West Virginia Coal Mine Flooding Exposes Gaps in Mine Safety and Oversight

As crews labor tirelessly to pump out more than 6,000 gallons of water per minute from the treacherous depths of West Virginia’s Rolling Thunder Mine, the nation watches with bated breath. The attempt to rescue a trapped miner nearly a mile inside this flooded shaft is not only a race against time but also a stark reminder of persistent vulnerabilities within America’s coal mining infrastructure. How Did We Allow an Old Mine Wall to Jeopardize Lives? The flooding followed the breach of an abandoned mine wall dating back decades, underscoring how legacy mining operations continue to pose dangers for today’s...