Through a series of legal maneuvers associated with a coal giant's bankruptcy, the Sierra Club made good on a conservation opportunity worth $2.2 billion and weighing 53 million tons.
Environmental nonprofits like the Nature Conservancy regularly purchase tracts of land to save them from industry and development. But this time, the Sierra Club and its allies made out even better, taking control of a 53 million-ton coal reserve that will now stay in the ground.
The U.S. still sits on massive supplies of coal, but the past several years have seen equally massive setbacks for the coal industry. Faced with regulatory pressures and lawsuits, companies like Alpha Natural Resources face bankruptcy. Those proceedings can give legally-savvy environmentalists a chance to strike.
In this case, a consent decree charged Alpha to complete a $150 million cleanup by 2019. Resource-rich but cash-poor, the company agreed to give up some of its land holdings instead, reserves worth a whole lot more than the cleanup cost. Daniel Gross writes, "The deal offered the nonprofits ownership of the Rostraver reserve, a seam of coal in 35,000 acres of forest and farmland in Westmoreland and Fayette Counties, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh. At today's prices, 53 million tons of Northern Appalachian coal are worth about $2.2 billion."
Gross doubts whether the Sierra Club will be able to pull this off a second time, but it definitely points to a whole realm of possibility for conservationists.
FULL STORY: How the Sierra Club Got Control of a Massive Coal Reserve
A Win for ‘Keep it in the Ground’
Coal mining in Wyoming will take a major hit as a result of a U.S. Department of Interior plan to cease future leasing of coal mines in the nation's most productive coal mining basin. The decision casts a spotlight on the presidential election.
Michael Bloomberg Launches $500 Million 'Beyond Carbon' Campaign
The "War on Coal" is back, in the form of a new grassroots political campaign bankrolled by Bloomberg Philanthropies to decarbonize power generation by targeting existing coal power plants and halting the growth of natural gas replacements.
Environmentalists Urge Gov. Ron DeSantis to Veto Florida Toll Roads Bill
Florida has the distinction of having more toll roads than any other state. Environmentalists want Gov. DeSantis (R) to veto a bill that would build three new ones, adding over three hundred miles of asphalt through mostly rural, unpopulated areas.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
Demise of Entertainment Industry Mirrors Demise of Housing in LA
Making movies has a lot in common with developing real estate: producers = developers; screenwriters = architects; directors = general contractors. The similarities are more than trivial. Both industries are now hurting in L.A.
How Public Spaces Exclude Teen Girls
Adolescent girls face unique challenges and concerns when navigating public spaces. We can design cities with their needs in mind.
Proposed Ohio Budget Preserves Housing Trust Fund
The Senate-approved budget also creates two new programs aimed at encouraging housing construction.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)