BLOGGER INDEX
Willie Dodson
A Virginia native who now splits his time between Johnson City, Tenn., and Wise County, Va., Willie has organized with environmental and social justice campaigns in the region for more than a decade. He is Appalachian Voices' Central Appalachian Field Coordinator.
Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
Surface mining of this scale is bad news for the environment even if it is conducted within the confines of the law, but South Fork Coal Company’s history of regulatory infractions is almost as egregious as Greenbrier County is beautiful. [
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Thursday, February 16th, 2023 | Posted by Willie Dodson | 1 Comment
PM 2.5 is a lethal combination of metals, organic matter, acids and other substances so tiny that they can be inhaled and delivered directly into the bloodstream. These airborne pollutants are emitted by tailpipes, power plants and numerous other industries. In our region,
coal mine dust is an additional source of this pollutant. [
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Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
Updated Jan. 20, 2022: On Jan. 13, Virginia Energy sent a letter to A&G Coal Corporation suspending the permit for the Straight Fork Surface Mine after the corporation failed to respond to the Dec. 8, 2021 show cause order. The permit suspension gives the Justice company until Feb. 14 to deal with the ongoing violations. Failure to do so will then trigger permit revocation and a determination of bond forfeiture. [
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Wednesday, December 8th, 2021 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
Members of the Black Lung Association are asking U.S. Sen. Shelly Moore Capito to support a 10-year extension of the Black Lung Excise Tax to shore up funding for black lung benefits. [
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Thursday, November 18th, 2021 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
There is enough outstanding reclamation liability on coal mines owned by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and/or his adult children to employ 220 to 460 workers for five years, according to our report. Nearly 34,000 acres of Justice-family mines across five states are in need of some degree of environmental cleanup. [
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Tuesday, November 9th, 2021 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
Congress has passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes the reauthorization of the Abandoned Mine Land Program and the largest-ever investment in abandoned coal mine cleanup! Now they must pass the Build Back Better Act to invest in workers, families and clean energy. [
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Thursday, September 9th, 2021 | Posted by Willie Dodson | 1 Comment
Heavy rains caused debris from an inactive coal mine to block portions of VA State Route 632 in late August — an event that might become all too common with climate change-fueled rainfall likely to intensify. [
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Friday, July 9th, 2021 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
As a Virginia mine continues to rack up environmental and safety problems, state regulators are proceeding with their strongest enforcement option — bond forfeiture. Based on the track record of related Justice family companies, the situation is not likely to improve. [
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Wednesday, June 30th, 2021 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
During a recent House Natural Resources hearing on the issue of sluggish, inadequate, or totally non-existent reclamation on currently permitted coal mines, community advocates called for federal regulators to firmly enforce existing regulations and act in the public interest. [
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Wednesday, April 14th, 2021 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
Coal miners are legally allowed to be exposed to twice as much dangerous silica dust as any other worker. That needs to change. [
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Thursday, November 19th, 2020 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
People living near a pair of Virginia mountaintop removal coal mines have long complained about blasting and dust. Now, the company’s bankruptcy makes it even harder for nearby residents to get relief. [
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Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
As companies go bankrupt, they tend to pass off their mine mining permits — and the responsibility to reclaim them — to increasingly questionable entities. This is currently unfolding in Southwest Virginia, if the state mining agency allows it.
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