Sep 27 Energy & Environment Ohio To Test For Toxic PFAS Chemicals In Drinking Water Ohio will begin testing some public and private water systems for the presence of toxic nonstick, fluorinated chemicals, broadly called PFAS. In a press release issued Friday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state’s environmental and public health agencies will analyze drinking water systems located near places with known contamination. That includes near firefighting training […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 27 Energy & Environment Ohio To Test For Toxic PFAS Chemicals In Drinking Water Brittany Patterson
Sep 27 Energy & Environment Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation Standing on the breezy outlook at Flag Rock Recreation Area, Norton City Manager Fred Ramey is taking in the panoramic view of downtown Norton, Virginia. The brick building-lined streets are framed by the verdant, rolling Appalachian mountains. Jagged, brown scars from mountaintop mining operations can be seen in the distance, reminders of the region’s history […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 27 Energy & Environment Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation Brittany Patterson
Sep 26 Energy & Environment Former Blackjewel Miners End Railroad Blockade In Kentucky The nearly two-month blockade of a Kentucky railroad track is coming to an end as unpaid coal miners end their protest in order to take new jobs, start classes, or move away from their coal-dependent communities. When coal company Blackjewel abruptly declared bankruptcy in July, it left some 1100 Appalachian coal miners in Kentucky, Virginia, […] By Sydney Boles Sep 26 Energy & Environment Former Blackjewel Miners End Railroad Blockade In Kentucky Sydney Boles
Sep 23 Energy & Environment Settlement Reached Over Proposed Ohio Cracker Plant Air Permit Environmental groups have reached a settlement agreement with a petrochemical company in Ohio to beef up air pollution controls at a proposed petrochemical plant along the Ohio River. Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical America and South Korea-based Daelim Industrial Co. have proposed building a multi-billion dollar ethylene cracker plant on a 500-acre tract of land in […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 23 Energy & Environment Settlement Reached Over Proposed Ohio Cracker Plant Air Permit Brittany Patterson
Sep 18 Energy & Environment Paychecks Cut For W.Va. Blackjewel Miners; KY And VA Miners Still Waiting West Virginia employees of coal operator Blackjewel LLC have received their final paychecks more than two months after the company declared bankruptcy on July 1. In an agreement reached last week between the Department of Labor and the company, Blackjewel cut paper checks for all owed wages to a few dozen employees working at the […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 18 Energy & Environment Paychecks Cut For W.Va. Blackjewel Miners; KY And VA Miners Still Waiting Brittany Patterson
Sep 11 Energy & Environment Congress Hears Testimony From Chemical Company Executives On PFAS Contamination Executives from three major chemical companies — DuPont de Nemours, Inc., The Chemours Company and The 3M Company — testified for the first time to Congress about widespread contamination from the group of nonstick, fluorinated chemicals broadly called PFAS. The so-called “forever chemicals” persist in the environment, are linked to ill health effects, and have […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 11 Energy & Environment Congress Hears Testimony From Chemical Company Executives On PFAS Contamination Brittany Patterson
Sep 4 Energy & Environment While “Zombie” Mines Idle, Cleanup And Workers Remain In Limbo The sound of metal banging against metal broke the calm on the high mesa separating Colorado’s Paradox and Big Gypsum valleys. An old rusted headframe marked the entrance to an abandoned uranium mine that, from a distance, looked as if its workers were simply off on a lunch break. Jennifer Thurston, a local environmentalist, paused […] By Mark Olalde and Joe Yerardi Sep 4 Energy & Environment While “Zombie” Mines Idle, Cleanup And Workers Remain In Limbo Mark Olalde and Joe Yerardi
Sep 4 Energy & Environment Idle Lands: Justice Coal Group Top User Of Loophole Allowing Mine Lands To Sit Idle Standing at an overlook on the top of Black Mountain — the tallest point in Kentucky — the wooded Appalachian mountains stretch on like a sea of green for miles. For many, this mountain is synonymous with the coal industry. It straddles the state line separating Harlan County, Kentucky and Wise County, Virginia, two communities […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 4 Energy & Environment Idle Lands: Justice Coal Group Top User Of Loophole Allowing Mine Lands To Sit Idle Brittany Patterson
Sep 2 Energy & Environment On Labor Day, Miners Mark Historic Union March Ninety-eight years ago, thousands of pro-union miners marched toward West Virginia’s Logan County, to protest abuses by coal operators in what was then a largely anti-union territory. The marchers were met at Blair Mountain in Logan County by an army of men, fighting on behalf of anti-union mine guards and local law enforcement. The battle […] By Emily Allen Sep 2 Energy & Environment On Labor Day, Miners Mark Historic Union March Emily Allen