Regional cooperation is the key for western coal communities weathering the coal market contraction. This post originally appeared on Dakota Resource Council’s blog. The Beulah public forum “Building Resilience in Coal Country”, hosted by Dakota Resource Council, was planned to … Continued
WORC set out to investigate what the western coal industry’s continued decline means for cleanup of the hundreds of square miles of coal mines that stretch from North Dakota to Navajo Nation. As long-time coal companies are replaced by unknown firms without track records in the region, what has happened to the companies guaranteeing mine cleanup?
The Trump Administration is accelerating its efforts to dismantle the few regulatory barriers that protect the public from toxic coal ash waste. Minerals in coal ash (the ash left over after burning coal) including arsenic, mercury, thallium, lead, and many other elements make coal ash one of the most dangerous pollutants in America, causing respiratory illness, neurological damage, and cancer.
As coal markets decline, it’s time for rural communities to take control of their futures and create back-up plans. Reprinted from the Dakota Resource Council blog. Another company has left its coal workers hung out to dry. Coal companies in … Continued
Northern Plains member Steve Charter testifies before the US House on the impacts of a mining program built for another era. On July 11th, the House Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on “The Future of the … Continued
The time has come for Wyoming to rise to the occasion and address the truth about the declining coal industry. Wyoming must step up to help Wyoming’s coal communities transition to a new future. The devastating impact to coal miners and the community of Gillette with the abandonment and hollowing out of the Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte coal mines by an unscrupulous operator must be addressed.
Amid coal bankruptcies, it’s more important than ever to use all of the available tools to transition to more resilient, diverse economies. On July 1st, 580 employees of the Blackjewel mines Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte were told to pack … Continued
Advocates from Across the United States Pressure Legislators for Bipartisan Support of the bill. During the week of June 17th, 2019, advocates met on Capitol Hill with a multitude of legislators, urging them to pass the RECLAIM Act of 2019 … Continued
The Trump Administration’s attempt to cheat western communities out of their share of energy royalties fails A federal court in California dealt a big blow to the deregulatory energy agenda of the Interior Department on Friday, April 12. Two years … Continued
As the coal market contracts, lives and livelihoods hang in the balance. On Friday, May 10, Cloud Peak Energy filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware federal court. Unfavorable market pressures have brought low another of the country’s top coal mining … Continued