “We’re cancelling Obama’s illegal, anti-coal-destroying regulations. The so-called Clean Power Plan,” Trump […] By Brittany Patterson Aug 24 Energy & Environment Trump Power: Industry Analysts Say New Rule Will Not Fuel Coal Comeback Brittany Patterson
Aug 22 Economy In Ohio Valley Visits, Trump Administration Pushes Policies Supporting Mining And Metals In back-to-back events this week President Trump and his commerce secretary visited the Ohio Valley to tout administration policies aimed at propping up two of the region’s traditional but faltering industries — metals and mining. The president used a Tuesday rally filled with West Virginia coal miners to unveil a new plan to ease pollution […] By Jeff Young , Becca Schimmel and Brittany Patterson Aug 22 Economy In Ohio Valley Visits, Trump Administration Pushes Policies Supporting Mining And Metals Jeff Young, Becca Schimmel and Brittany Patterson
Jul 25 Energy & Environment Study Shows Area The Size of Delaware Affected By Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining An area roughly the size of Delaware has been mined for coal in Appalachia using mountaintop removal, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE. Researchers from Duke University and nonprofit organizations SkyTruth and Appalachian Voices developed an open-source mapping tool drawing on satellite imagery. The new data show the amount of […] By Brittany Patterson Jul 25 Energy & Environment Study Shows Area The Size of Delaware Affected By Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Brittany Patterson
Jul 3 Economy Trade Troubles: Escalating Trade Threats Could Hit Ohio Valley Coal, Natural Gas President Donald Trump’s desire to help boost the Ohio Valley’s energy industry and bring back mining jobs could be stymied by the administration’s escalating trade battle with China and other trading partners across the globe. The Trump administration announced in June $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, which are set to go into effect […] By Brittany Patterson Jul 3 Economy Trade Troubles: Escalating Trade Threats Could Hit Ohio Valley Coal, Natural Gas Brittany Patterson
Jun 20 Energy & Environment Previously Blocked Federal Study Raises Alarm About Chemicals Like C8 The Trump administration today released a politically charged study on the health impacts of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS chemicals, including the compound known as C8, which has been detected in some water systems in the Ohio Valley. The draft report, released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), finds these fluorinated chemicals, […] By Brittany Patterson Jun 20 Energy & Environment Previously Blocked Federal Study Raises Alarm About Chemicals Like C8 Brittany Patterson
Jun 19 Energy & Environment Coal Ash Uncovered: Largest Ash Dump A “Cautionary Tale” As Trump Changes Regulations Curt and Debbie Havens’ ranch style home is the gathering place for their family. Their two boys grew up playing in the streets in this quiet neighborhood in West Virginia’s northern panhandle. Now, their grandchildren do the same. “They played ball, all kinds of games,” Debbie recalled during a recent interview. Family photos and knick-knacks […] By Brittany Patterson Jun 19 Energy & Environment Coal Ash Uncovered: Largest Ash Dump A “Cautionary Tale” As Trump Changes Regulations Brittany Patterson
Jun 18 Energy & Environment Coal Ash Uncovered: New Data Reveal Widespread Contamination At Ohio Valley Sites For generations, coal power has fueled American prosperity. But for each shovelful thrown into the furnaces, a pile of ash was left in its place. Today, as coal’s dominance in the power sector wanes, those piles of ash have grown into mountains as coal ash became one of the largest waste streams in the country, […] By Brittany Patterson and Ryan VanVelzer Jun 18 Energy & Environment Coal Ash Uncovered: New Data Reveal Widespread Contamination At Ohio Valley Sites Brittany Patterson and Ryan VanVelzer
Jun 6 Energy & Environment What Trump’s “Unprecedented” Power Plant Bailout Could Mean For The Ohio Valley President Donald Trump last week told the Department of Energy to “prepare immediate steps” to stop the closures of coal and nuclear power plants in the Ohio Valley region that are no longer economical to operate. But a number of energy analysts say the administration’s unprecedented effort to prop up struggling utilities will do little […] By Brittany Patterson Jun 6 Energy & Environment What Trump’s “Unprecedented” Power Plant Bailout Could Mean For The Ohio Valley Brittany Patterson
May 25 Energy & Environment Clipped Wings: Trump Weakens Law That Protected Birds For A Century On a recent chilly Tuesday morning, about 20 people filed along a winding dirt path leading deeper into West Virginia University’s Arboretum in Morgantown. Armed with binoculars, smartphones and hiking boots, the group had one goal — spot and identify the chittering birds hidden in the trees above. LeJay Graffious with the Mountaineer Audubon chapter […] By Brittany Patterson May 25 Energy & Environment Clipped Wings: Trump Weakens Law That Protected Birds For A Century Brittany Patterson