Feature Stories
Mining Officials Assess Progress on New Underground Survival Equipment
June 10, 2016
Kevin Stricklin and Joe Main can rattle off a list of mine disasters that share a common ending: Miners trapped underground lived through an initial fire or explosion, but they could not get out or weren’t able to survive long
Housing Vacancies in Gillette, Wyoming Rise with Loss of Energy Jobs
June 3, 2016
In a typical Gillette neighborhood on a residential street lined with signs advertising homes for sale or rent, Jake Smith is busy moving his family out of their rental home. “We moved here in November,” Smith said. “I moved here
Bennett Hatfield, Former ICG and Patriot Coal CEO, Remembered
May 26, 2016
The death of Bennett Hatfield, former CEO of both ICG and Patriot Coal, on Monday has sent shock waves across West Virginia. Three individuals have been charged in the case, with one suspected of first-degree murder in connection to Hatfield’s
Hal Quinn: Federal Program that Leases Coal Should Continue
May 25, 2016
Some Americans may not realize it, but coal still provides roughly 35 percent of all the electricity generated in the United States — the largest share of electricity from any one energy source. States that rely on coal as their
History Comes to Life in Bramwell, W. Va. During Coal Mining, Railroad, and Scrip Show
May 24, 2016
Henry Ford once owned coal mining operations near Davy in McDowell County and visited the county at one time in his private rail car. Andrew Carnegie also owned mining interests (U.S. Steel) in the county. According Jay Chatman, who collects
Pennsylvania Coal Miner Recalls Last Weeks of Closing Down Alpha’s Emerald Mine
May 20, 2016
Ted Fink listened to the earth above him crack and buckle. He’d stood there before, every working day for eight years, hundreds of feet below ground in Emerald Mine No. 1, just outside of Waynesburg. But he’d never before heard
NMA: Coal Industry Crushed By Needless Regulation
May 18, 2016
For decades, Mississippi has proudly mined the coal that fuels American industry. During World War II, coal helped fire the steel foundries and factories that built America into the “Arsenal of Democracy.” And today, with coal still supplying roughly 35
Colorado’s Coal Decline Leaves Mining Towns Unsure of What’s Next
May 18, 2016
Coal miner Eric Sanchez bolted a grate across the top of a tunnel, 1,000 feet beneath a forest and 7 miles deep into Arch Coal’s West Elk Mine. Shiny black rocks fell past his helmet as he secured the tunnel,
Laid Off Coal Miner in W. Va. Confronts Hillary Over Her Promise to Eradicate Industry
May 4, 2016
A teary-eyed West Virginia coal worker confronted Hillary Clinton at a campaign event on Monday over the Democratic presidential candidate’s promises to dismantle the coal industry. Clinton offered a semi-apology to Bo Copley, a 39-year-old father who lost his job
The Stunning Effects of Obama’s War on Coal
May 4, 2016
President Barack Obama has followed through on his promise to “bankrupt” the coal industry, causing coal use to fall by 29 percent since 2007, according to a chart published Thursday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The huge decline
