Holding the Coal Industry Accountable
An abandoned and decaying structure at the Sugar Cove Mine in Virginia. Photo courtesy of DMME
Centuries of coal mining in Appalachia have left a wake of destruction behind. Thousands of former mine sites still pose health and safety risks, and the extensive environmental damage includes polluted waterways, compromised groundwater, and the loss of 1.5 million acres of forest in one the most biologically diverse temperate ecosystems on the planet.
Residents in this region have dealt with increased illness and shortened life expectancy. Black lung disease is again on the rise, and both current and former miners are fighting to protect their vital healthcare benefits. Communities that depended on the coal industry’s boom years now face daunting financial challenges.
Meanwhile, the bosses and bankers who got rich off of Appalachia realize that the market for coal is continuing to decline. Many are trying to jump ship, taking their wealth with them and leaving the problems for local communities and taxpayers to deal with.
As Appalachian Voices continues to fight new mountaintop removal coal mining permits and monitor existing mines, we are also committed to ensuring that the communities that have long borne the brunt of mining are not left behind. We are determined to hold the coal profiteers responsible for cleaning up the land and water they defiled and fulfilling their obligations to miners and their families.
Communities near mines and power plants are among those that often face elevated air pollution. We’re working with 16 community groups and two universities to track air quality in communities throughout Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia with about 80 monitoring devices. These are deployed at in communities near fossil fuel infrastructure and other industries.
Similarly, the communities living near coal-fired power plants have suffered the burden of air and water pollution created by burning coal for electricity. Our years-long campaign alongside North Carolina communities impacted by Duke Energy’s dangerous storage of coal ash resulted in statewide cleanup orders, and we are committed to making sure the massive utility follows these rules.
We’re also working with communities in East Tennessee, site of the first major coal ash disaster in the country, to ensure that coal ash is stored in ways that protect residents, workers and waterways. And we’re engaged in legal challenges against Trump-era rollbacks on federal regulations for coal ash handling.
Ending Mountaintop Removal
Since the 1970s, the coal industry has blown up more than 500 of the oldest, most biologically rich mountains in America and destroyed more than 2,000 miles of headwater streams. Despite an ongoing citizen movement to end the destruction, and despite the decline in coal, it’s still happening.
Zombie Mines need to be cleaned up!
Tell Congress: Support Legislation to Stop Zombie Mines
Three new bills aim to make sure coal companies clean up their mines in a timely manner and set aside adequate funding to do so, ensuring that responsibility doesn’t end up falling to taxpayers — or worse, leaving communities with the dangerous mess of an unreclaimed mine.
Latest News
Hold Duke Energy accountable for its illegal coal ash leaks
North Carolina environmental regulators have proposed an arrangement that requires Duke Energy to take some expedited clean-up steps at its Marshall, Allen and Cliffside coal ash ponds. But the proposal doesn’t go far enough. The N.C. DEQ needs to hear from you!
5 graphs explain coal in Trump’s first year
The Trump administration claims an uptick in coal production shows its anti-regulatory agenda is working —
ignoring the fact 2017 was an outlier and coal’s long-term trend is downward. Meanwhile, coal communities across the country need better policies now to help diversify their local economies.
1,000 days on bottled water
Last week marked the 1,000th day that hundreds of families in North Carolina have had to use nothing but bottled water for drinking, cooking and bathing because their well water is likely contaminated by one of Duke Energy’s leaking coal ash ponds.
Make a difference in N.C. in the new year!
Duke Energy is seeking a damaging rate hike of nearly 17% that would hit low-income folks the hardest and lower incentives for solar and energy efficiency — all while forcing ratepayers to cover the cost of Duke’s coal ash mistakes. Show up and speak out!
Gov. Cooper should crack down on Duke Energy’s hazards
Recent revelations of collusion between Duke Energy and university scientists regarding coal ash should come as no surprise. Duke is, after all, a notorious corporate polluter on federal probation after pleading guilty to systemic violations of the Clean Water Act.
Coal Insider Nominated to Lead Mining Agency
The White House nominated J. Steven Gardner, who has worked in the coal industry for over four decades, to lead the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
