Energy & Environment Archives - Ohio Valley ReSource

Apr 22

Energy & Environment

For Earth Day Nature Conservancy Preserves 100,000 Acres Of Appalachian Forest And Streams

A conservation group chose Earth Day, April 22, to announce the purchase of a massive property in Appalachian forest to protect habitat and help wildlife adapt to the challenges of climate change. The property covers 100,000 acres of forest straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The Nature Conservancy, the nonprofit that made the purchase, said it plans […]

By Sydney Boles

Apr 22

Energy & Environment

For Earth Day Nature Conservancy Preserves 100,000 Acres Of Appalachian Forest And Streams

By Sydney Boles

Apr 9

Energy & Environment

Coal Community Residents Again Ask Congress For Health Study Of Mountaintop Removal

Residents of Appalachian coal communities told a Congressional subcommittee Tuesday that the controversial mining practice known as mountaintop removal should be halted until its health effects are better studied. Late in the Obama administration the National Academy of Sciences launched a study into the health effects for communities near mountaintop removal coal mines. Donna Branham […]

By Jeff Young

Apr 9

Energy & Environment

Coal Community Residents Again Ask Congress For Health Study Of Mountaintop Removal

Jeff Young

Apr 5

Energy & Environment

Mine Safety Debt For WV Gov. Justice’s Family Companies Grows to $4M

An Ohio Valley ReSource analysis of federal mine safety data shows that the companies belonging to the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice owe $4.3 million in delinquent debt for mine safety violations. That is far more than the companies owed when Justice ran for governor in 2016, when he pledged to make good […]

By Alexandra Kanik and Brittany Patterson

Apr 5

Energy & Environment

Mine Safety Debt For WV Gov. Justice’s Family Companies Grows to $4M

Alexandra Kanik and Brittany Patterson

Apr 1

Energy & Environment

As Some Midwest Farmers Struggle With Historic Flooding, Ohio Valley Ethanol Producers See Profit Boost

Mick Henderson runs the Commonwealth Agri-Energy ethanol plant in west Kentucky. He said the past year for U.S. ethanol producers, including in the Ohio Valley, has been rough. “We’ve just passed our 15th anniversary just now, and this is going to be one of our weakest years,” Henderson said. Ethanol prices have been down the […]

By Liam Niemeyer

Apr 1

Energy & Environment

As Some Midwest Farmers Struggle With Historic Flooding, Ohio Valley Ethanol Producers See Profit Boost

Liam Niemeyer

Mar 29

Energy & Environment

Rare Conservation Win In Congress Helps Ohio Valley Parks And Monuments

The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge’s namesake is apparent upon stepping outside its visitors center in Williamstown, West Virginia. Gazing past bird feeders and the forested bank of the Ohio River, a skinny island looms large. “So Buckley Island is right across the water from us,” says Michael Schramm, visitor services manager at the […]

By Brittany Patterson

Mar 29

Energy & Environment

Rare Conservation Win In Congress Helps Ohio Valley Parks And Monuments

Brittany Patterson

Mar 27

Energy & Environment

House Subcommittee To Consider Coal Mine Reclamation Bill

A congressional subcommittee will hear testimony Thursday in support of a bill that would help clean up and redevelop surface mine land. The bill enjoys bipartisan support, but still faces hurdles. A 2015 report found that as many as 6.2 million acres of land and water were harmed by mining operations that ended prior to […]

By Sydney Boles

Mar 27

Energy & Environment

House Subcommittee To Consider Coal Mine Reclamation Bill

Sydney Boles

Mar 13

Energy & Environment

Toyota Driving Demand For Solar Power In Ohio Valley

Automaker Toyota is planning to announce a major investment in solar and other renewable energy in Appalachia and the Southeastern U.S. The plan includes a massive new solar facility on an old surface coal mine property in Kentucky. Sources close to the deal tell the Ohio Valley Resource that the Kentucky site is part of […]

By Sydney Boles

Mar 13

Energy & Environment

Toyota Driving Demand For Solar Power In Ohio Valley

Sydney Boles

Mar 4

Energy & Environment

Study Finds Coal Ash Contamination Widespread In Ohio Valley

More than 90 percent of the nation’s regulated coal ash repositories are leaking unsafe levels of toxic chemicals into nearby groundwater, including ash sites at more than 30 coal-fired power plants in the Ohio Valley. A new analysis released Monday by the Environmental Integrity Project and other advocacy groups looked at federally-mandated groundwater data from […]

By Brittany Patterson

Mar 4

Energy & Environment

Study Finds Coal Ash Contamination Widespread In Ohio Valley

Brittany Patterson

Mar 1

Energy & Environment

Defendant Wants To Change Plea In Kentucky Coal Dust Fraud Case

One of the Kentucky mine workers charged in a coal dust fraud case last year wants to change his “not guilty” plea to “guilty,” a possible indication that the defendant will cooperate with prosecutors in the case. Court documents show defendant Ron Ivy, a former employee of Armstrong Coal, is scheduled to change his plea […]

By Becca Schimmel

Mar 1

Energy & Environment

Defendant Wants To Change Plea In Kentucky Coal Dust Fraud Case

Becca Schimmel

Feb 27

Energy & Environment

Federal Prosecutor Adds Charges In Kentucky Coal Dust Fraud Case

A federal prosecutor announced new charges against a senior coal company official for conspiring to falsify the required monitoring of coal dust. The case comes amid a surge in cases of black lung disease and widespread allegations from miners that cheating on dust monitors is common in the mining industry. Western Kentucky District U.S. Attorney […]

By Becca Schimmel

Feb 27

Energy & Environment

Federal Prosecutor Adds Charges In Kentucky Coal Dust Fraud Case

Becca Schimmel