History of Illinois Coal Mining
Watch Illinois’ history with coal. The video features slavery, prosperity, and uprisings & disasters that led to labor & environmental laws.
Watch Illinois’ history with coal. The video features slavery, prosperity, and uprisings & disasters that led to labor & environmental laws.
“This isn’t coal country. Not anymore. The coal still comes out of the ground, but without many workers.” Mechanized mining is leaving its workers behind.
Join a Delegation – Be Transformed! One of the ingredients of change is to link information with moral principles. We can all read about coal mining and its impacts on the air, land and water resources of an adjacent community. But without seeing the destruction and meeting those impacted, we’re likely just to process what […]
Peabody is the latest in a string of major coal companies filing for bankruptcy. And, communities that have long been impacted by extraction activity are using this the opportunity to call for a just transition away from coal economies.
An informal conference is supposed to be an opportunity for questions and answers regarding a new coal mine permit application, revision, or renewal. But questions related to the fire were not deemed to be applicable by the Department.
EJC joins the call for a just response for communities and miners as Peabody nears bankruptcy, unable to meet its bond obligations. It’s time to make that transition from a coal economy by funding employment and new economic opportunities; and revenues for land reclamation and mine clean-up.
Illinois subsidizes coal nearly $20 million each year despite the fact that it has a budget deficit of over $9 billion. Isn’t it time that coal companies paid their faire share?
Why should communities benefit from a coal severance tax? When companies pull out, or changes in production cause substantial job loss, communities experience spikes in unemployment, and loss of business and trade.
ILLINOIS – BRIGHT SPOT IN A DECLINING ECONOMY Why Illinois? Illinois has vast reserves of high-energy, high-sulfur coal that lay under much of our state. But when the Clean Air Act was amended in the 1990’s, Illinois’ coal was determined to be too polluting to burn, putting an end to much of that state’s coal […]
EJC delegation to the coalfields of southern Illinois leads to support for community residents, including those impacted by Peabody’s Rocky Branch Mine.