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Alpha Coal Company Strikes Deals Before Bankruptcy

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One of the largest coal operators in the region is striking deals so that the terms of its bankruptcy can be finalized in court. One deal protects hundreds of workers while another sets aside millions for environmental cleanup.

The United Mine Workers of America reached a tentative agreement with Alpha Natural Resources on a labor contract that will cover some 800 workers in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Union members vote on the deal this week.

It comes on the heels of an environmental deal the company struck this week in West Virginia. 325-million-dollars will be set aside to cover reclamation costs at both active and inactive mines- 80 percent of that for projects in West Virginia.

The agreement between West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection and Alpha has been approved by agencies in other states where Alpha operates including Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, and Tennessee as well as other U.S. agencies and the court overseeing the bankruptcy case

Alpha filed for bankruptcy last August. The sale and plan should be complete by the end of July.

Glynis Board drills deep for her ReSource stories on energy and the environment. She hails from the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and is based in Wheeling. Glynis is a West Virginia University graduate who has honed her video and audio storytelling skills at West Virginia Public Broadcasting since 2004. Her work has won the Edward R. Murrow Award and “outstanding reporter” honors from the AP.
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