The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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West Virginia's waterway 'reclamation' yields cleaner water, rare earth metals and a growing outdoor industry

Flora & Fauna: World's oldest whale; all about potatoes; farming extracted land; everlasting lice; why play?

In the coal industry's bankruptcy game of musical mines, preventing environmental damage takes a back seat

Large coal firms shed mine-cleanup responsibilities by selling old mines to smaller firms less able to do reclamation

Southeastern Ky. is 'Climate Zero,' forest hydrologist says

Nature Conservancy says it will build six solar power plants on old coal-mine sites it owns in southwest Virginia

Biden recently nominated a mine-safety chief, but still no one to run Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining

Abandoned mine cleanup in Appalachia might be twice as expensive as thought, but little federal money is left to do it

Ky. may have to pay millions to fix environmental violations after bankrupt coal companies posted inadequate bonds

Elk introduced in former surface mined land in Central Appalachia to help restore ecosystems and local economies

Plan to put huge array of solar panels on a mined mountaintop could depend on more mining

Interior's inspector general says agency isn't ensuring coal reclamation projects get priority

$50 million greenhouse on reclaimed mining land in Ky. could help boost Appalachia economy

Top strip-mine regulator says Trump should see abandoned-mine damage before making promises

W.Va. coal baron and gubernatorial nominee runs behind on reclaiming Kentucky strip mines

Government watchdog objects to bankrupt Alpha's plan to give executives up to $11.9M in bonuses

Arch Coal files for bankruptcy protection, says it will keep operating as usual

Horses abandoned on Eastern Kentucky reclaimed coal mines leading to safety, health concerns

Horses abandoned on reclaimed coal land in Eastern Kentucky creating safety concerns

Coal firms, insurers pay residents for flood damage worsened by mining (and lax regulation?)