Dramatic expansion of coal mine could jeopardize Alabama endangered species

The federal government is moving forward with leasing thousands of acres of land in west Alabama for coal mining, a move that will drastically increase coal exports from the state.

The move could nearly double Warrior Met Coal’s projected output, create hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue, both for the mining company near Tuscaloosa and for the Port of Mobile.

But the mining will take place in the Black Warrior River watershed, which advocates say could jeopardize endangered species, including a rare, elusive salamander found only in a few streams in northwest Alabama.

“We’re just creating additional spaces that are much less inhabitable,” said Nelson Brooke, who leads Black Warrior Riverkeeper, an environmental advocacy group. “It’s a cumulative effect where so much of