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.
Black lung service providers shift in the face of COVID-19
As coal miners with black lung disease have a heightened risk of complications from coronavirus, black lung healthcare providers work to respond to the global pandemic.
Virginia issues new enforcement actions for Justice family mine violations
Mining companies owned by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and his family have chronically violated environmental standards and failed to pay fines and fees. Virginia regulators recently issued notices of mine permit revocation and bond forfeiture for two of the family’s companies.
VA Initiates Bond Forfeiture on Justice-Owned Mines
Virginia regulators initiated bond forfeiture at two coal mines owned by the family of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice. The regulators cited failure to pay penalties and chronic environmental and public safety violations.
Protected or not? Coal company pushes for mine in protected Tennessee area
Federal regulators are considering a proposal for a new surface coal mine in Tennessee’s Cumberland Mountains, despite the fact that in 2016, the federal government declared most of the area in question off-limits to surface mining.
Bankruptcies Highlight Concerns with Black Lung Benefits Fund
Coal company bankruptcies are putting the federal Black Lung Disability Trust Fund in further jeopardy.
Bond forfeitures begin on bankrupt Blackjewel and Revelation mine permits
An unreclaimed coal mine has sent mud and debris onto a neighboring property. The mine is one of five Virginia permits owned by bankrupt Revelation Energy and Blackjewel that are now facing bond forfeiture, which means the state or the mines’ insurance companies could take over the cleanup.
Blackjewel’s black lung problem
Bankrupt coal company Blackjewel owes nearly $10 million in taxes to the fund that provides benefits to miners with black lung disease whose employer has gone bankrupt.
KY plans to spend Abandoned Mine Land Pilot funds on a federal prison
The state of Kentucky intends to use Abandoned Mine Land Pilot funds to build water and sewer lines for a proposed federal prison, a project that does not support true economic renewal or justice.
Good – and not-so-good – mine reclamation projects
Congress has funded “pilot” projects to repurpose old coal sites in Appalachia for three years; the results show a clear need for a strong RECLAIM Act grounded in community-driven goals and environmental cleanup.
Community resists proposed strip mine in Ohio State Forest
The grassroots group Friends of Perry State Forest formed to fight a proposed 550-acre strip mine in Southeast Ohio’s Perry State Forest. A key public meeting is set for Feb. 26.
