Coal Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Coal

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  • Beckytarbotton

    Leading Environmentalist Rebecca Tarbotton of Rainforest Action Network Dies at 39

    Leading environmentalist Rebecca "Becky" Tarbotton, Executive Director of the organization Rainforest Action Network, has died at the age of 39.
    Dec 28, 2012 | Web Exclusive
  • Crawfordchicagocoalbanner_frame

    Chicago Residents Win Closure of Toxic Coal-Fired Power Plants After Health Ailments Spark Campaign

    Chicago has announced an agreement to close two of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal plants. For more than a decade, residents near the Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants have complained of the pollution, saying the mercury and carcinogenic particulate matter aggravates asthma and potentially other illnesses. "In my community, the people were afraid," says Leila Mendez, who lives near the Fisk coal plant and first got...
    Mar 01, 2012 | Story
  • June17_playbutton

    “A Moment in the Sun”: An Extended Interview with Independent Filmmaker, Author John Sayles

    We spend the hour with legendary independent filmmaker and author, John Sayles. Over the past three decades, he has directed 17 feature films, including Return of the Secaucus Seven, Matewan, Lone Star, and Eight Men Out. He has often used his films to tackle pressing political issues, as well as themes of race, class, labor and sexuality. His newest film, Amigo, which opens in August, is set in the Philippines during the U.S. occupation. Sayles...
    Jun 17, 2011 | Story
  • Play_massey_report2

    Massey Energy Guilty: West Virginia Probe Finds Coal Giant Systemically Failed to Comply with Law

    An independent state probe in West Virginia concludes that mining giant, Massey Energy, was responsible for the April 2010 explosion that killed 29 underground coal mining workers. It echoes preliminary findings by federal investigators earlier this year that Massey repeatedly violated federal rules on ventilation and minimizing coal dust to reduce the risk of explosion, and rejects Massey’s claim that a burst of gas from a hole in the mine...
    May 23, 2011 | Story
  • Play_last_mtn1

    The Fight over Coal Mining is a “Fight About Democracy”: New Documentary with Robert Kennedy, Jr. Chronicles Campaign to Halt Mountaintop Removal

    We speak with environmental activist Robert Kennedy, Jr., and filmmaker Bill Haney about the new documentary, The Last Mountain, which premiered this year at the Sundance Film Festival. The film chronicles the fight against coal mining across Appalachia and Massey Energy’s devastating practice of mountaintop removal to extract layers of coal. "They have to break the law to do this. They cannot survive in the marketplace without violating...
    May 23, 2011 | Story

  • "Sundance and the Art of Democracy" By Amy Goodman

    While much of the attention is focused on the celebrities, Sundance has actually become a key intersection of art, film, politics and dissent. It is where many of the most powerful documentaries premiere, films about genuine grass-roots struggles, covering the sweep of social justice history and the burning issues of today.
    Jan 26, 2011 | Columns & Articles
  • Goodwin

    Manchin Appointing Fmr. Aide to Replace Byrd "Kabuki Theater Politics" to "Make Sure Coal's Will Be Done in the Senate"

    Governor Joe Manchin recently appointed former chief counsel Carte Goodwin to succeed US Senator Robert Byrd. We take a look at what the move means and issues surrounding mountaintop removal in Appalachia with Bob Kincaid, an internet broadcaster with the Head On Radio Network and a progressive voice from the Appalachian coalfields. [includes rush transcript]
    Jul 23, 2010 | Story
  • Miner

    Mine Workers Union and Families Sue to Open Federal Probe into Deadly Massey Coal Mine Explosion

    Just a few weeks before the April 20th explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf, twenty-nine coal miners died after an explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia. Although the Mine Safety and Health Administration has launched an investigation into the disaster, unlike the open federal investigation into the BP oil spill, the probe into Massey is taking place entirely behind closed doors. The United...
    Jun 11, 2010 | Story

  • "Massey Disaster Not Just Tragic, but Criminal." By Amy Goodman

    Massey Energy runs the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine in Montcoal, W.Va., where 29 miners were killed last week. The loss of life is tragic, but the UBB explosion is more than tragic; it is criminal.
    Apr 14, 2010 | Columns & Articles
  • South_africa_coal

    World Bank Approves Multi-Billion-Dollar Loan for Coal-Fired Power Plant in South Africa

    Even as the worst coal mine disaster in the United States in a quarter of a century unfolds in West Virginia, the World Bank has approved a controversial $3.75 billion loan for South Africa to build one of the world’s largest coal-fired power plants. Environmentalists in South Africa and abroad have criticized the decision and are urging the bank to stop supporting the development of coal plants and other large emitters of greenhouse gas...
    Apr 09, 2010 | Story