Oct 29 Economy Ohio-Based Coal Giant Murray Energy Declares Bankruptcy Murray Energy Corp., the largest underground coal mining company in America with a substantial footprint across the Ohio Valley, has filed for bankruptcy protection. “Although a bankruptcy filing is not an easy decision, it became necessary to access liquidity and best position Murray Energy and its affiliates for the future of our employees and customers […] By Brittany Patterson Oct 29 Economy Ohio-Based Coal Giant Murray Energy Declares Bankruptcy Brittany Patterson
Oct 28 Energy & Environment Disastrous Disconnect: Coal, Climate And Catastrophe In Kentucky This story is part of a series about the insufficient protections for vulnerable people as natural disasters worsen in a warming climate. The Center for Public Integrity and four partners – the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, High Country News, Ohio Valley ReSource and StateImpact Oklahoma – are contributing stories. REGINA, Ky. — Todd Bentley stepped onto his […] By Rachel Leven and Zach Goldstein Oct 28 Energy & Environment Disastrous Disconnect: Coal, Climate And Catastrophe In Kentucky Rachel Leven and Zach Goldstein
Oct 24 Economy Blackjewel Miners Get More Of Their Pay As Labor Dept. Acts Against Bankrupt Company Coal miners who went without pay when mining company Blackjewel declared bankruptcy this June are one step closer to receiving lost wages. The checks come weeks after some of the miners ended a long-running protest, and months after the federal Department of Labor first intervened to allege the company violated labor laws in the month […] By Sydney Boles Oct 24 Economy Blackjewel Miners Get More Of Their Pay As Labor Dept. Acts Against Bankrupt Company Sydney Boles
Oct 4 Economy Rethinking Retraining: Why Worker Training Programs Alone Won’t Save Coal Country Bobby Bowman mined coal in West Virginia for 12 years before his employer shut down. “I don’t think that mine will ever open again,” he said. Bowman lives in Welch, in the south of the state, where he worked at the Pinnacle Mine, which shut down almost exactly one year ago, putting him and about […] By Becca Schimmel Oct 4 Economy Rethinking Retraining: Why Worker Training Programs Alone Won’t Save Coal Country Becca Schimmel
Oct 3 Economy Blackjewel Miners Likely to Receive Pay in DOL Deal The Department of Labor and a company associated with Blackjewel agreed this week to put nearly $5.75 million toward coal miners left unpaid in the company’s chaotic bankruptcy. The July 1 bankruptcy of one of the nation’s largest coal companies left 1,100 coal miners in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia out of work and without […] By Sydney Boles Oct 3 Economy Blackjewel Miners Likely to Receive Pay in DOL Deal Sydney Boles
Sep 27 Economy Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation Standing on the breezy outlook at Flag Rock Recreation Area, Norton City Manager Fred Ramey is taking in the panoramic view of downtown Norton, Virginia. The brick building-lined streets are framed by the verdant, rolling Appalachian mountains. Jagged, brown scars from mountaintop mining operations can be seen in the distance, reminders of the region’s history […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 27 Economy Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation Brittany Patterson
Sep 26 Economy Former Blackjewel Miners End Railroad Blockade In Kentucky The nearly two-month blockade of a Kentucky railroad track is coming to an end as unpaid coal miners end their protest in order to take new jobs, start classes, or move away from their coal-dependent communities. When coal company Blackjewel abruptly declared bankruptcy in July, it left some 1100 Appalachian coal miners in Kentucky, Virginia, […] By Sydney Boles Sep 26 Economy Former Blackjewel Miners End Railroad Blockade In Kentucky Sydney Boles
Sep 18 Economy Paychecks Cut For W.Va. Blackjewel Miners; KY And VA Miners Still Waiting West Virginia employees of coal operator Blackjewel LLC have received their final paychecks more than two months after the company declared bankruptcy on July 1. In an agreement reached last week between the Department of Labor and the company, Blackjewel cut paper checks for all owed wages to a few dozen employees working at the […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 18 Economy Paychecks Cut For W.Va. Blackjewel Miners; KY And VA Miners Still Waiting Brittany Patterson
Sep 13 Economy SOAR At Six: Group’s Lofty Goals For Coal Country Meet Challenges On The Ground In a conference hall in Pikeville, Kentucky, this September, Gov. Matt Bevin led an eager audience in a countdown. When the audience reached “One!,” a map on the screen behind the governor lit up with the promise of a high-tech future. After years of delay and scandal, major portions of the commonwealth’s “middle mile” of […] By Sydney Boles Sep 13 Economy SOAR At Six: Group’s Lofty Goals For Coal Country Meet Challenges On The Ground Sydney Boles
Sep 4 Energy & Environment While “Zombie” Mines Idle, Cleanup And Workers Remain In Limbo The sound of metal banging against metal broke the calm on the high mesa separating Colorado’s Paradox and Big Gypsum valleys. An old rusted headframe marked the entrance to an abandoned uranium mine that, from a distance, looked as if its workers were simply off on a lunch break. Jennifer Thurston, a local environmentalist, paused […] By Mark Olalde and Joe Yerardi Sep 4 Energy & Environment While “Zombie” Mines Idle, Cleanup And Workers Remain In Limbo Mark Olalde and Joe Yerardi