Jul 15 Economy “Death Spiral.” How A Carbon Tax Could End Some Coal Towns … Or Fund A New Future Declining coal tax revenues place coal-reliant counties in Appalachia at risk of fiscal collapse, according to new research from the centrist Brookings Institution and Columbia University. Policies designed to prevent further climate change would accelerate that decline, the report found, but could also provide a new stream of revenue to help communities rebound from coal’s […] By Sydney Boles Jul 15 Economy “Death Spiral.” How A Carbon Tax Could End Some Coal Towns … Or Fund A New Future Sydney Boles
Jul 1 Energy & Environment Major Appalachian Coal Company Files For Bankruptcy Protection In the latest sign of problems for the U.S. coal industry, one of the country’s largest coal producers has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. West Virginia-based Revelation Energy LLC and its recently-formed affiliate, Blackjewel LLC, began the bankruptcy reorganization process in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on Monday. […] By Brittany Patterson Jul 1 Energy & Environment Major Appalachian Coal Company Files For Bankruptcy Protection Brittany Patterson
Jun 5 Energy & Environment Federal Prosecutors Say WV Gov. Justice Responsible For Fines Against Family Company Federal prosecutors on Tuesday said they will seek a court ruling to hold West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and his son, Jay Justice, personally accountable for a $1.23 million civil fine imposed on one of the family’s coal businesses, Justice Energy Company, Inc. In a court filing, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West […] By Brittany Patterson Jun 5 Energy & Environment Federal Prosecutors Say WV Gov. Justice Responsible For Fines Against Family Company Brittany Patterson
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
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
Jan 18 Energy & Environment Still Fighting: These Widows’ Stories Show Larger Effects of Black Lung Epidemic Nancy and Rich Potter had the kind of marriage that made other couples jealous. He’d take her on spontaneous trips. She’d wear her Daisy Dukes just for him. Joyce Birman said her late husband, George, made a terrible first impression. It was his apology for it that made her fall for him, hard. Vickie Salyers’ […] By Sydney Boles Jan 18 Energy & Environment Still Fighting: These Widows’ Stories Show Larger Effects of Black Lung Epidemic Sydney Boles
Dec 10 Energy & Environment Digging For Answers: New Report Points To Industry Obfuscation Of Mining’s Health Effects Jason Walker spends $50 per month on bottled water. He spends three hours each week standing by the small stream that runs near his house, pumping creek water into a thousand-gallon tank. “You have to catch the creek at the right time, when it’s clear,” Walker said. “Whatever you pump, whatever the creek looks like, […] By Sydney Boles Dec 10 Energy & Environment Digging For Answers: New Report Points To Industry Obfuscation Of Mining’s Health Effects Sydney Boles
Nov 14 Economy 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 Economy 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
Aug 22 Economy In Ohio Valley Visits, Trump Administration Pushes Policies Supporting Mining And Metals In back-to-back events this week President Trump and his commerce secretary visited the Ohio Valley to tout administration policies aimed at propping up two of the region’s traditional but faltering industries — metals and mining. The president used a Tuesday rally filled with West Virginia coal miners to unveil a new plan to ease pollution […] By Jeff Young , Becca Schimmel and Brittany Patterson Aug 22 Economy In Ohio Valley Visits, Trump Administration Pushes Policies Supporting Mining And Metals Jeff Young, Becca Schimmel and Brittany Patterson