In late summer of 2022, Appalachian Voices discovered selenium, a common pollutant associated with coal mining, in high concentrations in certain streams in the Big Sandy River watershed in Pike County, Kentucky. These waterways receive runoff from the S-1 Hunts Branch Surface Mine, a nearly 2,000-acre mountaintop removal coal mine operated by Lexington Coal Company.
Years after mining ends, selenium pollution from mountaintop removal coal mining operations still accumulates in insects downstream.
CONTACTS: Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices Central Appalachian Program Manager, erin@appvoices.org, 206-769-8286 August 7, 2019 Charleston, W.Va. — A coalition of West Virginian advocacy groups including the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Appalachian Voices, and the Sierra…
CONTACTS: Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices Central Appalachian Program Manager, erin@appvoices.org, 206-769-8286 Alex Amend, Sierra Club Eastern Regional Communications Manager, alex.amend@sierraclub.org, 404-457-8937 CHARLESTON, WV — A coalition of West Virginian advocacy groups including the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the West Virginia…
After four years of effort, a favorable ruling in Virginia this month confirmed the rights of citizens to participate in coal mine inspections.
Contact: Matt Hepler, 276-679-1691, matt.hepler@appvoices.org Brian Willis, 202-675-2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org Isak Howell, 540-998-7744, ihowell@appalmad.org WISE, Virginia – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia has ruled in favor of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Sierra Club on…
America’s environmental regulations have hampered the coal industry to varying degrees for decades, and though those rules can protect communities from pollution, the law alone is often not able to secure clean water. Here are some of the trouble spots.
From The Appalachian Voice Online: Yet another aspect of the financial perils facing U.S. coal companies is coming into full view. As even some of the nation’s largest coal producers run the risk of caving under their debts, regulators and analysts are voicing urgent concerns about cash-strapped companies’ ability to pay for reclamation land after mining.
Two recent studies include more bad news regarding the impacts of mountaintop removal on streams throughout Central Appalachia. One indicates that work done to restore previously degraded streams is inadequate, while the other raises important questions about the feasibility of selenium pollution enforcement.
Contact Appalachian Voices: Eric Chance, 828-262-1500, eric@appvoices.org Kentuckians For The Commonwealth: Suzanne Tallichet, 606-776-7970, stallichet1156@aol.com Center for Biological Diversity: Tierra Curry, 971-717-6402, tcurry@biologicaldiversity.org Sierra Club: Adam Beitman, (202) 675-2385, adam.beitman@gmail.com Defenders of Wildlife: Melanie Gade, (202) 772-0288, mgade@defenders.org Kentucky Waterways…
