As many as half a million abandoned coal mines dot the United States. These mines pose a major threat to public health and safety, in addition to environmental well-being. While many of these sites have been abandoned since the 1970s, before federal regulations for their reclamation were established, they may finally be getting cleaned up, and even converted into a power bank for the renewable revolution. Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently announced a breakthrough in the development of a methodology to turn the nation’s…

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