The Front Porch Blog, with Updates from AppalachiaThe Front Porch Blog, with Updates from Appalachia

BLOGGER INDEX

No time to waste averting another coal mine cleanup crisis

Friday, December 15th, 2023 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

Regulators are ignoring a growing crisis unfolding in modern mine reclamation. Coal companies are often failing to complete timely reclamation, and safeguards to ensure mine cleanup are failing. Communities are already seeing a new, more devastating wave of abandoned mines — a problem that will get worse without action. [ Read More ]


How a proposed rule can help communities hold coal companies accountable

Wednesday, June 14th, 2023 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

The federal surface mining agency has proposed a new rule that, if finalized, will restore community members’ ability to ensure coal companies follow the law. [ Read More ]


Congress considers bills to address coal mining impacts at June hearing

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022 | Posted by Erin Savage | 1 Comment

During a recent U.S. House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing, Erin Savage of Appalachian Voices and two other Appalachian residents testified about acid mine drainage, abandoned mine sites and the impacts of ongoing mountaintop removal coal mining. [ Read More ]


Tell White House officials that coal mine cleanup must be a priority

Tuesday, September 14th, 2021 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

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. [ Read More ]


Collapse of the coal industry: Problems and recommendations

Tuesday, June 8th, 2021 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

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. [ Read More ]


Google Earth teams up with Appalachian Voices

Tuesday, May 25th, 2021 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

Appalachian Voices teamed up with Google Earth on a video to show how the search engine's satellite imagery helps us protect the environment. [ Read More ]


“Environmentalist” Tom Clarke abandons mines in West Virginia

Friday, April 3rd, 2020 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

With the failure of coal operator ERP's unconventional scheme, West Virginia must contend with the company's environmental violations and mines in need of cleanup. [ Read More ]


Progress on healthcare for miners with black lung disease

Wednesday, December 18th, 2019 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

Congress reinstated a tax to fund healthcare and benefits for miners with black lung and their families for 2020 — but further action is needed to extend the tax and support the fund for 10 years. [ Read More ]


A decision point for abandoned coal mines

Friday, September 6th, 2019 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

An accurate inventory of abandoned coal mine lands is imperative for understanding the scope of the problem, where funding needs to be directed, and how much funding is necessary. [ Read More ]


Blackjewel’s bankruptcy looks like bad news for workers and mine cleanup

Wednesday, July 10th, 2019 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

Appalachia's latest coal bankruptcy looks different than others — mines shut down immediately and paychecks were clawed back from employees' bank accounts. We take a look at what the Blackjewel and Revelation Energy bankruptcy could mean for mine land reclamation. [ Read More ]


Central Appalachia’s newest coal boss facing bankruptcies

Monday, December 10th, 2018 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

Virginia businessman Tom Clarke's foray into the coal industry initially looked promising for addressing environmental and community problems. Now, however, his business model is looking questionable. [ Read More ]


Coal industry sees bankruptcies and exports in volatile 2018

Monday, November 26th, 2018 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments

Some coal companies appear to be banking on opportunities for short-term gain with metallurgical coal, but the metallurgical market can only prop up the industry for so long. [ Read More ]



 

 


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