APPALACHIAN VOICES: Bankruptcy Proposal Would Dodge Mine Cleanup Laws

ACLC’s deputy director Mary Cromer was interviewed for this in-depth piece by Appalachian Voices.

“’The way [Blackjewel has] it structured now, they are putting all of the responsibility for that reclamation into the Reclamation Trust and the trust is going to be funded only by the bond amounts on the permits that go into the trust,’ explains Mary Cromer, attorney and deputy director of Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, one of the groups involved in the objection.

In effect, the Reclamation Trust would place a limit that wouldn’t otherwise exist on the amount of money available for reclamation. Under federal surface mining law, when a company is in Blackjewel’s position and is unable to reclaim their mine sites, the company forfeits their reclamation bond for that permit, and the state mining agency can then use the bond to pay for cleanup.”

View the piece below or by clicking here.

Bankruptcy Proposal Would Dodge Mine Cleanup Laws