OAK GROVE, Ala.—Alabama officials charged with protecting residents from surface impacts of underground coal mining have notified the federal government that they’ve suspended plans to require that expanding mines monitor for potentially explosive methane gas. The decision is a reversal of the state’s previous agreement with federal regulators spurred by a fatal home explosion above … Continue reading Eighteen Months After a Fatal Explosion, Alabama Rolls Back Its Commitment to Monitor Explosive Gases Above Coal Mines