The Tennessee Valley Authority is deciding whether to replace its coal-fired power plants with gas or with renewable resources. Advocates are calling on the Senate to confirm four new TVA board nominees.
Blog Archives
A new wave of abandoned coal mines?
As coal collapses, the industry is leaving behind thousands of acres of mined lands in various states of environmental destruction. A new report seeks to understand the scope of the problem and outline potential solutions.
New Tennessee law is a giveaway for coal companies
A new Tennessee law that changes the way surface mining is regulated in the state will force Tennessee taxpayers to prop up the industry and make it easier for coal operators to walk away from mine reclamation.
TAGS: Coal Coal mining mine reclamation Office of Suface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement primacy self-bonding Tennessee
The greenwashing of the Mountain Valley Pipeline
The developers of the climate-catastrophe that is the Mountain Valley Pipeline proudly announced a deal to offset the project’s carbon emissions. Don’t be fooled.
TAGS: Carbon clarke Climate Coal equitrans frack greenwash Methane mountain valley pipeline mvp Natural Gas
A bond forfeiture, unpaid fines, and a no-show: one month in the life of a Jim Justice family coal mine
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.
New report finds significant cleanup needed at coal mines in the East
Contact: Erin Savage – Senior Program Manager at Appalachian Voices, erin@appvoices.org, 206-769-8286 A new report estimates that 633,000 acres on mines still held by coal companies in the East require some degree of reclamation, at an estimated total cost of…
Enforcement of mine cleanup rules is needed to protect communities, create jobs
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.
TAGS: 117th Congress Coal mine reclamation Natural Resources Committee OSMRE U.S. House of Representatives
West Virginia statehouse resolution shows growing bipartisan support for increased funding for mine reclamation
West Virginia legislature interim committee passes resolution encouraging federal legislators to increase investments in mine land reclamation CONTACT: Dana Kuhnline, RECLAIM Coalition Coordinator, dana@appvoices.org, 304-825-3262 Erin Savage, Senior Program Manager at Appalachian Voices, erin@appvoices.org, 206-769-8286 Charleston, WV — The West…
TAGS: abandoned mine lands Coal mine reclamation modern mines RECLAIM Act Sen. Joe Manchin West Virginia
Collapse of the coal industry: Problems and recommendations
Coal mine regulations have not kept up with the industry’s collapse, leaving regulators without the money – or the legal tools – to address growing problems of scarred landscapes and polluted waters.
TAGS: Coal mine reclamation mountaintop removal coal mining OSMRE SMCRA Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
National coalition urges Congress to boost support for communities transitioning from fossil fuels
CONTACT: Jeremy Richardson, Union of Concerned Scientists, jrichardson@ucsusa.org, 301-442-1326 Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 Washington, DC – As America continues to transition toward clean energy, Congress must take swift and comprehensive action to support the workers and communities —…
TAGS: abandoned mine lands aml biden Coal Congress economic development just transition reclaim Solar transition
