Tuesday, March 21st, 2017 | Posted by Thom Kay | No Comments
The White House released its budget blueprint last week, and the proposal is nothing short of a disaster for Appalachia and rural communities across the country. Here's a look at a few agencies and programs the White House wants to completely eliminate if it had its way. [
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Thursday, December 8th, 2016 | Posted by Thom Kay | No Comments
America owes a debt to the nation’s coal miners. The Miners Protection Act would begin to pay that debt, but the opportunity for Congress to pass the bill is quickly slipping away. [
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Monday, December 5th, 2016 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments
Wilbur Ross -- a man who helmed a large Kentucky coal company with a troubled history of environmental and miner safety violations -- has been chosen to be the next U.S. Secretary of Commerce. If President-elect Trump truly believes that economic growth and opportunity can only be gained at the expense of worker safety, community health and clean water, he could make no better pick than Ross. [
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Friday, October 7th, 2016 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments
The eye-catching Kentucky arrow darter was just listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, largely due to water pollution from activities like surface coal mining. Increased protection for this rare fish will lead to healthier ecosystems and communities. [
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Tuesday, September 27th, 2016 | Posted by Erin Savage | 1 Comment
The history of the Doe Branch mine in Southwest Virginia is long and complicated, and its future remains unclear. A bankruptcy saga with the mine’s previous owner stalled development in the past year, but things appear to be getting back on track — putting the Russell Fork River at risk. [
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Friday, May 6th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | 5 Comments
After a nearby creek ran bright yellow last month, residents of Martin County, Ky., still have questions for local and state officials — and that’s not uncommon in a county that has seen its fair share of coal slurry spills and municipal water problems. So why are so many officials ignoring the problem? [
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Tuesday, April 12th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | 4 Comments
A lot of folks have had questions about last month's mine blowout on Pine Creek, in Letcher County, Ky. So we’ve put together an explainer that runs through the facts, the science and the regulatory protocols behind spills like this — and offers tips on what you can do about them.
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Friday, April 8th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | 13 Comments
Exclusive to the Front Porch: WGN's television series "Outsiders" doesn't leave a single stereotype of Appalachia unturned. In this essay exclusive to the Front Porch Blog, award-winning author Ron Rash reflects on how stereotypes cloak harms much more profound than cultural misperceptions: "The region is diverse, and many areas are doing well, but for those that are not, might a show focused on “retard hillbilly animals” make it easier for America to ignore the region’s needs?"
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Friday, January 8th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments
After the dismal year coal had in 2015, more hard times for the industry are ahead. Nowhere is the struggle more real than in Central Appalachia. A new white paper from Downstream Strategies tells the story of Appalachian coal over the past few decades in five simple charts. [
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Monday, January 4th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | No Comments
The final months of 2015 may prove to be a historic moment for Kentucky’s politics and the state’s struggling coal industry. But it remains to be seen how the industry will maintain its political power in the Bluegrass State. [
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Friday, December 18th, 2015 | Posted by Thom Kay | 1 Comment
Today the U.S. Congress passed a spending bill that covers expenditures for agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Department of Labor, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. The spending bill is a big deal for Appalachian Voices and our work. And honestly, it looks pretty darn good.
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Thursday, December 10th, 2015 | Posted by Erin Savage | 1 Comment
Late Monday evening, Appalachian Voices and our partners finalized a historic settlement in our case against Frasure Creek Mining. The settlement follows a five-year-long legal battle to protect eastern Kentucky’s waterways and bring a coal company notorious for violating environmental laws to justice. [
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