Posts Tagged ‘U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’
Federal regulators poised to crack down on coal mine operated by Jim Justice’s family
On Dec. 10, 2024, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement sent a damning letter to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection over the state’s failure to rein in operations on a wildly non-compliant coal strip mine in Wyoming County, West Virginia.
Read MoreConservation groups ask nation’s top coal mine regulator to shut down illegal coal haul road in Monongahela National Forest
Today, 11 conservation organizations urged the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to take immediate action to close an illegal coal haul road in the Monongahela National Forest in Greenbrier and Pocahontas Counties, West Virginia.
Read MoreMassive Funding Boost Spurs Coal Clean-up Efforts in Appalachia
Appalachian states received $725 million from the federal government this summer to clean up decades-old abandoned mines. Read about their efforts!
Read MoreCoal community advocates bash cuts to federal mine reclamation funding and urge restoration in FY25 budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 7, 2024 CONTACT Trey Pollard – trey@pollardcommunications.com READ LETTER HERE COAL COUNTRY – As Congress advances a government funding bill that slashes millions in funding for the agency charged with supporting critical mine reclamation projects and enforcing mine reclamation standards, seventeen local, regional and national organizations released a letter urging Congress…
Read MoreFour ways you can support Appalachian communities in the new year!
In 2023, Appalachian advocates made several advancements in the fight for greater protections for rural communities and families affected by black lung but as we enter 2024, an ongoing battle in Congress over spending is threatening to undo much of this progress while also cutting programs that benefit these communities.
Read MoreLawsuit seeks to protect candy darter from West Virginia coal hauling
No time to waste averting another coal mine cleanup crisis
Regulators are ignoring a growing crisis unfolding in modern mine reclamation. Coal companies are often failing to complete timely reclamation, and safeguards to ensure mine cleanup are failing. Communities are already seeing a new, more devastating wave of abandoned mines — a problem that will get worse without action.
Read MoreLawsuit filed to save imperiled Appalachian species from coal mining
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 8, 2023 CONTACT Perrin de Jong, Center for Biological Diversity, perrin@biologicaldiversity.org Dan Radmacher, Appalachian Voices, dan@appvoices.org CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Center for Biological Diversity and Appalachian Voices today sued the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to protect highly imperiled…
Read MoreWhat the government spending fight means for Appalachia
Leaders in the Senate and the House need to come together to negotiate a final deal in order to keep the government funded. Appalachian Voices will keep fighting to fund these crucial programs and agencies to help protect coal mining communities and transition to clean energy.
Read MoreAdvocates in coal communities urge Congress to prevent “enormous step backwards” by rejecting harmful appropriations bills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 24, 2023 Contact: Trey Pollard – trey@pollardcommunications.com VIEW THE LETTERS: House & SenateCOAL COUNTRY — Leaders and advocates from across coal country sounded the alarm today, warning Congress that harsh cuts in proposed appropriations legislation would dramatically undercut economic development in coal-impacted communities and threaten efforts to safeguard miner health and…
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