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Interior Dept. provides $291 million to clean up, repurpose coal mines

U.S. Acting Secretary of the of the Interior David Bernhardt announced on March 19 that this year’s grants from the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation will award over $291 million for mine reclaiming and repurposing efforts. The AML grants are funded by a fee based on coal produced in the U.S. and assist in eliminating points … Continued
March 21, 2019

Trump approves Ivey’s request for expedited major disaster declaration

In response to Gov. Kay Ivey’s request on March 4, President Donald Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Lee County on Tuesday triggering the release of federal funds to help people and communities recover from severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes that occurred March 3, 2019. The Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program … Continued
March 6, 2019

Black Warrior Riverkeeper sues EPA to protect vulnerable streams

Black Warrior Riverkeeper filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 27, 2019, in an effort to ensure the protection Black Warrior River’s watersheds by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. ADEM dropped Lost Creek and Big Yellow Creek from the state’s Section 303(d) List, which features and describes bodies of water in … Continued
February 28, 2019

Gray triggerfish season opens March 1

It is spring in Alabama, and that means triggerfish season opens. State waters will be open to the harvest of gray triggerfish at 12:01 a.m., March 1, 2019, to coincide with the opening of federal waters. Anglers are reminded that the bag limit is just one per person with a minimum size of 15 inches … Continued
February 28, 2019

Met coal exports reach $2 billion in 2018

In 2018, 11 million tons of Alabama-mined met coal was exported to global steelmakers, which totaled $2 billion worth of the coal being shipped through the Port of Mobile. This high dollar amount has not been recorded in recent history. The Alabama Coal Association released statistics on Tuesday detailing met coal exports for 2018 that … Continued
February 27, 2019

Report: States can improve health outcomes by investing in public services

A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says states and localities can improve residents’ health by investing more in education, the environment, infrastructure and other public services. The report found that investing in these vital services can eliminate barriers to good health, especially for low-income residents and communities of color. Among the suggestions … Continued
February 22, 2019

Environmental groups oppose new surface coal mine

The Alabama Surface Mining Commission will be accepting the public’s comments until Feb. 25, 2019, on the proposal for a renewal of coal mining permit. Environmental activists say the coal mine proposal if carried out has the potential to leak wastewater from 23 spots into the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River. The fork … Continued
February 15, 2019

Brooks says socialism is a failed economic system

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, denounced the “Green New Deal” last Thursday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, proposed. “Socialist Democrat’s so-called “Green New Deal” is a raw deal for Americans,” Brooks said. “The proposal amounts to a vague manifesto of radical Socialist Democrat policies that promises ‘massive government intervention’ and the ‘economic transformation’ of America. … Continued
February 14, 2019

Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition to speak with federal policy makers about clean energy

Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition representatives will be in Washington D.C. next week alongside other clean transportation leaders to educate federal policymakers on the benefits of expanding alternative fuels. “Despite the recent drop in gasoline prices, gas prices remain extremely volatile and we continue to send more than $200 billion per year to OPEC and other … Continued
February 8, 2019

Report: Trump EPA won’t limit cancer causing chemicals found in Alabama water

Drink at your own risk. That is essentially the message that the Trump EPA is planning for citizens who might consume drinking water contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. Politico reported Thursday that the EPA doesn’t plan to set limits on the amount of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) found in drinking water. That would … Continued
February 1, 2019