Coal
Pennsylvania’s largest coal plant likely to get new life as natural gas plant
Houses with Coal Heat in the Southern Tier
Coal isn't particularly popular but it's a fairly common heating fuel in the Southern Tier of New York. Data Source: NY Tax Parcel Center Points. https://gisservices.its.ny.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NYS_Tax_Parcel_Centroid_Points/MapServer/0, query FUEL_TYPE_DESC='Coal'.
Dogs at Midnight – Underground Coal Miners with Black Lung Disease
A few years ago there was a news report about black lung disease being on an uptick, the highest levels since the early 1970s. It is down somewhat from last year's survey (a five year rolling average), but still close to what it was 50 years ago. You can explore the data here: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/cwhsp/cwhsp-public-data.html
Little Blue Run Lake
- Left: Little Blue Run Lake in 1993, prior to dewatering
- Right: Little Blue Run Lake in 2019 after partial dewatering
Little Blue Run Lake or Little Blue Run is the largest coal ash impound in the United States. FirstEnergy owns the site, located in Western Pennsylvania and parts of the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, and has disposed of billions of gallons of coal waste into the body of water. The lake contains 20 billion gallons of coal ash and smokestack scrubber waste. The northern coast of the lake is only a few hundred meters from the Ohio River, which is the drinking water source for more than three million people.