Monthly Archives: March 2013

Clean Water News: Congress Backs Down, N.C. Steps Up

Last week, there was concern that the U.S. Senate budget resolution would end up containing measures to decrease funding for initiatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency such as the release of guidelines for coal ash disposal and rules to

TAGS:

America’s “Sadness Belt”: Appalachian States Worst in U.S. for Health and Happiness

By Melanie Foley Legislative Policy and Research Assistant, Summer 2013 Gallup and Healthways recently released their annual Well-Being Index for 2012, and Appalachia was found once again to be home to some of the least healthy and happy Americans. The

TAGS:

Rep. Gloria Johnson Stands Up for Tennessee

TN State Rep. Gloria Johnson, Delivered this Powerful Address for our Mountains Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), gave the following remarks regarding the Scenic Vistas Protection Act to the House Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources on Wednesday, March 20. Representative

Looking Ahead: An Exciting Point in History

Dear members, Last month, I told you about the path that led me to Appalachian Voices and the things that inform my vision for the work ahead: a deep connection to the mountains, a bond with folks who share this

Will This March Madness Be An Upset for Clean Water?

Help Prevent a Clean Water Upset (Picture by mvongrue, hosted by Flickr) UPDATE: The Senate Budget Resolution passed without any of the amendments mentioned below. Victory! As most of you know, between the federal House of Representatives and the Senate,

TAGS:

What We Weren’t Allowed to Say

In this legislative session, Tennesseans’ voices were silenced. Here’s what I would have said. Yesterday, I was honored to be called to testify before the Tennessee State Senate Committee on Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, along with a friend, hero

TAGS:

Protecting Tennessee’s mountains? Not worth the Senate’s time.

Despite broad citizen and political support for a bill protecting Tennessee’s mountains, the state Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee today decided to not even allow public testimony on the measure and instead killed the bill. SB99, the Scenic

TAGS:

Lawmakers to hold hearings on Scenic Vistas bill on heels of ad campaign from conservatives

Press Advisory Appalachian Voices March 19, 2013 Contact: JW Randolph, Tennessee Director, 202-669-3670; jw@appvoices.org Nashville – Tennessee Senate and House panels are scheduled tomorrow to consider bi-partisan companion bills that protect mountain forests on the Cumberland Plateau by effectively prohibiting

TAGS:

Stop Brushing off the Bad Stuff

West Virginia University professor and public health researcher Dr. Michael Hendryx’s latest article, “Personal and Family Health in Rural Areas of Kentucky With and Without Mountaintop Coal Mining,” appeared in the online Journal of Rural Health a couple of days

TAGS:

Tennessee Game Changer: Conservative Union Running Pro-Mountain Ads Statewide

Conservative Ad Buy Turning Scenic Vistas Bill into Bipartisan Bombshell When it comes to Tennessee, most everybody has their reason for supporting our mountains. Whether it is a liberal urban Democrat like Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN), or a mainline Republican

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube