The United States Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to hear oral arguments in a case looking to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing a federal regulation — the “Good Neighbor” Rule — that protects people in states downwind from industrial and coal plant pollution that drifts across state lines, a press release […]
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 […]
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 […]
Work on the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would carry fracked natural gas along a 600 mile route through West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, has been halted by court order and may not resume for several months, The News & Observer reported Monday. A federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia ruled on Friday that […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned of a “multistate infestation” with the Asian longhorned tick—the first new tick species to enter the U.S. in 50 years. New Jersey was the first state to report the Haemaphysalis longicornis on a sheep in August 2017. Since then, it has been found in Arkansas, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Andrea Germanos Spotlighting the terrible human impact of the nation’s continued reliance on coal, new research shows the most severe form of black lung disease, progressive massive fibrosis (PMF), is on the rise—big time. “This is history going in the wrong direction,” said lead researcher Kirsten S. Almberg, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the […]