New report reveals extent of zombie coal mine crisis in Tennessee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2024
CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Appalachian Voices, (540) 798-6683, dan@appvoices.org
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A report released yesterday through a state records request shows that funds available to clean up coal mines in Tennessee fall tens of millions of dollars short of the amount necessary to complete the work.
The annual report by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is the first required by state law to determine if there is sufficient funding to address actual and potential liabilities at coal mines, and to determine whether the coal mining industry is fiscally self-sufficient enough to support the state taking over the permitting program from the federal government.
The report was delivered to Gov. Bill Lee and state elected officials on July 1, but was not made public until Aug. 12 in response to a Tennessee Open Records Act request.
The report reveals that the industry bonds available for reclamation are at least $34.4 million below what is needed for reclamation at unreclaimed coal mines, and that 67% of all coal permits in the state are in bond forfeiture — meaning that the regulator has determined that the operator is unable or unwilling to complete reclamation. The report admits that there is no money allocated at the state or federal level to address the $34.4 million deficit. The report also notes that no coal has been mined in the state since June 2022.
Statements from community advocates:
Bonnie Swinford, Campaign Organizing Strategist, Sierra Club: “This report confirms what people in coal mining communities in Tennessee and throughout the country have been saying for years — coal companies are not cleaning up their mines, and there’s not enough money available through bonds for states or the Office of Surface Mining to complete reclamation. These unreclaimed mines are putting people’s health and safety at risk — unreclaimed coal mines are causing landslides, acid mine drainage and other water pollution issues.”
April Jarocki, Coordinator, Southern Connected Communities: “ This report makes clear the need for investments in economic diversification and workforce support for the communities impacted by this dramatic economic shift. Cleaning up coal mines not only keeps communities safe and healthy, it provides much-needed jobs in communities where coal mining jobs have gone away.”
Matt Hepler, Central Appalachian Environmental Scientist, Appalachian Voices: “The report is correct — there is no pot of money available from the state or federal government to pay for the $34.4 million of reclamation needed at these mines in Tennessee or the thousands of other unreclaimed mines across the country. That’s why Congress and the Office of Surface Mining need to step in to make sure that coal companies are being held responsible for their reclamation liabilities and to provide a new source of funding for reclamation at these zombie coal mines, as proposed by the RENEW Act in 2022.”
