The Energy Report
Patriot Coal CEO: Ending Mountaintop Removal Mining a “Win-Win”
After emerging from bankruptcy, Patriot Coal CEO Bennett Hatfield said in an interview with SNL Energy that the 2012 settlement over selenium pollution that forced the company to begin phasing out mountaintop removal proved to be a “win-win.” Even before the settlement, Hatfield said, Patriot was finding it “increasingly undesirable to deploy mountaintop removal operations…
Read MoreUnaddressed Concerns Keep Fracking in the Forefront
By Brian Sewell Nationwide, stories regarding natural gas-related water contamination, waste disposal and property rights concerns keep bubbling up, bolstering arguments used by opponents of fracking. And as natural gas prices rise due to cold weather and a slowdown in drilling, the fuel’s supporters are questioning how long claims of affordability will last. Increased demand…
Read MoreOSM Investigates WV Mining Law Enforcement
By Brian Sewell The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced on Dec. 30 that it will investigate West Virginia’s surface coal mining regulatory program. The announcement comes six months after the Citizen Action for Real Enforcement campaign — a coalition of 18 state and national organizations — held a press conference and…
Read MoreProgress and Setbacks for Appalachia’s Environment
Asheville City Council Approves Clean Energy Resolution In October, the city council of Asheville, N.C., unanimously approved a resolution to phase out the city’s use of coal-fired electricity and increase power generated from cleaner sources and saved through energy efficiency. Led by local citizen groups including the Western North Carolina Alliance and the Asheville Beyond…
Read MoreTennessee Valley Authority Announces Major Coal Cutbacks
By Brian Sewell After more than 50 years of supplying most of its power plants with coal, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced it will idle 3,308 megawatts of capacity at eight coal units in Kentucky and Alabama — approximately half of its coal-based generation. Citing market factors, declining demand and stricter environmental rules, board members…
Read MoreSolar and Wind Projects Take Off Across Appalachia
First Utility-Scale Solar Projects Proposed in West Virginia By Brian Sewell Solar Thin Films Inc., a New York-based company, recently announced a contract to develop up to 35 megawatts of solar capacity in West Virginia. Through an agreement with property owner Tri-State Solar, the solar developer plans to install three sites in Alderson, Crawley and…
Read MoreNew Research and Lawsuits Keep Mountaintop Removal in the Spotlight
By Brian Sewell While battles over mountaintop removal permits reach their boiling point and lawsuits are filed and settled, new research revealing the environmental costs continues to pile up. In September, a study by Duke University, Kent State University and the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies compared the environmental toll of mountaintop removal to the…
Read MoreCoal River Makes America’s Most Endangered Rivers List — Again
By Anna Norwood Coal River in West Virginia has been named one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers for 2012, ranking ninth on watchdog organization American Rivers’ list of the top 10 threatened waterways in the country. American Rivers cites mountaintop removal coal mining with contaminating Coal River.The report states that, “approximately 20 percent of the…
Read MoreCoal Financing Under Scrutiny
By Molly Moore Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo ranked as the five worst banks for coal financing in an annual report issued by Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack and Sierra Club. Banks were rated according to their investment in mountaintop removal coal mining and coal-fired power plants. The report…
Read MoreOSM Threatens Takeover of Kentucky Surface Mining Regulation
By Molly Moore Office of Surface Mining Director Joe Pizarchik made headlines in May when he sent a letter to Kentucky regulators warning that their failure to require appropriate reclamation bonds could lead to a federal takeover of all or part of Kentucky’s surface mining enforcement program. Surface mining law allows states to enforce the…
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