Mining could start up near the Monongahela National Forest again

An excavator sits on a road in the Monongahela National Forest. Photo by Willie Dodson

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection granted ‘advanced approval’ to two mining companies to take over South Fork Coal Company operations; conservation groups are threatening to sue Two companies have taken over South Fork Coal Company’s mining operations near the Monongahela National Forest — including the use of an illegal coal haul road that…

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Saving 5 Miles on the Gauley River

Overhead view of the Gauley River and adjacent land that the Arc of Appalachia hopes to conserve. Photo courtesy of Arc of Appalachia

Arc of Appalachia, an Ohio-based nonprofit, launched a campaign to purchase and protect 1,336 acres in Nicholas County, West Virginia. The property includes 5 miles along the Gauley River and 1 mile of Big Beaver Creek.

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American Rivers names Gauley River to America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025, due to toxic coal mining pollution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 16, 2025 CONTACTHawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, [email protected]   Andrew Young, staff attorney for the Allegheny Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA), [email protected] Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, Appalachian Voices, (276) 289-1018, [email protected]  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The threat of toxic pollution from coal strip mining in the headwaters of one of the Gauley’s primary tributaries — the…

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