Apr 5 Energy & Environment Mine Safety Debt For WV Gov. Justice’s Family Companies Grows to $4M An Ohio Valley ReSource analysis of federal mine safety data shows that the companies belonging to the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice owe $4.3 million in delinquent debt for mine safety violations. That is far more than the companies owed when Justice ran for governor in 2016, when he pledged to make good […] By Alexandra Kanik and Brittany Patterson Apr 5 Energy & Environment Mine Safety Debt For WV Gov. Justice’s Family Companies Grows to $4M Alexandra Kanik and Brittany Patterson
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
Mar 13 Economy Toyota Driving Demand For Solar Power In Ohio Valley Automaker Toyota is planning to announce a major investment in solar and other renewable energy in Appalachia and the Southeastern U.S. The plan includes a massive new solar facility on an old surface coal mine property in Kentucky. Sources close to the deal tell the Ohio Valley Resource that the Kentucky site is part of […] By Sydney Boles Mar 13 Economy Toyota Driving Demand For Solar Power In Ohio Valley Sydney Boles
Mar 5 Economy Profiting Off Prisoners: State Inmates Mean Big Bucks for Local Jails Rural jails in Kentucky are increasingly relying on income derived from payments for holding state prisoners in county facilities, according to a new report by a think tank that advocates for criminal justice reform. To address overcrowding, states make payments to counties to hold convicted prisoners and pretrial detainees. States save money, and counties get […] By Sydney Boles Mar 5 Economy Profiting Off Prisoners: State Inmates Mean Big Bucks for Local Jails Sydney Boles
Feb 27 Energy & Environment Federal Prosecutor Adds Charges In Kentucky Coal Dust Fraud Case A federal prosecutor announced new charges against a senior coal company official for conspiring to falsify the required monitoring of coal dust. The case comes amid a surge in cases of black lung disease and widespread allegations from miners that cheating on dust monitors is common in the mining industry. Western Kentucky District U.S. Attorney […] By Becca Schimmel Feb 27 Energy & Environment Federal Prosecutor Adds Charges In Kentucky Coal Dust Fraud Case Becca Schimmel
Feb 21 Economy New ARC Grants Combine Economic Recovery And Addiction Recovery The Appalachian Regional Commission announced Thursday another $22.8 million in funding to 33 projects aimed at revitalizing economies in places affected by the decline in the coal industry. The awards are the latest in the ARC’s POWER Initiative, an acronym for Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization. Congress has funded the initiative for […] By Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel Feb 21 Economy New ARC Grants Combine Economic Recovery And Addiction Recovery Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel
Feb 12 Energy & Environment Coal Community Leaders Urge Congress To Include Them In Climate Action Economic development leaders from the Ohio Valley’s coal communities used a Congressional hearing on climate change Tuesday to say that their communities must be central to conversations about climate solutions. Testifying at a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing on climate change and energy transitions, Peter Hille, president of the Berea, Kentucky-based Mountain Association for Community […] By Brittany Patterson Feb 12 Energy & Environment Coal Community Leaders Urge Congress To Include Them In Climate Action Brittany Patterson
Feb 1 Economy Coal Comeback? Coal At New Low After Two Years Under Trump It’s been two years since President Donald Trump took office and began rolling back environmental regulations on the coal industry. At a November rally in Huntington, West Virginia, the president took credit for a coal comeback in front of a cheering crowd. “We’ve ended the war on beautiful, clean coal and we’re putting our coal […] By Brittany Patterson Feb 1 Economy Coal Comeback? Coal At New Low After Two Years Under Trump Brittany Patterson
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
Oct 5 Economy 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 Economy Companies Sue WV Gov.’s Family Companies Over Debts But Find Bank Accounts Empty Brittany Patterson