Coal Mines/Miners

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The Young Miners Dying of “An Old Man’s Disease”

Black lung is completely preventable. And it’s on the rise again.

https://inthesetimes.com/article/coal-miners-black-lung-young-dying-old-mans-disease-kim-kelly?

After decades of delays and broken promises, coal miners hail rule to slow rise of black lung

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A half-century ago, the nation’s top health experts urged the federal agency in charge of mine safety to adopt strict rules protecting miners from poisonous rock dust.

https://apnews.com/article/black-lung-silica-dust-coal-mining-west-virginia-be722098fcf2a20b16bd73ca12c06c7e?

Coal dust: Former mine managers face fraud trial in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A group of four former coal company officials conspired to cheat federal safety regulations to boost their Kentucky company’s profits instead of protecting their workers, federal prosecutors alleged at the start of a criminal fraud trial Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/business-kentucky-wv-state-wire-louisville-air-quality-4a2771400d3c21ddb9bb6d15c9599252?

Contractor says it has settled lawsuit with sick and dying coal ash workers

The judge at the time recognized that the workers still had a long road ahead with the lawsuit and ordered the two sides to try mediation, alluding to many of the workers’ urgent need for medical care. Mediation, however, was not successful, and the suit dragged on as Jacobs continued to file appeals, repeatedly trying to get the case thrown out.

https://apnews.com/article/coal-ash-workers-jacobs-engineering-lawsuit-tennessee-68b7809219a0c61d86825b934ca77edd?

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Biden offers $450M for clean energy projects at coal mines

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration is making $450 million available for solar farms and other clean energy projects at the site of current or former coal mines, part of his efforts to combat climate change.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-coal-mine-clean-energy-solar-manchin-3046634c240bbc60998ab84d189a1109

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Cardiovascular ER Visits Plunged After Pittsburgh Coal Plant Shut, Study Finds

Emergency room visits by people suffering heart attacks and strokes significantly decreased almost immediately after one of the largest coal-processing plants in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania shut down in 2016, a study published this week revealed.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/shenango-coke-works?

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After decades of delays and broken promises, coal miners hail rule to slow rise of black lung

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A half-century ago, the nation’s top health experts urged the federal agency in charge of mine safety to adopt strict rules protecting miners from poisonous rock dust.

https://apnews.com/article/black-lung-silica-dust-coal-mining-west-virginia-be722098fcf2a20b16bd73ca12c06c7e?

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Collapse of Kentucky plant being demolished at abandoned mine leaves 1 worker dead, another trapped

INEZ, Ky. (AP) — One man has died after he and a coworker were trapped beneath tons of concrete and steel when an 11-story building being demolished collapsed at an abandoned eastern Kentucky mine’s coal preparation plant.

https://apnews.com/article/plant-collapse-trapped-workers-kentucky-472d671ababe7886ef168d717d09e2ea?

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West Virginians Could Get Stuck Cleaning Up the Coal Industry’s Messes

West Virginia’s fund to clean up abandoned coal mines is in such dire shape that it threatens to stick taxpayers with hundreds of millions — perhaps even billions — of dollars in cleanup costs. And yet, little is being done to turn things around.

https://www.propublica.org/article/west-virginians-could-get-stuck-cleaning-up-coal-industry-messes?

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The demand for rare elements could help clean up Appalachia’s abandoned coal mines Researchers are hoping to realize a long-term dream of cleaning up toxic groundwaters that flow out of old coal mines. They've long wanted to do this to address pollution in waterways, but now there's another reason: pioneering methods for extracting rare earth minerals and valuable metals from the drainage. Read more.

Why this matters: Coal that powered steel mills and locomotives and helped industrialize America is blamed for contributing to global warming, and coal mine drainage has poisoned waterways across Appalachia.    The pilot project run by West Virginia University is now part of an intensifying worldwide race to develop a secure supply of the valuable metals and, with more federal funding, it could grow into a commercial-scale enterprise.   For the U.S., which is beholden to a Chinese-controlled supply of these valuable metals, the pursuit of rare earth elements is also a national security priority.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Cavers exploring in western Virginia rescue ‘miracle’ dog found 40 to 50 feet down in cave   US miners’ union head calls House Republican effort to block silica dust rule an ‘attack’ on workers   ‘War on coal’ rhetoric heats up as Biden seeks to curb pollution with election looming

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The cost of coal

It’s been 13 years since the last large coal-fired power plant opened in the US. President Donald Trump’s administration wants to build two, but experts say that even with federal support, the price tag could be astronomical.