The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "coal industry" ...
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As Mine Protections Fail, Black Lung Cases Surge
A joint investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity mined government databases and analyzed together for the first time ever, coal dust enforcement records and black lung occurrence data. We compiled what appear to be the most comprehensive accounts to date of an unexpected reemergence of black lung, sharp increases among younger miners, rapid progression to the most serious stages, widespread fraudulent coal dust testing by industry, weaknesses and loopholes in federal regulations, and ineffective enforcement by federal regulators. We asked Ken Ward Jr., the veteran coal industry reporter at the Charleston Gazette, to contribute web and print stories about the history of failed government regulation, as well as fraudulent coal dust testing specifically at the Upper Big Branch mine, where 29 miners died in an explosion fueled by coal dust in 2010. Our reporting prompted the Labor Department to establish an internal team to review the agency's enforcement of coal dust regulations, according to internal agency e-mails obtained by NPR. Federal regulators stepped up coal dust enforcement, targeting mines with a history of violations. Members of Congress cited the series in calling for tougher regulations, and one group launched a petition drive demanding action.
Tags: mining; miners; black lung disease; coal dust; government
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Fly Ash: Coal-Fired Dilemma
This series of stories showed how a virtually unknown state environmental policy, blessed by the EPA, let developers sculpt an 18-hole golf course with 1.5 million tons of "fly ash," a contaminant-laden residue left from the burning of coal for electricity, posing a threat to the wells of adjacent homeowners. Fly ash contains heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury, which can pose environmental threats through air and water. Although the EPA has been studying the the environmental;ecological impacts of fly ash for decades, it has twice determined that it doesn't warrant classification as "hazardous waste." The result is that there are no national guidelines for fly ash disposal; regulation is left up to the states, resulting in a hodge-podge of policies.
Tags: environment; EPA; contaminant; coal industry; fly ash; testing; site assessment; homeowners
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The Human Cost of Coal Mining
An investigation by the Chicago Tribune revealed numerous problems stemming from negligence in the U.S. coal mining industry, which has grown since 1998 as uncertainties about foreign oil supplies has mounted.
Tags: coal mining; negligence; oil supply; foreign
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The Coal Truth
The story reports on the close ties between Indiana public officials and coal companies. Nuwer examines the contributions that coal companies made to the presidential campaign of George W. Bush and the Republican national PAC. The report attempts to access the impact of coal industry on water pollution. Nuwer finds that there is not enough public debate on that issue because there are relatively few active environmentalists in Indiana.
Tags: environment; business; campaign finance; Steven Chancellor; Frank O'Bannon; CAR
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The West Virginia Workers' Compensation Fund: Coal Company Debts, Fraud and Mismanagement
Paul J. Nyden and the Charleston Gazette continue the coverage of the West Virginia coal industry's widespread practice where "large coal companies used small contractors to avoid paying debts, including tens of millions of dollars to the Workers' Compensation Fund." Nyden was the first to discover this practice in 1993, and in 1996 the state began filing suits against some companies. "In October 2001, a county circuit judge effectively re-instated them." Then in December 2001, "many companies agreed to settle their suits. The first set of settlements, announced on January 9 [2002], brought $50 million to the state."
Tags: injured workers; FOIA; West Virginia; workplace safety; occupational safety; courts
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Power to Pollute: War On Clean Air, Coal Loses Clout, Power Brokers, Fatal Beauty
In this multi-part series, the Akron Beacon Journal examines the politics and environmental impact of Ohio's coal industry and electric utilities. The series looks at how Ohio's electric utilities are the dirtiest in America; how thousands of jobs have been lost for the benefit of power companies; how connected coal brokers got rich while the industry itself was suffering; and the environmental damage done to the Adirondack Mountains.
Tags: air pollution; coal burning power plants; Ohio utilities; Clean Air Act; coal industry; sulfur dioxide emissions; ozone threat; smog; electric utilities; acid rain; Adirondack Mountains
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The Human Cost of coal Mining
America's coal industry is plagued by growing numbers of death and injuries linked to company negligence and safety infractions. An examination of the worst U.S. mining disaster in 17 years, which killed 13 Alabama miners on Sept. 23, 2001, found unsafe practices, poor emergency planning and lax enforcement by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. In the underground mines of the Appalachian coal cradle, the Tribune found rising unwarrantable failure to follow mine safety laws; coal mine operators who knowingly broke safety laws faced few consequences from a hamstrung federal enforcement system.
Tags: mining; negligence; safety; emergency planning
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Wrong side of the fence
In the latest of blows to Navajos from northeastern Arizona, 13,000 members have been forced to relocate after they found out they had been living on the side of the Navajo-Hope Joint Use Area owned by the Hopi tribe. As the deadline nears for the move, a thousand or so are refusing to move. This story traces the history of the region, and how Congress, the coal industry, and a lingering land dispute have led to the situation.
Tags: Navajos; Native Americans; minorities; relocation; joint use area
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"The Fight in the Forest: The Battle Over Virginia's Logging Boom
The Roanoke Times reveals that rapid growth in Virginia's logging industry has led to increased environmental and economic problems in a region of the state already suffering from the effects of decades of coal mining.
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No title (id: 13228)
Discover examines the collaborative work of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Czech Republic in assesing pollution problems in Ostrava, the industrial center of former Czechoslovakia. The study identified pollutants and their hazards. It also determined risks of exposure and probability of causing disease. This report also outlines the process of turning coal into coke, a key ingredient in making iron.