Alabama
A Year After a Fatal Explosion, Alabama Extends Deadline for Coal Companies to Monitor Methane Gas Above Mines – Inside Climate News
Undermined: Fourteenth in a series about the impacts of longwall mining in Alabama.
JASPER, Ala.—Verby Burton said she wasn’t expecting much from Thursday’s meeting of the Alabama Surface Mining Commission, the agency tasked with regulating the surface impacts of underground coal mining in the state.
“And that’s exactly what I got,” Burton said after the meeting. “Not much.”
Burton is a resident of Oak Grove, a rural community in western Jefferson County, about 45 miles southwest of Birmingham, that sits above an expanding longwall coal mine. The impacts of the aggressive form of mining—cracking roads, damaging foundations, causing land subsidence and triggering the escape of potentially explosive methane gas—have plagued the community for years. That culminated in a home explosion atop the mine in March 2024 that that killed grandfather W.M. Griffice and seriously injured his grandson.
In December, after a series of investigations by Inside Climate News into the explosion and Alabama’s lax regulatory response, federal mining officials forced the state’s hand, issuing a so-called ten-day notice requiring the Alabama Surface Mining Commission to demand methane monitoring plans from coal companies in the state.
In a letter sent in January, the agency’s director, Kathy Love, did just that, requiring that the companies submit new “subsidence control plans” that include measures related to monitoring levels of potentially explosive methane gas in and around homes located above their operations.
At Thursday’s meeting, however, Love announced that she had unilaterally delayed the March 31 deadline she’d previously imposed for submitting such methane monitoring plans by six months, giving coal companies until Sept. 30 to submit the updated documents.
“I was under pressure to get an answer out for that ten-day notice, and, unbeknownst to me—I should’ve thought about it—March 31 is not enough time,” she said.
Love did not mention during Thursday’s meeting how she’d determined that the initial 90-day period was insufficient, but a draft letter from her agency to coal companies across the state obtained by Inside Climate News notes that her decision came after a request from the Alabama Mining Association, a lobbying group that bills itself as the “collective voice of Alabama’s mining industry.”
The draft letter says “mine operators sought assistance from the Alabama Mining Association (AMA) to obtain a deadline extension to allow adequate time for the completion of the comprehensive plans.”
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AMA then formally requested a 180-day extension of the deadline in a letter to the state agency dated March 18, the letter states, and “upon review of the facts and circumstances,” the Alabama regulator granted the request.
Meanwhile, residents who reside atop the expanding Oak Grove mine live in fear of a methane explosion in their home.
Resident Phyllis Wright said in an interview that during a recent thunderstorm, her home methane monitor alerted her to an unsafe level of the gas, advising her to “ventilate and evacuate” her home. Wright didn’t know what to do, she said, and still hasn’t received guidance from mine operators or state or federal regulators as to what should be done in such situations.
At Thursday’s meeting, Love, citing that incident, initially appeared somewhat dismissive of home methane monitors.
“I don’t know what caused that, but it was just an incident that may have been a false alarm or caused by the lightning,” she told residents and commissioners gathered for the meeting. “I don’t know. I can’t even verify anything like that.”
Asked later by an Inside Climate News reporter whether she would have such a monitor in her home were she to live above an expanding longwall mine, however, Love didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Yes, I would,” she said. “Just like I have a fire alarm.”
Love emphasized in the meeting that she believes that coal operators in Alabama are going beyond what’s required by law to monitor methane and ensure the safety of those living above mines. Residents like Lisa Lindsay, W.M. Griffice’s closest neighbor, are skeptical of that claim.
Crimson Oak Grove Resources, the mining company that owns and operates the mine below her home, placed methane monitors under her property following the fatal explosion in 2024.
Since then, Lindsay told Love and commissioners, she’s requested information on the observed methane levels. Only occasionally has she gotten a response, she said. And when she has heard back from company representatives, their answers aren’t specific, simply telling her that elevated levels of methane were detected beneath her home “fewer than five times.”
“They’ve refused to tell me what’s happening under my house,” Lindsay said.
“I don’t know what the justification is for not giving you those readings,” Love responded. “I will make the phone call and see what I can do.”
Oak Grove Resources did not respond to a request for comment. The company hasn’t answered any of Inside Climate News’ questions since the explosion.
“Y’all need to get on it, then,” Lindsay told Love and agency commissioners. “Y’all are the last line of defense for us residents versus the mining industry. Your job is to regulate and help protect us, right? So that’s something that really, really has got to be followed up on. We need to know what’s going on underneath our houses.”
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Lee Hedgepeth
Reporter, Alabama
Lee Hedgepeth is Inside Climate News’ Alabama reporter. Raised in Grand Bay, Alabama, a small town on the Gulf Coast, Lee holds master’s degrees in community journalism and political development from the University of Alabama and Tulane University. Lee is the founder of Tread, a newsletter of Southern journalism, and has also worked for news outlets across Alabama, including CBS 42, Alabama Political Reporter and the Anniston Star. His reporting has focused on issues impacting members of marginalized groups, including homelessness, poverty, and the death penalty. His award-winning journalism has appeared in publications across the country and has been cited by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, among others.
With the countdown to the 2025 Florida State season in full swing, we’re previewing the Seminoles’ schedule game-by-game. First up, the Seminoles’ season opener vs. Alabama.
It was seven years ago that Florida State and the Alabama Crimson Tide met in Atlanta — the former looking to prolong its dominant run, the latter looking to get back to one.
Spoiler alert: the first happened, the second did not.
The 2017 matchup is seen by many as the one that got away, with a no-call on pass interference preventing a touchdown and lead change for Florida State with 10 seconds left before halftime. On the next play, Ricky Aguayo’s potential game-tying field goal was blocked and the Seminoles wouldn’t come close to scoring again. Alabama blocked a punt, recovered an FSU fumble on the ensuing kickoff and essentially called game at the end of the third. And then, with the game out of reach, quarterback Deondre Francois was lost for the season after rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee.
While it would be disingenuous to suggest that the outcome of the game (a 24-7 Florida State loss) is what led to the downfall of one of the more successful programs of the early 2010s, it is fair to say that it was the beginning — the first in a series of major setbacks that would compound to create the hole the Seminoles have been able to escape for just two 10-plus win seasons since (2022 and 2023).
Enter 2025, where both programs are looking for an early-season boost to erase the memories of a down year which for Alabama, meant a historic upset loss to Vanderbilt and an inability to sneak its way into the playoffs at the expense of a more deserving team for the second straight season.
The Seminoles enter into the matchup hoping to change the narrative around the program and, more broadly, the one around Mike Norvell’s tenure. While the singular result of the game, like 2017, won’t necessarily impact the full trajectory of either, it might very well be an indicator of just where things might end up.
Florida State vs. Alabama
Date: Saturday, Aug. 30, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Previous matchup: 24-7, Alabama (Atlanta)
All-time series: 3-1-1, Alabama leads
Alabama: 2025 Team Preview
2024 record: 9-4 (5-3 SEC), lost to Michigan in Reliaquest Bowl
Two things to know:
- After the offense sputtered in several games last season, Alabama brought in Ryan Grubb as its new offensive coordinator. Grubb has worked under Kalen DeBoer in some capacity for 12 of the last 16 years — most recently, as his offensive coordinator with the Washington Huskies.
- Alabama is in its second year of running a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, a switch from the 3-4 days under Nick Saban, which aims to cut down spread offenses, eliminate overthinking and emphasize aggressiveness. A great breakdown via the Roll Tide Bama message boards:
The 4-2-5 Swarm defense Kane Wommack runs is an evolution from the 4-2-5 version that his dad Dave Wommack ran (and helped design) during his long coaching career (he retired after the 2016 season as the Ole Miss defensive coordinator under Hugh Freeze). If you want to get real technical, you could call it a 3-3-5 defense, but it’s pointless getting lost in the numbers of it either way. A basic note on this defense which will aid in understanding other parts of it, is the defensive alignment isn’t based on formation (where the TE lines up, for example), it’s based on the field and the boundary (sideline). One advantage of that is, if a player goes into motion and flips the “strong” side, the defense doesn’t have to make as many adjustments, since the strong side isn’t determined by alignment (though there will be some occasions when this defense will revert to the more traditional way and base it off the offensive formation such as the TE or WR alignment).
By design, this defense is less about containment and more about trying to create havoc in the offensive backfield. Sacks are great, but Saban used to preach, affecting the QB is just as important… This defense sets out to affect things behind the LOS, which often leads to positive things by other means.
It will have issues and occasional breakdowns. The aggressive nature alone will lend itself to the propensity to give up big plays at times. Teams with good QB play will get hot some games and move the chains at a frustrating pace.
Three key players
- Quarterback Ty Simpson: The presumed front-runner for the starting quarterback spot, Simpson is a former five-star recruit who has patiently waited for his turn under center — making him a unicorn in the modern age of college football. He’s thrown just 39 passes over three seasons with Alabama, arguably his most notable appearance coming as he relieved a struggling Tyler Buchner (starting in place of the benched Jalen Milroe) vs. USF in 2023, securing the win with a late touchdown run to make it 17-3.
- Wide receiver Ryan Williams: Perpetrator of one of the more athletic plays seen in recent memory, Williams established himself as an offensive threat early for Alabama — despite being just 17 years old, as you might remember hearing often last season. His true freshman season saw him put together a 865-yard, 48-catch and eight-touchdown campaign, worthy enough to earn first-team All-SEC honors and establish him as one of the country’s most hyped receivers entering 2025.
- EDGE LT Overton: A projected round two selection, Overton opted to return to Alabama for his senior season. In 2024, he racked up 42 tackles, two sacks, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. A versatile athlete, he lines up in the Bandit (hybrid lineman/edge rusher) role.
Florida State vs. Alabama: Game preview, predictions
Best Case
Narratives (outside of those levied by the most optimistic of FSU fans and most spiteful of Alabama haters) are shattered as Florida State pulls off just its second-ever win vs. Alabama. Tommy Castellanos, comfortable in the offensive attack that welcomed him into the collegiate ranks, shines in his debut as new-look schemes on each side of the ball work their magic. The reason Ty Simpson failed to make a single start in three seasons with the Crimson Tide becomes obvious as multiple interceptions force DeBoer to turn to true freshman Keelon Russell.
Realistic Case
Florida State comes out swinging, utilizing enough scouting and well-timed trickery to make things interesting early and keep them that way well into the third quarter. In the end, though, the game plays out similarly to FSU’s 2022 opener vs. Notre Dame where the Seminoles lack the final oomph to pull off the upset. The moral victory satiates the desire for competent football and, unlike 2022, Florida State carries that momentum into the following week’s matchup vs. an FCS program.
Worst Case
Pain upon pain upon pain. The 2024 season isn’t in the rearview, it is still alive and well, and the first example of it is a blowout at the hands of the Crimson Tide in the first game inside a newly-renovated Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles get a paltry, pity field goal towards the end of the game to prevent a blowout and the tone of the season gets set in a terrible way.
Poll
Most likely outcome vs. Alabama?
2025 FSU football schedule
Saturday, Aug. 30: Alabama Crimson Tide (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Channel: ABC
Saturday, Sep. 6: East Texas A&M Lions (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Channel: ACC Network
Saturday, Sep. 13: BYE
Saturday, Sep. 20: Kent State Golden Flashes (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
Friday, Sep. 26: Virginia Cavaliers (Scott Stadium, Charlottesville)
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Channel: ESPN
Saturday, Oct. 4: Miami Hurricanes (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
Saturday, Oct. 11: Pitt Panthers (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
Saturday, Oct. 18: Stanford Cardinal (Stanford Stadium, Stanford)
- Time: 10:30 p.m.
- Channel: ESPN
Saturday, Oct. 25: BYE
Saturday, Nov. 1: Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
Saturday, Nov. 8: Clemson Tigers (Memorial Stadium, Clemson)
Saturday, Nov. 15: Virginia Tech Hokies (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
Friday, Nov. 21: NC State Wolfpack (Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh)
- Time: 8 p.m.
- Channel: ESPN
Saturday, Nov. 29: Florida Gators (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Several scams that are circulating right now are attempting to put Alabama drivers in a panic.
Criminals are pretending to be the real Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), and the made-up “Alabama Department of Vehicles.”
Those scammers are claiming you need to pay a toll.
They may even threaten legal action against you.
However, ALDOT says any toll collection texts from them are fake.
Then you have the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reporting a nationwide phishing scam has made it to the state.
Text messages from “Alabama DMV” are popping up on people’s phones demanding money for traffic tickets.
You may even be threatened your driving privileges could be suspended.
These are also fake and so is this government agency.
Experts say not to respond or click suspicious links.
Remember – you can always report phishing attempts to the Federal Trade Commission.
“They can track these down through government tracking across the world, across the country,” said Carl Bates with the Better Business Bureau. “If they see enough complaints about a certain scam, that helps them gather. These people are not just doing this one time. They’re doing it hundreds of times every day, the same scam. So, if they start to see a pattern develop, that’s when they can jump on it and hopefully shut the scammers down and protect us all.”
It is ALEA’s Driver License Division that oversees licensing services in the state.
ALEA will not send people text messages threatening prosecution. They say you can go ahead and delete them.
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Copyright 2025 WBRC. All rights reserved.
Today is Wednesday, June 11, the 162nd day of 2025. There are 203 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On June 11, 1963, the University of Alabama was desegregated as Vivian Malone and James Hood became the first two Black students allowed to enroll in classes; Alabama segregationist and Gov. George Wallace initially blocked the doorway to the auditorium where course registration was taking place, delivering a speech before deferring to National Guard orders to move.
Also on this date:
In 1509, England’s King Henry VIII married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
In 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five (composed of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman) to draft a declaration of independence from Great Britain, to be completed in the subsequent 17 days.
1955, in motor racing’s worst disaster, more than 80 people were killed during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France when two cars collided and crashed into spectators.
In 1962, Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin, prisoners at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, staged an escape, leaving the island on a makeshift raft. They were never found or heard from again.
In 1963, Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức lit himself on fire on a Saigon street as a protest against the Vietnamese government’s persecution of Buddhists.
In 1987, Margaret Thatcher became the first British prime minister in over 160 years to win a third consecutive term of office as her Conservative Party held onto a reduced majority in Parliament.
In 2001, Timothy McVeigh, 33, was executed by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.
In 2009, with swine flu reported in more than 70 nations, the World Health Organization declared the first global flu pandemic in 41 years.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Drummer Bernard Purdie is 86.
- International Motorsports Hall of Famer Jackie Stewart is 86.
- Actor Roscoe Orman is 81.
- Actor Adrienne Barbeau is 80.
- Rock musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is 76.
- Singer Graham Russell (Air Supply) is 75.
- Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana is 69.
- Actor Hugh Laurie is 66.
- TV personality and current Medicare Administrator Mehmet Oz is 65.
- Actor Peter Dinklage is 56.
- Actor Joshua Jackson is 47.
- U.S. Olympic and WNBA basketball star Diana Taurasi is 43.
- Actor Shia LaBeouf is 39.
- Basketball Hall of Famer Maya Moore is 36.
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