Feds announce $679 million in coal cleanup grants despite recent Congressional cuts to the program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric Dixon dixon@ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org, (865) 202-8688 Feds announce $679 million in coal cleanup grants despite recent Congressional cuts to the program Recent ORVI report shows coal cleanup supports jobs in struggling labor markets in KY LOUISVILLE, Kentucky —— The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement recently announced the latest round of […]
Breaking down how much Congress cut AML funds by state
In January Congress passed a “minibus” bill that raided $500 million in previously appropriated coal mine cleanup funds to pay for other federal programs. We’re now seeing the first results of that bill: $45.5 million less in mine cleanup funding every year for the next 11 years. Combined with growing inflation, this means fewer jobs […]
Repairing the Damage in Kentucky
Kentucky’s coal mine reclamation market has grown 360% since the BIL, but the need for greater union density & more market competition remains.
Congress is trying to loot America’s fund to clean up dangerous mines
In a “minibus” bill released by the House Appropriations Committee this week, legislators are attempting to loot $500 million from the bipartisan fund used to clean up the country’s land and water polluted by coal mining. The bill would transfer $500 million in previously appropriated cleanup funds to pay for other federal programs. Since 1977 […]
As Ford Touts EV “Breakthrough” Announcement at Unionized Plant in Kentucky, Workers at Its Nearby Joint Venture Battery Plant Prepare for Contested Union Election
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —— Ford, the nation’s largest employer of UAW autoworkers, will reveal plans to design and build a new electric vehicle and EV platform at an August 11th event that CEO Jim Farley likens to a “Model-T moment.” The announcement will be made at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky, fifty miles north of an […]
Achieving Significant Local Hire at the Starfire Solar Project
On June 18, Senior Researcher Eric Dixon appeared before the Siting Board of the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) to advocate the condition of the approval of the proposed 210-MW Starfire solar project in Appalachian Kentucky on further action needed to: ensure significant local hiring in the construction of the project, secure community benefits, and […]
Delay the Vote, Dismiss the Workers, and Distract the Public: Does BlueOval SK Have an Anti-Union Playbook?
This report was updated on July 31, 2025 with updates about recent decisions made by the National Labor Relations Board and more detail about the unfair labor practice charges filed in this case. Summary A supermajority of workers at an electric vehicle battery plant in Kentucky launched a unionization drive and filed for a […]
Timeline: BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky
This page chronicles main events in the development of the BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky, including the unionization effort at the facility. Updates will be added as future events unfold. Last updated August 8, 2025. Timeline May 20, 2021: Ford and South Korean energy company SK Innovation sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) […]
As Storm Triggers Mine-Related Landslides Across Kentucky, Federal Funding Freeze Could Hinder Emergency Response
Damage Control: AML Reclamation Funding Freeze Puts Projects, Jobs in Jeopardy
In the past three years, the Department of the Interior has awarded about $3 billion to reclamation agencies across the country for the purpose of cleaning up land and water damaged by the coal industry. Reclamation projects funded by Abandoned Mine Land (AML) grant funding are now in jeopardy, as the Trump Administration has halted […]