McDowell County residents sue coal company for clean water

Residents of the city of Gary filed a lawsuit in federal court late yesterday against Taishan Coal LLC and Taishan Resources LLC seeking to force the coal mining and processing company to provide a replacement drinking water source for the community because it has polluted the city’s current water supply. 

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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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DEP allows coal company to operate strip mining complex, including impacts to national forest, without first obtaining necessary approvals

South Fork Coal Company's Rocky Run Surface Mine cutting a gash into the Yew Mountains above the South Fork Cherry River and the community of Richwood. Photo by Andrew Young/ Southwings

Today, a coalition of conservation groups submitted a complaint and public comment objecting to a decision by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to grant “advanced approval” to two mining companies that want to take over South Fork Coal Company’s permits for operations near the Monongahela National Forest, including a haul road that illegally runs through part of the forest.

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