Coal Report 05-22-13 6m 00sec
More than 250 coal jobs are coming to Pike County. According to the Mountain Eagle (alternate link here), High Ridge Mining is planning to open seven mines in the Big Creek, Johns Creek, and Pond Creek areas of Pike county, and at each of these seven mines, they plan to hire 36 people. Bill Smith, who owns High Ridge, hopes to mine a total of 1 million tons a year across these 7 mines, and he plans to export most of this coal to China. Pike County Judge Executive Wayne Rutherford said operations like this one, focused on exports to Asia, could help sustain the coal industry in east Kentucky, which lost 4,000 coal jobs from 2011 to 2012 alone due to competition from natural gas, stricter emissions regulations at power plants, and the fact that central Appalachian coal is more expensive to mine compared to coal from other regions. Those interested in applying for these jobs must visit the office in person, at 138 College Street in Pikeville. They can be reached at 606-433-7721.
A new study examining the lung tissue of miners killed in the Upper Big Branch Explosion is providing more evidence of what more and more experts seem to be finding—black lung disease is on the rise. According to NPR, a team of doctors examined 7 Continue reading Coal Report for May 22, 2013
WCN – 5-1-13 – Kentucky Derby – edited
 Jenny carefully constructs cheese-grits-crackers In this edition of the planet’s only live radio cooking show (that we know of), our fearless hosts wade once more into the venerated waters of a most-holy Kentucky tradition–the Derby, and specifically, Making Food for the Derby. In this edition of their Derby program, Jenny & Jonathan whip up some nontraditional Derby fare that is nonetheless Kentucky-based: ham salad with apples and Kentucky Proud chives, served in lettuce cups; cheese-grits-crackers (instead of the typical cheese grits) covered with sauteed stinging nettles & garlic; a Kentucky Hot Brown Dip; and the famous Kentucky cocktail, the Double-Wide. Stream or download the audio above, check out the full streaming archive here, and visit Jenny & Jonathan’s fantastic blog with photos, recipes, & more at whatscookinnow.org.
Coal Report 05-15-13 5m 58sec
 graphic from "The Continuing Decline in Demand for Central Appalachian Coal : Market and Regulatory Influences" from Downstream Strategies; view it here: http://downstreamstrategies.com/documents/reports_publication/the-continuing-decline-in-demand-for-capp-coal.pdf According to the Charleston Gazette, a comprehensive new report says that central Appalachian coal production will continue to decline for the foreseeable future. The report (which you can read here), released by the West Virgnia consulting group Downstream Strategies, says that by the year 2040, our region’s coal production will have declined by 53% from 2011 levels. And the vast bulk of this huge decline is expected to hit much sooner—by the year 2020. Interestingly, though, the report says that coal employment will not necessarily decline at the same rate as production, and that coal jobs over this period may actually increase due to a decline in labor productivity—meaning the coal here is harder to reach and will take more people to mine. So while overall employment figures may not lag, especially at the huge rate that production will, the report suggests that coal employment will start to become concentrated in fewer and fewer central Appalachian counties. So the report Continue reading Coal Report for May 15, 2013
2013-05-09 MN WR
 ACP foresters making inventories of forest land // photo from the ACP website (http://appalachiancarbonpartnership.org) In this edition of Mountain News & World Report, we’ll hear about how bluegrass music respects its heritage, and we’ll meet a couple of young musicians who are experimenting with that heritage. But we begin our program with a report on an innovative program encouraging us to take a fresh look at our natural resources.
Central Appalachia loses more than 130 acres of forest land every day. 90% of this forest land is privately owned, but less than 5% of that land is under sustainable management, and the Appalachian Carbon Partnership (ACP) seeks to reverse that trend by encouraging Appalachian residents to sustainably manage their forest land. A program of the Mountain Association for Communiy Economic Development, in partnership with Appalachian Sustainable Development and Rural Action, ACP directly compensates landowners for the carbon sequestered in their trees each year. WMMT’s Sylvia Ryerson & Mimi Pickering visited a family participating in the ACP program in Estill County, Ky.
SYP 5-8-13
In this week’s edition of Letcher County’s ongoing epic poem written to and about itself: Dissatisfaction with county leaders! Dissatisfaction with the local McDonald’s! Wake up, parents! The Old Man in the Blue Truck Returns! And to the hot-looking man: meet me at the laundromat on Thursday!
Coal Report 05-08-13 5m 59sec
 the interior of the Kentucky Darby Mine in Harlan County, Ky., the site of a fatal explosion in 2006. the mine's operators never paid safety fines issued after the accident, and now owe $1.6 million in unpaid fines from violations at a different Harlan County mine // photo from MSHA According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, an east Kentucky coal company has now “essentially disappeared” after being fined over $800,000 last year. K&D Mining was fined that amount for 43 different citations at the No. 17 mine in Harlan County, Ky, and these citations were issued for what inspectors called “reckless disgregard” for safety at the mine, including excessive coal dust buildup, ventilation problems, damaged conveyor belts, improper roof controls, and dangerous wiring. But despite these citations and the fact that K&D hadn’t paid any of its fines, the mine was allowed to keep operating until the company abruptly dissolved last year. In total, the now-defunct company owes over $1.6 million in unpaid safety fines, which MSHA has vowed to somehow collect. But this gets tricky when coal companies just disappear like K&D did. And skipping out on safety fines is nothing new for these operators. The Courier reports that two of the men that ran K&D—Ralph Napier and John D. North–also ran the Kentucky Darby coal mine in Harlan County where five miners were killed in 2006. After that tragedy, the company was found guilty of improperly sealing a section of the mine and was fined nearly $700,000, but as of last year Napier and North had still not paid that fine either. In total, coal companies across the country owe $73.6 million in Continue reading Coal Report for May 8, 2013
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