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Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

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Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

WV groups urge shutdown of Monongahela coal haul road

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Monday, January 13, 2025   

Advocates want federal regulators to shut down what they say is an illegal coal haul road in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest.

South Fork Coal Company obtained a state mining permit in 2011 for its haul road.

Willie Dodson, coal impacts program manager for the advocacy group Appalachian Voices, said the company falsely claimed the road would not enter national forest land. While he expects in the company to argue its right to continue using the road, he said groups have sent a letter to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement asking its Sharon Buccino, its deputy director, to immediately shut it down.

"It makes no sense to allow them to continue operating this haul road in the meanwhile. The haul road needs to be shut down right now," Dodson asserted. "Sharon Buccino has the authority to do that, and we are asking her to do that."

Under federal law, surface coal mining operations are prohibited on protected lands unless a coal company acquired rights established before the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.

In 2022, West Virginia was the second-largest coal producer in the nation, after Wyoming, and was responsible for 14% of the nation's total coal production.

Dodson added travelers from across the country visit southern West Virginia and the Cranberry Glades. He said it's critical to conserve the region's ecosystem for habitat and wildlife, but also for the longevity of tourism dollars drawing people to the Mountain State.

"The area where the haul road is drains into the South Fork of the Cherry River, which is one of the major headwaters for the Gauley River," Dodson pointed out. "Also, these are pristine trout streams."

Conservation groups are currently involved in litigation with agencies over failure to enforce federal environmental protections related to South Fork Coal Company's operations.


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In 2023, the Biden administration ordered a Bakersfield oil company to remove old oil rigs from Carrizo Plain National Monument in Central California. (Bob Wick/BLM)

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