Nov 28 Energy & Environment Clean Power Plan’s Repeal Gets Hearing In Coal Country The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency returned to friendly terrain in coal country this week for two days of public hearings on its proposal to repeal a key federal rule aimed at reducing pollution that contributes to climate change. Last month EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt chose an eastern Kentucky mining town as the venue to […] By Glynis Board Nov 28 Energy & Environment Clean Power Plan’s Repeal Gets Hearing In Coal Country Glynis Board
Oct 4 Economy Bipartisan Bill Would Prop Up Coal Miners’ Pensions A bipartisan Congressional group from the Ohio Valley and beyond introduced a new bill to save pensions for retired union coal miners throughout the region. The American Miners Pension Act, or AMP, would secure pensions for about 43,000 miners in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia whose retirement benefits have been undermined by the decline of […] By Becca Schimmel Oct 4 Economy Bipartisan Bill Would Prop Up Coal Miners’ Pensions Becca Schimmel
May 12 Economy Mending Mining Country: Three Ways Trump Could Help Miners And Coal Communities At a March ceremony to sign an executive order reversing Obama-era environmental regulations, coal miners were arranged on stage around President Donald Trump as he took up his pen. “You know what it says, right?” Trump asked the miners. “You’re going back to work.” From his campaign rallies to White House events, President Donald Trump […] By Benny Becker , Glynis Board , , Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel May 12 Economy Mending Mining Country: Three Ways Trump Could Help Miners And Coal Communities Benny Becker, Glynis Board, , Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel
Mar 15 Energy & Environment KY, WV Move to Weaken Mine Safety Rules Lawmakers in both Kentucky and West Virginia are working to loosen mine safety regulations, alarming some mine safety experts. Kentucky lawmakers passed a bill that reduces the number of underground mine inspections. Similar legislation is pending in West Virginia’s Senate but with more substantial changes. Under that bill, the state’s mining inspection system would move […] By Glynis Board Mar 15 Energy & Environment KY, WV Move to Weaken Mine Safety Rules Glynis Board
Mar 7 Health After Obamacare: Retired Miners Face Losses If Affordable Care Act Ends As Congress considers repealing the Affordable Care Act, health professionals in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia grapple with what that might mean for a region where many depend on the law for access to care. This occasional series from the ReSource explores what’s ahead for the Ohio Valley after Obamacare. See more stories here >> […] By Becca Schimmel Mar 7 Health After Obamacare: Retired Miners Face Losses If Affordable Care Act Ends Becca Schimmel
Dec 21 Resource Shift How To Help Those “Fighting For Breath” Listening to the Branham family describe how they’ve been affected by Mackie’s black lung is heart-wrenching. Our profile of the Branhams and the NPR investigation of black lung cases have gotten a lot attention, and in many cases I’ve seen the stories shared on social media with a warning that they’re likely to make you […] By Benny Becker Dec 21 Resource Shift How To Help Those “Fighting For Breath” Benny Becker
Dec 22 Energy & Environment In the Southwest and Appalachia, Indigenous Organizers Want a New Economy for Their Coalfield Communities Carol Davis has noticed the West drying up. Where she lives, in the Four Corners area of New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation, years of drought have left former oases dusty and dry. Though the drought has some roots in wider climate issues, Carol says much of the groundwater in her area has dried […] By Katie Myers Dec 22 Energy & Environment In the Southwest and Appalachia, Indigenous Organizers Want a New Economy for Their Coalfield Communities Katie Myers
Jul 7 Economy Ohio Valley Coal Companies Get Tens Of Millions In Paycheck Protection Loans More than 50 Ohio Valley coal companies received loans totaling as much as $119 million through the Paycheck Protection Program meant to keep people employed during the pandemic’s economic downturn. Congress passed the PPP in March to help businesses keep employees on the payroll and out of unemployment lines. The data released by the Small […] By Sydney Boles Jul 7 Economy Ohio Valley Coal Companies Get Tens Of Millions In Paycheck Protection Loans Sydney Boles
Jul 2 Health Masking Questions: How Pandemic Health Measures Became Politicized Health officials and researchers say the science is clear: face masks can help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Yet in the Ohio Valley, not all elected officials are in agreement on whether to mandate measures such as the use of face masks in public places. In April, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine initially announced […] By Liam Niemeyer Jul 2 Health Masking Questions: How Pandemic Health Measures Became Politicized Liam Niemeyer
Dec 6 Energy & Environment What The Petrochemical Buildout Along The Ohio River Means For Regional Communities And Beyond The R.E. Burger coal-fired power plant’s final day ended, appropriately enough, in a cloud of black smoke and dust. From 1944 to 2011, the plant generated power, fumes and ash in the Ohio River Valley. It was one of dozens of coal and steel plants dotting the banks of the river, which for years has […] By Sharon Kelly Dec 6 Energy & Environment What The Petrochemical Buildout Along The Ohio River Means For Regional Communities And Beyond Sharon Kelly