Posts Tagged ‘Coal’
When Tragedy Struck: Reflections on Upper Big Branch Mine
By Daniel A. Hawkins When the tragic explosion of the Massey owned Upper Big Branch mine rocked the small mining community of Montcoal, W.Va., on April 5, 2010, reverberations of sadness and fear echoed throughout the Appalachian Mountains, touching the hearts of nearly everyone laboring in the coal industry. Words could not possibly describe the…
Read MoreTennessee Crud: Appalachia plays host to yet another environmental disaster
Story by Bill Kovarik At first, when a 55-foot wall of coal fly ash sludge broke loose from an earthen dam early Dec. 22 near Kingston, TN, the nation barely paid attention. Initial reports from the Associated Press said there had been an isolated spill of “inert material not harmful to the environment,” according to…
Read MoreCoal River Mountain – The Line in the Sand for Mountaintop Removal?
Story and photos by Jamie Goodman For those who support alternative energy and oppose mountaintop removal, a line has been drawn in the proverbial sand. That line is at Coal River Mountain, West Virginia. Bulldozers have continued to clear trees and topsoil from Coal River Mountain, a peak that could potentially provide some of the…
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