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.
Blog Archives
Collapse of the coal industry: Problems and recommendations
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
Despite Decline of Coal, Mining Remains Aggressive on Coal River Mountain
Despite a national coal downturn, mining has not slowed much in Raleigh County, West Virginia, where companies have proposed two new mountaintop removal coal mines.
TAGS: blasting Coal mining Coal River Mountain Watch end mountaintop removal mine reclamation mountaintop removal coal mining surface coal mine West Virginia
Company’s bankruptcy makes it harder for residents to address problems with nearby mines
People living near a pair of Virginia mountaintop removal coal mines have long complained about blasting and dust. Now, the company’s bankruptcy makes it even harder for nearby residents to get relief.
TAGS: blasting coal bankruptcy coal industry mountaintop removal coal mining surface mine Virginia DMME
Insects Carry Traces of Mountaintop Removal Mining
Years after mining ends, selenium pollution from mountaintop removal coal mining operations still accumulates in insects downstream.
Over 100 Miners Heading to Washington to Advocate for Black Lung Benefits
Over 100 miners from across the Appalachian region are traveling to Washington D.C. this week to lobby lawmakers on a number of issues related to black lung disease, a fatal respiratory condition caused by continuous exposure to harmful dust and rock particles in and around coal mines.
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Culture Appalachian Voices Black Lung Black Lung Disability Trust Fund black lung disease blacklungkills Coal Coal mining employee benefits Environment Health mountaintop removal coal mining
Kentuckians Petition State to Block Surface Mining Near Two Towns
Filers of the petition argue that future surface coal mining near Benham and Lynch, Ky., would harm residents’ health and enjoyment of the area, as well as the towns’ historic character and attempts to attract tourism.
Gainesville Loves Mountains
Gainesville, Fla., citizens push their utility away from mountaintop removal coal and toward clean energy.
TAGS: Activism energy democracy Energy Efficiency Gainesville mountaintop removal coal mining municipal utility
New Study Maps Increase in Land Disturbed by Coal Mining
A new study shows that surface mining has cleared 1.5 million acres of land between 1976 and 2015, and also showed a drastic increase in the ratio of land cleared to tonnage of coal produced over the last three decades.
Opposition to Proposed Tennessee Mountaintop Removal Mine
Kopper Glo Mining is seeking a second permit to release pollution from its nearly 1,500-acre proposed Claiborne County, Tenn., strip mine into public waterways. Attendees at a public hearing voiced a number of concerns.
Pattern of Violations at Alpha’s Middle Ridge Mine
West Virginia ordered a subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resources to “show cause” for why it should be allowed to continue operating Middle Ridge Mine after incurring seven violations since July 2016.
