Friday, January 22nd, 2016 | Posted by Tom Cormons | 1 Comment
Appalachian Voices is beginning 2016 stronger than ever and positioned to advance a positive future for the region we all love. Standing with citizens from across Appalachia and from all walks of life, we are hard at work and have high hopes for the year ahead. [
Read More ]
Monday, January 11th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | 1 Comment
It’s amazing how much work goes into stretching the truth. It’s even more amazing when media outlets and political leaders latch onto that “truth” and peddle it without scrutiny. A recent and relevant example: an economic impact analysis of the Stream Protection Rule, commissioned by the National Mining Association. [
Read More ]
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. [
Read More ]
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. [
Read More ]
Friday, December 18th, 2015 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
Around this time of year, we usually offer a legislative preview, looking ahead at the issues that will arise in the upcoming session of the Virginia General Assembly. Recent events relate to some of those possible energy policy changes, thickening the plot and making this session one worth engaging in — especially for customers of Appalachian Power Company. [
Read More ]
Monday, December 14th, 2015 | Posted by Matt Wasson | No Comments
More than 50 years after the Wilderness Act was signed into law, less than one third of one percent of North Carolina's land area has been protected as wilderness. The U.S. Forest Service is revising its plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala Forests, and is seeking public comment to help determine the future of some beloved places in the state. [
Read More ]
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. [
Read More ]
Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 | Posted by Ridge Graham | No Comments
Over the past few months, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has seemed determined to have complete environmental regulatory control with little regard for federal or public input. In this endeavor, DEQ has taken every chance to highlight how external forces, including citizens groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are simply getting in its way. [
Read More ]
Friday, November 6th, 2015 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments
From Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s perspective, it’s probably best to just keep a lid on what state officials say publicly about controversial natural gas pipelines proposed to cut through the state. But among opponents of the pipelines, the administration’s actions are only deepening skepticism of the governor and his relationship with the projects' primary backers. [
Read More ]
Monday, October 26th, 2015 | Posted by Amy Adams | 5 Comments
Late last Friday afternoon, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law H765, the "Regulatory Reform Act of 2015." This massive reform bill should be called "The Polluter Protection Act" with its plethora of anti-environmental provisions, rollbacks and giveaways to industry. So, just how bad is this bill? [
Read More ]
Friday, October 23rd, 2015 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments
While the draft Stream Protection Rule is far from perfect, it is a long overdue update to protections for surface and groundwater from mountaintop removal coal mining. Not surprisingly, the coal industry had relied on “war on coal” talking points to fight against the rule, and claims these protections are unnecessary and will undermine an otherwise viable industry. Let’s examine those claims.
[
Read More ]
Monday, October 19th, 2015 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | No Comments
In the final hours of the legislative session, the N.C. General Assembly approved Senate Bill 119, which contains a provision that invalidates local ordinances put in place to restrict fracking. The provision was added just days after commissioners in Stokes County approved a three-year moratorium on oil and gas operations in the county. [
Read More ]
