National attention on Illinois coal mining

(Illinois State Geologic Survey)

Thanks to author Jeff Biggers for sharing “from the trenches” stories of Big Coal in Illinois with the readers of The Huffington Post.

Our state is and will continue to be under drill and dump pressure from Big Coal because (1) victories by environmentalists in Appalachia make mining there more expensive, (2) improvements in clean air technology make it possible for US power plants to burn Illinois’ relatively dirty coal for the first time in decades, and (3) five “clean coal” facilities have proposed sites in Illinois, increasing demand for local coal. They’re even talking about it in Charleston, West Virginia. All the more reason for Prairie Rivers Network and partners to continue pressing on with an aggressive campaign to protect clean water from dirty coal.

(See our previous posts on Illinois coal issues here.)