Coal Country

The Ky. Senate approved a bill that would make it harder for utilities to retire coal-fired power plants. The utility industry says it will raise costs for ratepayers.

The Tennessee Valley Authority's four remaining coal plants could cause more than 2,000 premature deaths in the next decade, according to a new report from the Sierra Club. The report also found the federal utility has the largest mortality rate from coal burning of any parent company in the nation. TVA currently causes 241 premature deaths per year due to its contributions to soot pollution, also called fine particulate matter.

Utilities pushed back against Kentucky lawmakers calling for additional hurdles to prevent the retirement of coal-fired power plants. A Senate committee nonetheless passed the bill Wednesday.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled a Kentucky law discounting coal for in-state utilities likely violated constitutional protections for interstate commerce.

Utilities and pipeline executives spoke to Kentucky lawmakers about failures of the power system during Winter Storm Elliott in December.

Building new solar locally is now a cheaper source of electricity in Kentucky than continuing to operate coal-fired power plants, according to a new study.

A new short film features how art has played a role in eastern Kentucky’s activism against the coal industry.

More than a decade of research has found a relationship between strip mine sites and health problems like cancer. Now, citizen groups are asking the Biden administration to jumpstart a federal study that was aimed at finding more complete answers about mining’s public health effects and — potentially — instituting additional regulatory measures to help coalfield residents.

One ton of coal was valued at about $85 last May. Now, it’s worth nearly four times as much, hovering at about $320.

The CEO of a coal company that does business in Kentucky has been indicted on federal charges relating to an international money laundering, wire fraud and bribery scheme.