Jun 29 Economy Advocacy Groups Unveil Plan for a 21st Century Coal-County Economy Environmental and economic advocacy groups from coal-producing parts of the country unveiled a policy agenda on Monday to help coal-reliant communities make a transition to a more sustainable future. The plan includes items that have long been on the wish list for groups like Appalachian Voices and the Just Transition Fund, both of which were […] By Sydney Boles Jun 29 Economy Advocacy Groups Unveil Plan for a 21st Century Coal-County Economy Sydney Boles
Jun 26 Economy Coal Towns Were Counting On Tourism For New Jobs. Then Coronavirus Hit. On a recent sunny weekday, Bill Currey proudly walks among 30 neatly stacked, brightly colored plastic kayaks. Birds chirp merrily, and the soothing sounds of the meandering Coal River permeate the background — nature’s version of a white noise machine. For the tanned Currey, who also owns an industrial real estate company, being here, on […] By Brittany Patterson Jun 26 Economy Coal Towns Were Counting On Tourism For New Jobs. Then Coronavirus Hit. Brittany Patterson
May 27 Economy Coal Executives Face Fines, Possible Jail Time, Over Failure to Pay Executives with Indiana-based coal company American Resources Corporation will face daily fines of $2,500 if they continue to flout court orders, according to filings in the bankruptcy case of Cambrian Coal. The order comes after ARC failed to pay electric utility bills, employee back pay and benefits, and other liabilities it purchased from Cambrian last […] By Sydney Boles May 27 Economy Coal Executives Face Fines, Possible Jail Time, Over Failure to Pay Sydney Boles
May 18 Economy Federal Judge Threatens Jail Time as Coal Company Flouts Court Orders Coal company American Resources Corporation, which owns mines in Kentucky and West Virginia, is facing sanctions after failing to comply with a bankruptcy court’s orders, even after the company received $2.7 million in government aid meant for companies harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. Indiana-based ARC purchased coal mines and equipment from bankrupt coal company Cambrian […] By Sydney Boles May 18 Economy Federal Judge Threatens Jail Time as Coal Company Flouts Court Orders Sydney Boles
May 4 Energy & Environment Coal and COVID-19: Lung Impairment Makes Miners Especially Vulnerable To Coronavirus Underground coal miners start their shifts getting changed in closely packed changing rooms. They ride rail cars to their worksite, shoulder-to-shoulder, sometimes for more than an hour. And once they’re underground, ventilation designed to tamp down coal dust blows air through the mine. All that makes a coal mine the kind of place where the […] By Sydney Boles May 4 Energy & Environment Coal and COVID-19: Lung Impairment Makes Miners Especially Vulnerable To Coronavirus Sydney Boles
Apr 14 Energy & Environment W.Va.’s Longview Power Declares Bankruptcy Citing Low Energy Prices, Coronavirus A West Virginia-based coal plant operator has announced that it’s filing for bankruptcy due to weak demand for electricity. Longview Power LLC, which operates one of the newest and most efficient coal-fired power plants in the U.S. hailed by the Trump administration as a model for coal’s future, announced in a Tuesday press release that […] By Brittany Patterson Apr 14 Energy & Environment W.Va.’s Longview Power Declares Bankruptcy Citing Low Energy Prices, Coronavirus Brittany Patterson
Apr 3 Energy & Environment Coal Country: Can A Play About A Mine Disaster Help Bridge A National Divide? The actors deliver their lines from a sparse stage — just a few benches around them and 29 modest lights above. For the most part they speak directly to the audience, sharing memories of the lives of husbands, sons, fathers and nephews, some of the 29 men who died on April 5, 2010, when an […] By Jeff Young Apr 3 Energy & Environment Coal Country: Can A Play About A Mine Disaster Help Bridge A National Divide? Jeff Young
Mar 27 Economy ‘There’s Going To Be Something Better for Him’: Former Blackjewel Miners Reflect on Changes in Coal Country On a blistering August afternoon in Cumberland, Kentucky, David Pratt, Jr. stood in the middle of a two-lane highway, holding a sign that read “COAL MINERS AND TRUCKERS AGAINST CORPORATE AMERICA.” A few yards away, his father, David Pratt Sr., who is graying but still muscular, leaned back in a lawn chair perched precariously on […] By Sydney Boles Mar 27 Economy ‘There’s Going To Be Something Better for Him’: Former Blackjewel Miners Reflect on Changes in Coal Country Sydney Boles
Mar 26 Energy & Environment UMWA Wants More Coronavirus Protections For Coal Miners The United Mine Workers of America is asking federal regulators to set uniform, enforceable guidelines to help protect coal miners from contracting COVID-19. In a letter dated Tuesday, March 24, UMWA President Cecil Roberts wrote to the Mine Safety and Health Administration requesting the agency issue a “safeguard” or “emergency standard” that would require coal […] By Brittany Patterson Mar 26 Energy & Environment UMWA Wants More Coronavirus Protections For Coal Miners Brittany Patterson
Mar 23 Energy & Environment Ohio Valley Coal Industry Braces As COVID-19 Impacts Electricity Demand, International Exports As states across the Ohio Valley order the closure of non-essential businesses to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, coal mines will remain open. But as with many industries, the global pandemic is straining the coal sector, and some experts say the already struggling industry could face intense challenges in the months ahead as […] By Brittany Patterson and Sydney Boles Mar 23 Energy & Environment Ohio Valley Coal Industry Braces As COVID-19 Impacts Electricity Demand, International Exports Brittany Patterson and Sydney Boles