Energy Report
A digest of regional energy news
States Consider Cuts to Mine Safety, Coal Taxes
Legislation in Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia related to mine safety laws and coal taxation policies is showing how far Appalachian lawmakers will go in attempts to sustain the ailing industry.
Bankrupt Coal Companies Dodge Liabilities and Distribute Bonuses
Three major U.S. coal companies have filed bankruptcy and are grappling with their liabilities to restore sites after mining and their obligations to employees, past and present.
Controversy Shrouds Coal Ash Cleanup
In March, the N.C. Dept. of Environmental Quality held hearings across the state to solicit stakeholder comments on the cleanup plans for North Carolina’s 33 Duke Energy coal ash impoundments. The state also lifted do-not-drink warnings from households with contaminated wells near coal ash ponds.
Don Blankenship Sentenced and other news briefs
A former CEO of a coal mining company receives a historic criminal sentence, Atlantic Ocean spared from drilling, new study shows West Virginia is flatter due to mountaintop removal coal mining and other energy briefs.
