skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Cleanup Questions Remain in Peabody's Deal with Wyo. Regulators

play audio
Play

Monday, August 1, 2016   

GILLETTE, Wyo. – Peabody Energy workers are busy planting prairie grass above the company's Rawhide Mine.

Peabody officials say it's an effort to reduce future cleanup liabilities, estimated at $1.2 billion.

But after Wyoming regulators agreed to limit Peabody's exposure to almost 15 cents on the dollar last week, not everyone is convinced the company will make good on its responsibilities.

Bob LeResche, chairman of the Powder River Basin Resource Council, says the deal could leave taxpayers on the hook.

"And it also underscores the problem with self-bonding,” he adds. “That is, if a company is allowed to self-bond, they have absolutely no incentive to complete reclamation because the bonds are costing them nothing. It's just a free promise."

Wyoming's deal with Peabody exempts the company from complying with cleanup-bond requirements during bankruptcy proceedings.

The state also agreed to hold off on enforcement actions related to the company's self-bonds.

Wyoming has made similar deals with Arch Coal and Alpha Natural Resources.

Unlike some coal-producing states, Wyoming allows companies to self-bond, a practice that exempts operators from putting up collateral to make sure mines are restored if the company goes under.

LeResche warns now isn't the time to roll the dice with taxpayer money, and says regulators should compel Peabody to replace self-bonding with real insurance before it exits bankruptcy.

"This huge corporation that's taken profits out of the state for the last 40 years might leave thousand of acres of land worthless unless they start complying with the law, which requires that they clean up their own mess," he points out.

Bills to eliminate the option of self-bonding for coal companies have been introduced in both houses of Congress.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021