News
An Ohio Strip Mine’s Mineral Rights Are Under Unusual New Ownership
The Athens Conservancy accepted a donation of 10,000 acres of coal mining mineral rights—and says it intends to leave the vast majority of the coal in the ground.
By Dani Kington and Keri Johnson, Athens County Independent
GLOUSTER, Ohio — Face one direction on Johnson Run Road and you’d see an idyllic country home. Woods surround the log cabin-style house in Trimble Township, about 10 minutes outside of Glouster.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: coal
State of Play
The use of coal, a staple of heating and electricity-generation for decades, is in decline in the United States — supplanted by newly abundant production of natural gas — but is still dominant in some parts of the world. While economical, coal use is particularly problematic as international attention focuses increasingly on climate change.