Members of the Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition visited an abandoned mine in Mingo County, W.Va., slated to become the site of a solar-powered aquaponics agriculture facility.
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Southwest Virginia awarded grants for innovative coal mine reclamation projects
CONTACT Chelsea Barnes New Economy Program Manager chelsea@appvoices.org, (276) 207-9636 Norton, Va. — Ten community revitalization projects that will reclaim old coal mining sites in Southwest Virginia will receive $10 million in grant money administered by the Virginia Department of…
TAGS: abandoned mine lands aml coalfields economic development RECLAIM Act Solar Energy southwest virginia sun tribe
Good – and not-so-good – mine reclamation projects
Congress has funded “pilot” projects to repurpose old coal sites in Appalachia for three years; the results show a clear need for a strong RECLAIM Act grounded in community-driven goals and environmental cleanup.
Laying the Groundwork for Innovative Mine Reclamation Projects
A coalition of environmental groups including Appalachian Voices released a report in November detailing opportunities to give old mine lands new life.
20 former coal sites in Appalachia identified for innovative economic development
Norton, VA — A coalition of groups in Central Appalachia today issued a report highlighting 20 innovate projects that would clean up abandoned coal mine lands and give them new life as sustainable agriculture businesses, solar farms or other economic…
TAGS: abandoned mine lands aml appalachia regional commission economic development power grant RECLAIM Act redevelopment Solar uva-wise
Reauthorization of Mine Lands Program Advances
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would renew funding for restoring abandoned coal mine sites — but it would also limit a wide swath of environmental protections.
House renews funding to clean up old coal mines
The House of Representatives yesterday evening passed two measures that would continue the critical work of communities in Central Appalachia to cleanup and repurpose old coal mines for new economic development initiatives. The two amendments to the Interior appropriations bill…
Decades in the Making: A Mine Reclamation Backlog
Several charts and maps show the enormity of the abandoned mine problems that still need to be cleaned up — and the inadequacy of the current cleanup fund.
The Ongoing Cleanup of Abandoned Coal Mines
A key federal mine reclamation program is up for reauthorization in 2021 — and the work is far from finished.
TAGS: abandoned mine lands Acid Mine Drainage aml AML pilot program AML reauthorization Cheat River Gorge SMCRA
More to ‘pumped storage’ than meets the eye
A plan to use defunct coal mines in Southwest Virginia for a hydroelectric facility could be a great idea — provided it uses local workers and locally sited solar energy to run the operation.
TAGS: abandoned mine lands aml dominon energy economic development hydroelectricity Pumped storage southwest virginia
