After investigating the surface impacts of longwall mining, Center for Public Integrity reporter Kristen Lombardi went underground to witness the coal extraction method first hand. Led by representatives of Consol Energy and accompanied by photographer Steven Sunshine, Lombardi toured the 9-I panel of Bailey Mine, operating near Wind Ridge, Pennsylvania. Bailey Mine is more than twice the size of the city of Pittsburgh and is the third-largest bituminous colliery in the United States, snaking below the surface for 144 square miles.

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