Tagged: Coal

A rally in support of coal is scheduled for this weekend in southeast Kentucky. It stemmed from a Facebook post, but now Bell County resident and business owner Joe Harris says he expects more than 20,000 people to line a county road Saturday in support of coal. Harris says the event—dubbed “Hands of Coal Across Bell County” isn’t a protest, but just a show of support for the coal industry. Coal is still a major employer in Bell County, but as reduced demand leads to layoffs, Harris says other residents and businesses are suffering.

Kentucky politicians have been lining up to praise a judge’s decision earlier this week to overturn the new way the Environmental Protection Agency has been evaluating coal mining permits. The EPA was sued by the National Mining Association and several individual states, including Kentucky. But the ruling could have few practical implications for the coal industry.

Today on NPR: A mile-deep mine in South Dakota was closed a decade ago. Now, it's been cleaned up and revamped as an underground science laboratory.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission will hold public hearings next month in Paducah and Henderson to get input on a proposal raising rates for Big Rivers Electric Corporation customers. Big Rivers wants to spend about $284 million to comply with new federal environmental requirements affecting utilities that burn coal to generate electricity.

A major coal company with mines in Appalachia and Western Kentucky has filed for bankruptcy. In a news release, Patriot Coal said it was undertaking the move to facilitate restructuring.