Posts Tagged ‘mine reclamation’
Building community awareness to solve acid mine drainage: A conversation with DJ Coker
DJ Coker of Duff, Tennessee found acid mine drainage at a nearby pond that used to be part of a coal mining operation. Now, he’s made it his mission to get the site cleaned up and demand accountability from those responsible. Watch DJ’s story.
Read MoreCleaning up mines owned by Gov. Justice and his family would create hundreds of jobs
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.
Read MoreU.S. makes largest-ever investment in abandoned mine cleanup
CONTACT: Matt Hepler, Appalachian Voices Central Appalachian Environmental Scientist, (540) 871-1564, matt@appvoices.org Molly Moore, Appalachian Voices Communications, (847) 401-3633, molly@appvoices.org The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act President Biden is expected to sign into law today includes the nation’s largest-ever investment in cleaning up decades-old abandoned coal mines. The bill reauthorizes the Abandoned Mine Land (AML)…
Read MoreHistoric investments in Abandoned Mine Land Program a win for coal-impacted communities
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.
Read MoreAppalachian Voices celebrates historic investments in Abandoned Mine Land Program
CONTACT: Dana Kuhnline, RECLAIM Campaign Coordinator, dana@appvoices.org, (304) 825-3262 Jamie Goodman, Digital Communications Specialist, comms@appvoices.org, (828) 719-9493 APPALACHIA — Late Friday night, the U.S. House passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes reauthorization of the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Program and provides an additional $11.3 billion for abandoned mine cleanup. This bipartisan bill…
Read MoreReport finds potential to create hundreds of reclamation jobs on Justice-family coal mines
CONTACT: Willie Dodson, Central Appalachian Field Coordinator willie@appvoices.org 276-870-5843 A new report by Appalachian Voices estimates that 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. Based on data provided by state and federal regulators,…
Read MoreHow acid mine drainage fits into pending mine cleanup legislation: A conversation with Joe Pizarchik
Joe Pizarchik, former head of OSMRE and one of the nation’s foremost experts on complex and sprawling abandoned mine lands issues, provides an essential overview of how acid mine drainage fits into pending legislative proposals and where we should look next.
Read MoreConfronting acid mine drainage: A conversation with Rural Action’s Marissa Lautzenheiser
In this conversation, Marissa Lautzenheiser of Rural Action lays out the basics of the acid mine drainage challenge, discusses the unique funding needs for AMD clean-up, and talks about some of the innovative work Rural Action is doing to tackle this problem.
Read MoreCongress fails to reauthorize abandoned coal mine lands program before deadline, creating new uncertainty & threatening job creation
CONTACT: Trey Pollard, 202-904-9187, trey@pollardcommunications.com Molly Moore, 847-401-3633, molly@appvoices.org APPALACHIA — The authorization of funding for the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) fund officially expired at midnight Thursday. This lapse in funding brings a new level of uncertainty to the AML program, which is responsible for cleaning up dangerous highwalls, open mine portals, and polluted streams…
Read MoreTell White House officials that coal mine cleanup must be a priority
Insufficient bonding systems and decades of poor enforcement of mine reclamation law have led to a severe backlog in abandoned mines — and a new wave of coal bankruptcies is exacerbating the problem.
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