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Bankrupt Blackjewel Coal Still Racking Up Environmental Violations, Officials Warn
By: Sydney Boles | Ohio Valley ReSource
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An attorney for the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet told a federal judge Wednesday that the bankrupt coal company Blackjewel has accrued nearly 300 environmental violations since it entered bankruptcy in July. “It’s essential that these violations are addressed, abated, and that they stop accruing,” Cabinet attorney Lena Seward told bankruptcy judge Frank Volk in the… Read More
2020 Hindsight: The Ohio Valley’s Decade in Data
By: Becca Schimmel | Ohio Valley ReSource
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The year: 2009. A Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama has just made history upon taking the presidential oath of office. The national economy is at a low point in the Great Recession. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are the first NFL team to win six Super Bowls. Ten years later, as 2019 gives way to… Read More
While “Zombie” Mines Idle, Cleanup And Workers Remain In Limbo
By: Joe Yerardi | Mark Olalde | Ohio Valley ReSource
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The sound of metal banging against metal broke the calm on the high mesa separating Colorado’s Paradox and Big Gypsum valleys. An old rusted headframe marked the entrance to an abandoned uranium mine that, from a distance, looked as if its workers were simply off on a lunch break. Jennifer Thurston, a local environmentalist, paused… Read More
Official: Kentucky Cabinet Fails to Secure Coal Worker Bonds
By: Associated Press
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The state’s Labor Cabinet hasn’t secured the necessary bonds from coal companies that would cover wage payments to miners if their employer unexpectedly shuts down, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear said. Beshear, a Democrat running for governor, announced on Thursday that his office examined records of Kentucky companies that should be… Read More
Judge: Ex-coal CEO Blankenship’s Conviction Should be Tossed
By: John Raby | AP
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Former coal CEO Don Blankenship’s misdemeanor conviction for conspiring to violate mine safety laws should be tossed out, a federal magistrate judge in West Virginia recommended Monday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar Aboulhson wrote that Blankenship’s rights were violated under the Brady rule, which says suppression of evidence favorable to the accused… Read More
Mines That Change Owners Have Worse Safety Record, Audit Finds
By: Sydney Boles | Ohio Valley ReSource
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A new federal government report shows that mines that changed ownership had worse safety records than mines where ownership did not change. According to an audit from the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General, mines that changed ownership during a 17-year period were nearly twice as likely to have safety violations, and five times as likely to report severe accidents… Read More
Still Fighting: These Widows’ Stories Show Larger Effects of Black Lung Epidemic
By: Sydney Boles | Ohio Valley ReSource
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Nancy and Rich Potter had the kind of marriage that made other couples jealous. He’d take her on spontaneous trips. She’d wear her Daisy Dukes just for him. Joyce Birman said her late husband, George, made a terrible first impression. It was his apology for it that made her fall for him, hard. Vickie Salyers’… Read More
KY Coal Mine That Belonged To WV Governor Causes Damaging Floods Again
By: Sydney Boles | Ohio Valley ReSource
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The rain started around 10:30 p.m. By midnight, the creek in front of Elvis and Laura Thackers’ house had swelled to a mighty flood, uprooting trees, moving boulders and surging right up to the couple’s front steps. The Thackers decided to abandon their home. But when they got into their Jeep, they found the flood… Read More
Miners Urge Congressional Action On Pensions, Black Lung Fund
By: Becca Schimmel | Ohio Valley ReSource
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Retired coal miners and coal community activists are on Capitol Hill this week urging action on two important issues for miners: pensions and black lung benefits. Advocates say funds supporting both pensions for retired miners and the federal benefits for those sickened by black lung disease are at risk if Congress does not act. Pension… Read More
Safer Direction? Top Mine Regulator Addresses Concerns About Dust And Deaths In Coal
By: Brittany Patterson | Ohio Valley ReSource
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As President Trump attempts to revive the struggling coal industry, the administration’s top regulator for mine safety used a recent lecture at West Virginia University to lay out his priorities for the agency charged with keeping miners safe. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health David Zatezalo outlined the Trump administration’s priorities for… Read More