As U.S. Coal Industry Declines, Destructive Mountaintop Removal Continues Harming Health, Environment

Interview with Vernon Haltom, executive director of Coal River Mountain Watch, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.There was a small victory against the powerful coal companies operating in West Virginia, when on April 21, a federal judge blocked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant a Clean Water Act permit for valley fills associated with a mountaintop removal site on Coal River Mountain. Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Vernon Haltom, the longtime executive director of Coal River Mountain Watch, who talks about the status of coal extraction in southern West Virginia and the significance of the recent federal court ruling.