Tagged: coal

An analysis out from the West Virginia Center and Policy--a nonpartisan think tank in Charleston--predicts that even while coal production in Central Appalachia declines, employment will rise.

This may sound counterintuitive. But the analysis by Sean O'Leary says that could happen, due to falling productivity. In that case, it would take the same number of miners to mine less coal.

CONSOL Energy has decided to temporarily idle two coal mines, the Buchanan Mine in southwest Virginia and the Amonate Mining Complex in southern West Virginia.

This doesn't stand out as particularly surprising news--after all, demand for coal is dropping, and factors like low natural gas prices, an unseasonably warm winter and upcoming environmental regulations have made it a tough year for the industry.

Environmental activists are gathering in Washington D.C. today for an anti-mountaintop removal rally.

News started rolling in via blogs and Twitter last night that prominent anti-mountaintop removal activist Larry Gibson was dead at age 66.

Gibson returned to his family's home on Kayford Mountain in Kanawha County, West Virginia in 1986, and spent the next quarter-century fighting the mountaintop removal operations that were slowly surrounding his land.

A slowdown in Kentucky's mining industry is causing financial problems. Diminished severance tax revenue could force some planned construction projects in the coalfields to be postponed.

Revenue from the state's coal severance tax is plummeting, with mines shutting down and miners being laid off.

Deputy State Budget Director John Hicks told lawmakers today that coal tax revenue is projected at $245 million this year. That's $88 million less than was expected when lawmakers passed the budget less than five months ago.