Energy & Environment Archives - Ohio Valley ReSource

Feb 21

Energy & Environment

Black Lung Benefits Drop For Kentucky Coal Miners After Controversial Law Change

Lynn Estel Stanley was the kind of coal mine foreman who wanted to know if there was a safety problem, and would always be the one to go fix it himself. He was also the kind of miner who refused to slow down, even when his men told him he was overexerting himself. But when […]

By Sydney Boles

Feb 21

Energy & Environment

Black Lung Benefits Drop For Kentucky Coal Miners After Controversial Law Change

By Sydney Boles

Feb 14

Energy & Environment

Just Transition: Amid Climate Debate And Coal’s Decline, West Virginia Considers Its Future

On a recent soggy Wednesday evening, dozens of West Virginians packed a conference room inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center to discuss the need for a “just transition” for coal-impacted communities. As the nation grapples with climate change, the need for a fair transition for workers and communities that depend upon coal jobs and […]

By Brittany Patterson

Feb 14

Energy & Environment

Just Transition: Amid Climate Debate And Coal’s Decline, West Virginia Considers Its Future

Brittany Patterson

Feb 7

Energy & Environment

States of Emergencies Declared Amid Eastern Kentucky Floods

Heavy rains caused extensive flooding across eastern Kentucky this week, and city and county officials say it could take weeks to fix some of the damage. Some residents were evacuated from their homes, and officials across the region declared states of emergency, including mayors in Whitesburg and Jenkins, and county judges in Letcher, Harlan and […]

By Sydney Boles

Feb 7

Energy & Environment

States of Emergencies Declared Amid Eastern Kentucky Floods

Sydney Boles

Jan 27

Energy & Environment

New Protections Proposed For Imperiled Crayfish Species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is proposing new protections for two threatened species of crayfish found in the Appalachian coalfields. Under the new proposed rule, set to be published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the agency will designate 445 miles of streams in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia as “critical habitat” for the Guyandotte […]

By Brittany Patterson

Jan 27

Energy & Environment

New Protections Proposed For Imperiled Crayfish Species

Brittany Patterson

Jan 27

Energy & Environment

Caught Off Guard: The American Southeast Struggles With Climate Change

Reporters from Southeastern newsrooms hold leaders in their communities accountable for reducing carbon emissions and preparing for climate change-related emergencies. Like hundreds of other cities, Louisville, Kentucky, is searching for a path to address climate change. Mayor Greg Fischer has declared a climate emergency, proposed a climate action plan and set a goal of reducing […]

By James Bruggers, InsideClimate News

Jan 27

Energy & Environment

Caught Off Guard: The American Southeast Struggles With Climate Change

James Bruggers, InsideClimate News

Jan 27

Energy & Environment

After Deadly Floods, West Virginia Created A Resiliency Office. It’s Barely Functioning.

The rain came hard and fast early on the morning of June 23, 2016. By 2 p.m., water was knee deep in Bill Bell’s appliance store on Main Street in Rainelle, a small town on the western edge of Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Bell began elevating the washing machines and dishwashers, thinking that would be […]

By Brittany Patterson

Jan 27

Energy & Environment

After Deadly Floods, West Virginia Created A Resiliency Office. It’s Barely Functioning.

Brittany Patterson

Jan 22

Energy & Environment

Bankrupt Blackjewel Coal Still Racking Up Environmental Violations, Officials Warn

An attorney for the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet told a federal judge Wednesday that the bankrupt coal company Blackjewel has accrued nearly 300 environmental violations since it entered bankruptcy in July. “It’s essential that these violations are addressed, abated, and that they stop accruing,” Cabinet attorney Lena Seward told bankruptcy judge Frank Volk in […]

By Sydney Boles

Jan 22

Energy & Environment

Bankrupt Blackjewel Coal Still Racking Up Environmental Violations, Officials Warn

Sydney Boles

Jan 22

Energy & Environment

New Testing Reveals ‘Forever Chemicals’ In More Water Systems Across OH, PA, U.S.

New testing by the Environmental Working Group has identified the presence of toxic fluorinated chemicals, broadly known as PFAS, in the tap water of dozens of cities across the U.S. where contamination was not previously known. EWG, an advocacy organization that tracks environmental pollutants in consumer products, sampled water in 44 places between May and […]

By Brittany Patterson

Jan 22

Energy & Environment

New Testing Reveals ‘Forever Chemicals’ In More Water Systems Across OH, PA, U.S.

Brittany Patterson

Jan 14

Energy & Environment

More Unpaid Appalachian Miners Stage A Coal Train Blockade

For the second time since summer, eastern Kentucky coal miners are blockading a railroad track to protest unpaid wages. The new blockade, which was started Monday afternoon by Quest Energy miners, echoes the months-long blockade by Blackjewel coal miners over the summer and speaks to a growing discontent in Appalachian coal country. “It’s hard to go […]

By Sydney Boles

Jan 14

Energy & Environment

More Unpaid Appalachian Miners Stage A Coal Train Blockade

Sydney Boles

Jan 7

Energy & Environment

Study Finds Coal Closures Saved Thousands Of Lives

A new study finds the closure of coal-fired power plants and transition to natural gas generation across the United States over a decade saved an estimated 26,610 lives due to a reduction in air pollution, with about a fifth of those avoided deaths in the Ohio Valley. The coal-rich Ohio Valley states received out-sized health […]

By Brittany Patterson

Jan 7

Energy & Environment

Study Finds Coal Closures Saved Thousands Of Lives

Brittany Patterson