It is our intent to keep you and your colleagues abreast of pertinent developments within the coal industry on a frequent basis. 

Accordingly, Coal Forum Headlines is a compilation of daily articles and stories about coal from around the region and the world. Upon reviewing this news stream, if you have suggestions to improve it or make it more useful please let us know.  And lastly, please share this with your colleagues and if they have an interest simply have them visit here to receive future editions directly.

West Virginia’s energy growth depends on building more transmission
Williamson Daily News
West Virginia Manufacturers Association President Bill Bissett argues that additional transmission infrastructure is essential to connect the state’s existing and future generation resources—including coal-fired power—to growing electricity demand and new economic development.

House bill would raise black lung benefits and index them to inflation
Safety+Health Magazine
The Support Our Miners Act would increase federal black lung benefits to address an estimated 40% loss in value since 1969 and provide annual inflation adjustments. The measure has been referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee.

Maryland attorney general seeks stronger federal permitting for coal-ash sites
Maryland Office of the Attorney General
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown is urging EPA to strengthen its proposed federal permit program for coal-combustion residual facilities, arguing that permits should provide meaningful oversight of coal-ash disposal and groundwater risks.

ExxonMobil withdraws application for Montana’s first carbon-capture project
Billings Gazette
An ExxonMobil subsidiary has withdrawn its application for a proposed carbon-capture project in Montana, bringing the state’s first such proposal to a halt after it had entered the permitting process.

Kansas carbon-capture facility launches with expansion plans
PR Newswire
PureField Ingredients has opened a carbon-capture facility designed to handle about 150,000 metric tons annually and announced plans to expand the project, adding another commercial example of carbon-management infrastructure.

China’s coal share falls below half of electricity generation for the first time
NBC News
Coal supplied less than half of China’s electricity during the first half of 2026 as renewable generation expanded. China remains the world’s largest coal consumer and continues to rely on coal for grid security and periods of high demand.

Pakistan coal-mine explosion kills at least 18 and traps 24
Associated Press
A methane-gas explosion at a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 18 miners and left 24 trapped as rescue teams continued working underground. The disaster renews scrutiny of safety conditions in the country’s mining sector.