coal

Germany is turning abandoned coal mines into 23 lakes; the former mining landscape is becoming Europe’s largest artificial wetland

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Germany is turning abandoned coal mines into 23 lakes; the former mining landscape is becoming Europe's largest artificial wetland

In eastern Germany, enormous pits carved into the landscape by decades of lignite mining are being transformed into a vast network of lakes, wetlands and restored land. The Lusatian Lakeland, spread across Brandenburg and Saxony between Berlin and Dresden, is being created by flooding former open-cast mines and reshaping their surroundings. The tourist destination now … Read more

An Ohio community is negotiating to buy 850 acres from a coal company; if successful, the public forest could link about 74,000 acres between Wayne National Forest and Strouds Run State Park

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An Ohio community is negotiating to buy 850 acres from a coal company; if successful, the public forest could link about 74,000 acres between Wayne National Forest and Strouds Run State Park

Representative Image (AI-generated) An effort in southeast Ohio could turn roughly 850 acres of former coal-company land into a publicly accessible community forest, creating a major connection between existing protected and recreational lands. Local stakeholders are negotiating with the Sugar Creek Coal and Mining Company to acquire the property in Dover Township and establish the … Read more

‘Unleash American energy’: Trump moves to scrap Biden-era carbon limits on US coal & gas power plants

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'Unleash American energy': Trump moves to scrap Biden-era carbon limits on US coal & gas power plants

Trump’s latest climate rollback targets carbon emissions from US power plants The Donald Trump administration is set to scrap Biden-era limits on carbon emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, marking another major rollback of US climate policy and removing restrictions that targeted a sector responsible for nearly a quarter of the country’s greenhouse gas … Read more

In Gateshead, water trapped 150 metres below the city in abandoned coal mines now heats 350 homes and public buildings

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In Gateshead, water trapped 150 metres below the city in abandoned coal mines now heats 350 homes and public buildings

Water trapped deep beneath Gateshead is now helping heat hundreds of homes and public buildings, turning former coal mine workings into a source of heat for the city. The water lies around 150 metres below Gateshead town centre, where a 6-megawatt water-source heat pump extracts its heat and feeds it into an existing district heating … Read more

In 1972, Illinois used 246,000 cubic yards of coal fly ash beneath 7,500 feet of expressway; monitoring found no evidence of settlement, frost or capillary-rise problems

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In 1972, Illinois used 246,000 cubic yards of coal fly ash beneath 7,500 feet of expressway; monitoring found no evidence of settlement, frost or capillary-rise problems

More than five decades ago, civil engineers in northern Illinois carried out a major engineering experiment by using 246,000 cubic yards of coal fly ash beneath 7,500 feet of a major expressway embankment. The pioneering project, completed in 1972 near Waukegan along the US Route 41 corridor, was one of the earliest large-scale examples of … Read more

In 1906, five railroad bridges carried coal through West Virginia’s New River Gorge; 120 years later an $11.8 million project is rebuilding them for hikers

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In 1906, five railroad bridges carried coal through West Virginia’s New River Gorge; 120 years later an $11.8 million project is rebuilding them for hikers

The project began on September 1, 2026, with a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Minden Trailhead. Five railroad bridges built in 1906 to carry coal through West Virginia’s New River Gorge are getting a new purpose more than a century later. An $11.8 million restoration project is now under way to repair the bridges and reopen … Read more

In 2008, Czechia began flooding the lignite mine created after the old city of Most was demolished for coal; by 2014 the pit held 70.5 billion litres of water, forming a 309-hectare lake up to 75 metres deep

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In 2008, Czechia began flooding the lignite mine created after the old city of Most was demolished for coal; by 2014 the pit held 70.5 billion litres of water, forming a 309-hectare lake up to 75 metres deep

The flooding started in 2008, and by 2014 the former mine had filled with about 70.5 billion liters of water, forming a lake 309 hectares in area and a maximum of 75 meters deep. Eventually the lake was opened for public recreation. What does it take to give a landscape carved by decades of coal … Read more