In past decisions, judges on the Environmental Hearing Board ruled against the DEP’s permits, at one point saying they would allow the company to “essentially destroy” the stream.
Many places are feeling the pain of the coal industry's decline. But in Boone County, West Virginia, they've lost more coal jobs than any other county in the nation.
Layoffs and mine closings are becoming more and more common in parts of West Virginia and Kentucky, where the coal industry is having a hard time competing in a new energy future.
