Posts Tagged ‘Coal’
Diminishing environmental reviews would endanger public health, safety and the environment
Yesterday, the Department of Interior announced plans to weaken environmental reviews to under a month for a wide range of energy projects, including coal, oil and gas production, transmission and more, by setting unachievable and arbitrary deadlines for completion.
Read MorePresidential orders to prop up coal companies would increase pollution, damage public lands and raise power bills
President Trump signed four executive orders aimed at propping up declining coal-fired power plants and reducing environmental protections for communities impacted by coal plants and mining.
Read MoreBankrupt coal company cited for releasing ‘sludge’ into West Virginia’s Gauley River watershed
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued its latest notice of violation against South Fork Coal Company, the bankrupt mining firm operating a 3,600-acre surface mining complex in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, on March 24. The citation was issued for “iron staining and sludge deposits” in Becky Run caused by the company’s Lost Flats #2 Surface Mine.
Read MoreAdvocates call on Congress to make sure coal companies don’t skip out on black lung responsibilities
“Congress needs to get serious about preventing black lung disease, improving benefits for miners with the disease, and ensuring the solvency of the trust fund instead of bending over backwards for the companies that have caused the black lung epidemic,” said Rebecca Shelton, Director of Policy at Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center.
Read MoreBlack Lung Awareness Day at the West Virginia Capitol
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, coal miners and their families from across West Virginia’s coal-producing communities will gather at the Capitol building for Black Lung Awareness Day.
Read MoreCoal company with 80+ clean water violations files for bankruptcy
South Fork Coal Company and its parent entities Xinergy and White Forest Resources, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware. The move follows the company’s well-documented pattern of water pollution and mine clean-up violations, which have drawn mounting public scrutiny and legal actions.
Read MoreThousands urge EPA to regulate coal dust from trains polluting communities and waterways
Appalachian Voices submitted a letter signed by nearly 4,000 individuals urging the Trump administration’s newly appointed Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Lee Zeldin, to develop new protections from coal dust that blows off of trains, contaminating waterways and posing serious public health risks.
Read MoreClintwood 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.
Read MoreFederal regulators issue notice to DEP for failing to enforce environmental protections at Greenbrier County coal mines
A notice issued by federal coal mining regulators outlines the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s failures to address persistent problems at a set of South Fork Coal Company mines and directs state regulators to address the issues and report back.
Read MoreWest Virginia DEP Suspends Bluestone Coal’s Mining Permit for Poca Surface Mine
West Virginia regulators suspended the mining permit for a Bluestone Coal surface mine in Wyoming County that is operated by the family of Sen. Jim Justice.
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