Nov 16 Energy & Environment Shading Out Solar: State Policies In Ohio Valley Dim Future Of Energy Jobs When Jennie and Brian Kahly decided to move to a 150-acre family farm in West Virginia’s Preston County, they thought a lot about what type of farmers they wanted to be. “We went ahead and made a list of values, and one of those values was to minimize our fossil fuel use,” Jennie said. “That […] By Brittany Patterson Nov 16 Energy & Environment Shading Out Solar: State Policies In Ohio Valley Dim Future Of Energy Jobs Brittany Patterson
Nov 14 Energy & Environment Groups Say Smart Reclamation Of Mine Lands Could Be “Appalachia’s New Deal” From solar farms in Virginia to a green energy subdivision in Kentucky, a new report by a group of regional advocacy organizations highlights 20 ready-made projects across the Ohio Valley that could give abandoned mining operations that were never cleaned up a second life, and create new economic opportunity across the region. In the report, […] By Brittany Patterson Nov 14 Energy & Environment Groups Say Smart Reclamation Of Mine Lands Could Be “Appalachia’s New Deal” Brittany Patterson
Nov 2 Energy & Environment KY Coal Mine That Belonged To WV Governor Causes Damaging Floods Again The rain started around 10:30 p.m. By midnight, the creek in front of Elvis and Laura Thackers’ house had swelled to a mighty flood, uprooting trees, moving boulders and surging right up to the couple’s front steps. The Thackers decided to abandon their home. But when they got into their Jeep, they found the flood […] By Sydney Boles Nov 2 Energy & Environment KY Coal Mine That Belonged To WV Governor Causes Damaging Floods Again Sydney Boles
Oct 5 Energy & Environment Companies Sue WV Gov.’s Family Companies Over Debts But Find Bank Accounts Empty The Justice family companies’ difficulties paying taxes over the years are well documented. But tax collectors haven’t been the only ones trying to recover debts from companies once operated by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and now in control of his family. A review of court documents by the Ohio Valley ReSource found at least five […] By Brittany Patterson Oct 5 Energy & Environment Companies Sue WV Gov.’s Family Companies Over Debts But Find Bank Accounts Empty Brittany Patterson
Sep 21 Energy & Environment Safer Direction? Top Mine Regulator Addresses Concerns About Dust And Deaths In Coal As President Trump attempts to revive the struggling coal industry, the administration’s top regulator for mine safety used a recent lecture at West Virginia University to lay out his priorities for the agency charged with keeping miners safe. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health David Zatezalo outlined the Trump administration’s priorities for […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 21 Energy & Environment Safer Direction? Top Mine Regulator Addresses Concerns About Dust And Deaths In Coal Brittany Patterson
Sep 7 Energy & Environment Orphan Wells: States Wrestle With Soaring Costs For Oil & Gas Industry Mess William Suan is no stranger to the problems abandoned oil and gas wells can cause. “It’s just an eyesore,” he said, standing inside a barn on his cattle ranch near Lost Creek, West Virginia. “I had to fence one off because it’s leaking now.” There are five inactive wells on his land, most installed in […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 7 Energy & Environment Orphan Wells: States Wrestle With Soaring Costs For Oil & Gas Industry Mess Brittany Patterson
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 10 Energy & Environment Federal Dust Fraud Charges Highlight Black Lung Threat For Miners When former coal mine employees in western Kentucky faced arraignment Wednesday on federal charges that they conspired to falsify the required monitoring of coal dust, the hearing brought renewed attention to the region’s surge in black lung disease. The case highlights the many challenges miners face in the workplace. And health officials in black lung […] By Becca Schimmel Aug 10 Energy & Environment Federal Dust Fraud Charges Highlight Black Lung Threat For Miners Becca Schimmel