west virginia

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    Coal Miners With Black Lung Brace for COVID-19

    Coal Miners With Black Lung Brace for COVID-19

    In some states like West Virginia, coal mines have been classified as essential services and are staying open during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though the close quarters miners work in and the known risks to respiratory health put miners in harm’s way during the spread of the coronavirus. In Appalachia, miners with pneumoconiosis, or black […]

    Coal-Friendly Manchin Named Top Dem on Senate Energy Panel

    Coal-Friendly Manchin Named Top Dem on Senate Energy Panel

    After weeks of discord over the potential appointment, Sen. Joe Manchin, the pro-coal Democrat of West Virginia, was named the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday. Many Democrats and environmental groups were adamantly opposed to Manchin serving as the top Democrat on the committee that […]

    Why Plans to Turn America’s Rust Belt Into a New Plastics Belt Are Bad News for the Climate

    Why Plans to Turn America’s Rust Belt Into a New Plastics Belt Are Bad News for the Climate

    By Sharon Kelly The petrochemical industry anticipates spending a total of over $200 billion on factories, pipelines, and other infrastructure in the U.S. that will rely on shale gas, the American Chemistry Council announced in September. Construction is already underway at many sites. This building spree would dramatically expand the Gulf Coast’s petrochemical corridor (known […]

    Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Permit Revoked by Federal Court

    Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Permit Revoked by Federal Court

    By Courtney Lindwall Communities along the 300-mile proposed route for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) heard some good news this week. On Tuesday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously voted to vacate a permit required by the Clean Water Act, which was previously issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The ruling stated […]

    TransCanada Pipeline Explodes in West Virginia

    TransCanada Pipeline Explodes in West Virginia

    A newly installed TransCanada natural gas pipeline exploded early Thursday in the remote Nixon Ridge area of Marshall County in West Virginia. No injuries were reported but flames and smoke from the blast could be seen as far as 20 miles away, residents told local media. Area police told CBS News the fire was “very […]