Written by Willie Dodson
Willie Dodson
A Virginia native, Willie has organized with environmental and social justice campaigns in the region for more than a decade. He is Appalachian Voices' Coal Impacts Program Manager.
A black water spill, precarious permits, a contempt hearing and a new Justice company enters the scene
West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice is the richest senator in the country, according to recent reporting that also highlights his substantial debts. In light of this news, we thought it appropriate to provide an update on our team’s continued work to deal with the ongoing impacts of his family’s coal empire, and their decades-long track record of environmental destruction.
West Virginia issues new round of violations against South Fork Coal Company
Bankrupt company’s idled mines continue to cause problems…
Coal hauling through the Monongahela National Forest has ceased… for now.
Our collective efforts to defend the Monongahela National Forest and the Cherry River from the abuses of South Fork Coal Company are having an impact.
South Fork Coal Company: ‘a trail of pollution, debt and disregard’
Since late 2023, Appalachian Voices has worked closely with the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance and other partners to defend the Cherry River from South Fork Coal’s negligence, and to resist this coal company’s encroachment into the Monongahela National Forest.
Clintwood JOD cited for black water spill upstream of Fishtrap Lake in Pike County, Kentucky
Clintwood JOD, a coal mining company operating in Kentucky and Virginia, has been cited by Kentucky regulators for releasing polluted, black water into Big Creek and the Levisa Fork from coal mines in Pike County.
Proposed Arch-Consol merger must secure black lung benefits for miners
Regulators scrutinizing a proposed merger between two of the country’s largest coal companies must make sure black lung benefits are protected.
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.
Top mine regulator can and must halt illegal coal hauling in the Monongahela National Forest
Sharon Buccino, the acting head of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, could take immediate action to shut down South Fork Coal’s illegal coal hauling operation in the Monongahela National Forest.
Community members resist proposed Eastern Kentucky Prison
A controversial prison project in Eastern Kentucky has resurfaced, despite community opposition that had kept the proposal at bay for several years.
