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Federal Dust Fraud Charges Highlight Black Lung Threat For Miners
By: Becca Schimmel | Ohio Valley ReSource
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When former coal mine employees in western Kentucky faced arraignment Wednesday on federal charges that they conspired to falsify the required monitoring of coal dust, the hearing brought renewed attention to the region’s surge in black lung disease. The case highlights the many challenges miners face in the workplace. And health officials in black lung clinics… Read More
Rural Counties Under Stress From Justice Companies’ Unpaid Taxes In Several States
By: Jeff Young | Ohio Valley ReSource
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In October, 2016, NPR, Ohio Valley ReSource and its partners reported that West Virginia billionaire coal baron Jim Justice, who was running for governor as a Democrat, owned companies that owed roughly $15 million in overdue taxes and mine safety fines. This week, Gov. Justice, who is now a Republican, made an announcement about those taxes. “I think we… Read More
Q&A: Investigations Correspondent Howard Berkes Discusses Black Lung Disease Series
By: Griffin Rowell | NPR
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Investigations Correspondent Howard Berkes talks about his recent work on “Black Lung Returns To Coal Country,” a series he has reported off-and-on for years.
Black Lung Rate Hits 25-Year High In Appalachian Coal Mining States
By: Howard Berkes | NPR
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In central Appalachia, one in five working coal miners with at least 25 years experience underground now suffers from the deadly disease black lung, according to a new study.
Federal Prosecutor Charges Coal Company With Faking Dust Samples Amid Black Lung Surge
By: Jeff Young | Beccca Schimmel | Ohio Valley ReSource
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The U.S. Attorney for Kentucky’s Western District unsealed eight fraud indictments Wednesday against employees of the bankrupt Armstrong Energy coal company for falsifying dust monitoring samples in two Kentucky mines. “What the grand jury is charging and what the United States will prosecute is lying and cheating by a coal company to prevent the appropriate… Read More
Trade Troubles: Escalating Trade Threats Could Hit Ohio Valley Coal, Natural Gas
By: Brittany Patterson | Ohio Valley ReSource
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President Donald Trump’s desire to help boost the Ohio Valley’s energy industry and bring back mining jobs could be stymied by the administration’s escalating trade battle with China and other trading partners across the globe. The Trump administration announced in June $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, which are set to go into effect on Friday…. Read More
West Virginia Coal Waste Plant In Struggle To Stay Open
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A coal waste plant at risk of shutting down in West Virginia is hoping to stay open through state proceedings. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the Grant Town Power Plant’s owner, American Bituminous Power Partners, has teetered on the verge of bankruptcy, according to company filings. In May, the state Public Service… Read More
National Academy Report Urges Stronger Coal Dust Monitoring Amid Black Lung Surge
By: Jeff Young | Ohio Valley ReSource
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A new report from the National Academy of Sciences says the coal mining industry needs a “fundamental shift” in the way it controls exposure to coal and rock dust in order to prevent lung disease among miners. Despite improvements such as an Obama-era rule to strengthen monitoring and control of dust in mines, the experts on the… Read More
Advocates Trying To Scratch Opt Out Provision From Renewable Energy, Efficiency Bill
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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A bill that would overhaul the way Ohio mandates the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency is likely to get a vote in the Senate this week. The bill would take the amount of renewable energy the state requires to be on the grid, and cut it by a third. The measure gives more… Read More
Large Methane Leaks Threaten Perception Of ‘Clean’ Natural Gas
By: Leigh Paterson | NPR
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A new study finds that oil and gas operations are leaking 60 percent more methane than previously reported by the federal government.