Monthly Archives: December 2013

27 Visionaries: Stories of Regional Changemakers

Doug Estepp is one of many regional visionaries highlighted in the current issue of  The Appalachian Voice
When the battlefield on Blair Mountain was removed from the National Historic Register in 2009, West Virginia resident Doug Estepp was outraged. As the site of a landmark uprising of coal miners in 1921, Estepp reasoned that tourism centered around the state’s compelling history could be a source of sustainable economic diversification and also help raise awareness of the region’s stories and struggles. After Blair Mountain was delisted, Estepp decided that it was time to make that vision a reality.

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For Patriot Coal, Ending Mountaintop Removal is a “Win-Win”

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A little more than a year ago, Patriot Coal announced it would phase out its use of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia as part of a settlement with environmental groups over selenium pollution. Taken at face value, statements made at that time by Patriot’s CEO Bennett Hatfield held promise that the movement against mountaintop removal, focused on exposing the poor economics as well as the irreversible environmental impacts of the destructive practice, had reached a pivotal turning point.

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Changing Tides of Collaboration in Central Appalachia

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For more than 15 years, Appalachian Voices has worked to protect the air, land and water of Central Appalachia. We do this work because the protection of the place we live is integral to the health, happiness and prosperity of our communities. We do this work for the benefit of all people in Central Appalachia.

Despite this, we often feel bogged down in contentious rhetoric that pits “treehuggers” against “friends of coal.” We often must spend all our time dealing with problems — water pollution, dust problems and violations of existing laws — when we’d much rather focus on collaboration and finding solutions.

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A Watched EPA Never Acts: 5 Years After the TVA Coal Ash Disaster

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It has been five years since the TVA Coal Ash disaster in Tennessee, which sent 1.1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash into Emory and Clinch rivers. While the nation has watched and petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agency responsible for issuing federal standards for coal ash disposal, little action has been taken. Perhaps this is similar to the old adage that says “a watched pot never boils.”

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Reflecting on a Year of Accomplishments

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It was ten months ago when I wrote my first letter to our supporters as the Executive Director of Appalachian Voices. Looking back on the time that has flown by, I take great comfort in knowing that over this short span we made many impressive advances in reducing coal’s impact on our communities and promoting solutions for a cleaner energy future. With the end of 2013 only days away, I want to personally let you know how grateful we are for your commitment to our work this year. Thank you.

Here are just a few highlights of all that we did with your help.

Five Years After the TVA Coal Ash Disaster, What Do We Have to Show For It?

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It’s been five years since more than a billion gallons of coal ash flooded rivers and neighborhoods surrounding the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promised to take action, but to this day Americans are asking the EPA: “Where are you?”

We went back to December 2008 to track political and social progress around the globe, and put it side-by-side with the lack of progress the EPA has made toward protecting clean water and our health from toxic coal ash. Check out the timeline below and click it for a larger version.

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50th Anniversary of the Clean Air Act of 1963


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Although the Clean Air Act was first enacted Dec. 17, 1963, it wasn’t until the 1970 Clean Air Act amendments that the law was substantial enough to make a memorable mark on history. Perhaps embarrassed by memories of the more clumsy and inept act of 1963, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency itself gave the 50th anniversary the cold shoulder — instead celebrating the of the amendments Dec. 31, 2010.

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However Long Overdue, Our Energy Efficiency Opportunity Is At Hand

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Today’s Bloomberg View editorial bears a headline at once forehead-slapping simple and frustratingly complex: Energy Efficiency Is Long Overdue. “On a global scale, we humans are becoming more energy efficient with each passing year,” the Bloomberg piece begins. “Even so, we’re exploiting only a fraction of the technological opportunities to use energy more cost-effectively.”

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Appalachian Voices and Partners Challenge Kentucky’s Weakening of Water Pollution Standards for Selenium

Earlier today Appalachian Voices and a number of partner organizations sued the EPA over their approval of Kentucky’s new, weaker standard for selenium pollution. Selenium is extremely toxic to fish, and causes deformities and reproductive failure at extremely low levels.

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Groups Challenge EPA Decision to Gut Clean Water Protections in Kentucky

Resources View the Complaint Here EPA Approval Letter Selenium Fact Sheet New Guidelines for Coal Mining Pollutant Fail to Protect Waterways and Wildlife Contacts: Eric Chance, Appalachian Voices 828-262-1500 eric@appvoices.org Sean Sarah, Sierra Club 330 338-3740 sean.sarah@sierraclub.org Doug Doerrfeld, Kentuckians

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