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coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Coal River Mountain Watch
@coalrivermountain.bsky.social
120 followers 73 following 86 posts
Eyes in the sky, boots on the ground in the literal trenches protecting Appalachian communities from polluting industries. https://www.crmw.net #EndMountainTopRemoval #EnvironmentalJustice #ClimateJustice
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coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Act today to keep 10 million tons of coal in the ground & protect 670 acres of Appalachian headwater forest from a New mountaintop removal permit. Comment by 11/12/25, details at www.crmw.net/updates/oppo... #EndMountaintopRemoval #EnvironmentalJustice
Appalachian mountain valley in fall foliage. This is Righthand Fork near Rock Creek, WV, on Coal River Mountain. Coal giant Alpha Metallurgical Resources has submitted an application to strip mine (mountaintop removal) 670 acres of the ridges at the head of this and adjacent hollers.
November 8, 2025 at 1:13 AM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Apparently, the only "elevated enforcement actions" that WVDEP intends to take is to threaten elevated enforcement actions. This is just one of many violations that WVDEP keeps extending for Lexington Coal Company, months beyond the 90-day limit. #EndMountainTopRemoval #EnvironmentalJustice
October 25, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Coal River Mountain Watch
cclatx.bsky.social
@cclusa.org is partnering with @rewiringamerica.bsky.social 🙌 homes.rewiringamerica.org/save
Your guide to using the home energy tax credits before they're gone
Save on better appliances before the year ends. Help for all your tax credit and installation questions.
homes.rewiringamerica.org
August 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
@mycologist.bsky.social @billmckibben.bsky.social @climatehuman.bsky.social @cclusa.org @dhlovelife.bsky.social @earthjustice.org @climatecasino.net @xrglobal.bsky.social @hollergospel.bsky.social @fairshake.bsky.social @jhenryfair.com @podcastgreenred.bsky.social & thanks @southwings.bsky.social
coalrivermountain.bsky.social Coal River Mountain Watch @coalrivermountain.bsky.social · Aug 22
Act at link in comments to protect 1,900 acres of lush forested Appalachian Mountains, keep 56 million tons of coal in the ground, & keep 3 miles of headwater streams from being buried by chronic violator Lexington Coal Co. LCC owes $3 million in delinquent fines. youtu.be/jv_uZmwVgw8?...
Surface mine violations by Lexington Coal Co. on Cherry Pond Mountain, WV Flyover 8/8/2024
YouTube video by Coal River Mountain Watch
youtu.be
August 22, 2025 at 10:01 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Act at link in comments to protect 1,900 acres of lush forested Appalachian Mountains, keep 56 million tons of coal in the ground, & keep 3 miles of headwater streams from being buried by chronic violator Lexington Coal Co. LCC owes $3 million in delinquent fines. youtu.be/jv_uZmwVgw8?...
Surface mine violations by Lexington Coal Co. on Cherry Pond Mountain, WV Flyover 8/8/2024
YouTube video by Coal River Mountain Watch
youtu.be
August 22, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by Coal River Mountain Watch
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
Imagine if they’d had sandwiches. 🥪
August 15, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Coal River Mountain Watch
vernon-haltom.bsky.social
#EndMountainTopRemoval #EnvironmentalJustice @dhlovelife.bsky.social @stopshoppingchoir.bsky.social @coalrivermountain.bsky.social youtu.be/TBFFYenKbQQ?...
Mountaintop Removal Blast, Silica Dust Cloud, on Coal River Mountain, Raleigh County, WV 8/8/2025
YouTube video by Coal River Mountain Watch
youtu.be
August 15, 2025 at 6:38 AM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Mountaintop Removal blast silica dust cloud 8/8/2025 on Coal River Mountain, Raleigh County, WV. #EndMountainTopRemoval #EnvironmentalJustice Flyover courtesy @southwings.bsky.social. Video by @coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Mountaintop Removal Blast, Silica Dust Cloud, on Coal River Mountain, Raleigh County, WV 8/8/2025
YouTube video by Coal River Mountain Watch
youtu.be
August 12, 2025 at 1:28 AM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Hazardous dust cloud from #MountainTopRemoval blasting on Coal River Mountain, WV, 8/8/2025. Communities near MTR suffer high rates of deadly illnesses-cancer, heart disease, etc #EndMountainTopRemoval #EnvironmentalJustice Flight by @southwings.bsky.social Video by @coalrivermountain.bsky.social
August 9, 2025 at 3:13 AM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Keep 63 million tons of coal in the ground, protect 1,900 acres of Appalachian Mountain headwater forest, and protect the health of communities downwind and downstream. Easy to comment today.
#EndMountainTopRemoval #EnvironmentalJustice #KeepItInTheGround

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
A forested mountain valley, Matt’s Creek holler in Boone County, WV. The mountain to the right of the stream is largely denuded, with bare rubble, erosion gullies, and rock cliffs, and has the permit number S502007 superimposed on the rubble. This permit is the Crescent #2 surface mine operated by Lexington Coal Company, which owes over $3 million in delinquent fines for violations on this and other permits. The mountain ridge to the left of the stream is covered with green forest and has the permit number S502808 superimposed. Lexington has requested renewal of permit S502808, which is so far undisturbed, by WV Department of Environmental Protection. The photo is in a post with a link where people can comment to oppose renewal of this permit. If it is renewed and Lexington begins extracting coal, they will turn the lush forest on the left into more of the dusty, polluting moonscape on the right. This is 1,900 acres of Appalachian headwater carbon-sink forest that would be bulldozed and burned to extract 63 million tons of climate-killing coal.
July 24, 2025 at 7:47 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Alpha Metallurgical Resources must be just giddy to profit even more from polluting our rivers, land, air, and lungs.
antoniajuhasz.bsky.social Antonia Juhasz @antoniajuhasz.bsky.social · Jul 10
For my latest for @rollingstone.com , I take a deep dive into every dirty gift Trump's massive tax-and-spending bill gives the fossil fuel industry, and takes from everyone else.
Spoiler: it's worse than you think.
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
July 10, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Coal River Mountain Watch
vernon-haltom.bsky.social
Plundering polluters always claim “no environmental harms” and lavish prosperity for all. And since they pollute with relative impunity on land, such as mountaintop removal for coal, it’s laughable to imagine any effective regulation in the deep sea.
July 10, 2025 at 6:11 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
😡
westvirginiawatch.com West Virginia Watch @westvirginiawatch.com · Jul 8
West Virginia opioid settlement funds are supposed to reverse years of crisis. In several counties, they’re being used to pay regional jail bills. This story was published in partnership with WVU's Reed School of Media and Communications, with support from Scott Widmeyer.
buff.ly/kLPJtxT
Investigation: WV counties spend opioid crisis money on jail instead of recovery
westvirginiawatch.com
July 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
It’s good to see prominent pushback against the “you people deserve it” mindset. @dhlovelife.bsky.social @zachshrewsbury.bsky.social @jeffbiggers.bsky.social @mustafasantiagoali.bsky.social @ssteingraber1.bsky.social @billmckibben.bsky.social
July 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Coal River Mountain Watch
vernon-haltom.bsky.social
“They work cheap” may be the worst reason to oppose abducting and disappearing people.
July 5, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Coal River Mountain Watch
katharinehayhoe.com
Tragedy in Texas hill country, where 4 months’ worth of rain in just four hours caused Guadalupe River levels to spike 30 feet in just an hour and a half - in the middle of the night.

Two dozen are dead in the resulting floods and another 20 young campers still missing.

apnews.com/article/texa...
Why the Texas floods were so severe
Flooding rains in and around Kerr County had brought a widespread 10 to 15 total inches by Friday morning. Four months of rainfall came down in four hours.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 5, 2025 at 2:08 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
#EndMountainTopRemoval #EnvironmentalJustice #Appalachia
vernon-haltom.bsky.social Vernon Haltom @vernon-haltom.bsky.social · Jun 20
Me on WOAY news discussing Lexington Coal Company’s giant stack of violations and $3 million in unpaid delinquent fines, in spite of which WV Department of Environmental Protection continues allowing Lexington to extract coal and run up new violations and fines. woay.com/mining-the-l...
“Mining the Lungs of Children” – Delayed Regulatory Enforcement in the Mountain State - WOAY-TV
W.Va (WOAY) - In southern West Virginia, coal mines with repeated environmental violations are racking up fines with limited repercussions from the very agencies designed to protect the Mountain State...
woay.com
June 20, 2025 at 2:42 AM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Babies born to mothers living near mountaintop removal are 42% more likely to have birth defects, probably due to the ultrafine dust from blasting. It’s good to see new studies connecting more dots.
June 7, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Coal River Mountain Watch
appalshop.bsky.social
This #PrideMonth, we’ll be sharing AMI’s LGBTQ+ film catalog. Up first is one of our earliest LGBTQ+ films, showcasing queer voices from Appalachia.

https://loom.ly/IiYjlA0

🎥: Appalachian Media Institute, “Through Their Eyes,” Danielle Burke, April Caudill, Charles Cupp, Brittany Rowlette, 1999.
June 2, 2025 at 1:49 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Just the latest in a series of violations by Lexington Coal Co. In a Show Cause hearing 4/10/24, their head polluter said they wouldn’t violate anymore if WV Dept of Environmental Protection would let them keep their permit. We intervened, saying it should be revoked. 1/2 #EndMountainTopRemoval
April 30, 2025 at 2:10 AM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Happy Earth Day from Coal River Mountain Watch! #EarthDay #EndMountainTopRemoval
Forested mountain with a river, and text reading “Happy Earth Day from Coal River Mountain Watch!”
April 22, 2025 at 9:19 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
Meanwhile, residents have zero protection from the silica dust they’re forced to breathe by coal companies conducting mountaintop removal blasting near their homes. This was the explosive equivalent of 305 tomahawk missiles. #EndMountainTopRemoval
Aerial view of a dust cloud from a mountaintop removal blast drifting through a community in a narrow valley.
April 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Coal River Mountain Watch
radioappalachia.bsky.social
As Trump calls for more coal, WV miners remain vulnerable due to delay of silica rule, NIOSH cuts westvirginiawatch.com/2025/04/09/a...
As Trump calls for more coal, WV miners remain vulnerable due to delay of silica rule, NIOSH cuts • West Virginia Watch
Miners in Central Appalachia who are responsible for digging up that coal are being left with fewer resources to protect them thanks to federal policies and cuts.
westvirginiawatch.com
April 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
🤬
xrlondon.bsky.social XR London @xrlondon.bsky.social · Apr 5
Area 4x size of UK impacted by #floods in Queensland, Australia. 150k+ farmed animals feared dead. "To see the roos & the wildlife that had no chance of getting out & the sheep that have floated down from a neighbour's place. It's bloody devastating."
#ClimateEmergency
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...
April 6, 2025 at 1:22 PM
coalrivermountain.bsky.social
On April 5, 2010, the Upper Big Branch mine in our Coal River community exploded, killing 29 miners. The CEO of Massey Energy spent a year in prison for conspiring to violate safety requirements. In 2025, two miners have died within 5 miles of the disaster. Now Mine Safety offices are closing.
Brass plaque reading “In memory of the 29 men whose lives were lost at Upper Big Branch April 5, 2010. 29 black hardhats mounted below 29 photos, under a brass plaque reading “In memory of the 29 men whose lives were lost at Upper Big Branch April 5, 2010.” All are mounted on a structure of steel beams with a concrete foundation. Wreaths, angel statues, and other items adorn the display. Trees are in the background with a gravel parking area in the foreground. A vertical brass plaque mounted on a large rock. The plaque reads “The Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial Dedicated July 27, 2012 This memorial is dedicated to twenty-nine miners who lost their lives in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Coal Mine on April 5th, 2010 and to all miners who have suffered injury, illness or death as a result of working in the coal industry. This granite monument will forever stand as a reminder to all that pass here of the human cost that West Virginians have so dearly paid to power this great nation. It is our sincere hope that all who visit will find peace in these words and images. Planned, Developed and Funding Raised by The Upper Big Branch Mining Memorial Group, Inc Sheila Combs - President Michael Gwinn Il - Vice President Pamela Miller - Treasurer Project Designed by Rob Dinsmore, ASLA Chapman Technical Group Built by Pray Construction Made possible by contributions from Alpha Natural Resources and over 100 other corporate partners. A long, thin granite wall, with the top shaped like a mountain range. On it is a light silhouette of 29 miners with a dark background.
April 5, 2025 at 8:06 PM