As the new Congress begins, we at Appalachian Voices are taking stock of the many victories achieved in the 117th Congress that just came to a close. [ Read More ]
For Appalachian communities, the 117th Congress brought significant victories, but work remains
Wednesday, January 4th, 2023 | Posted by Chelsea Barnes | No Comments
Crowded lame duck session in D.C. brings dangers and opportunities for Appalachian communities
Thursday, December 8th, 2022 | Posted by Chelsea Barnes | No Comments
With just a few weeks remaining in this session of Congress, we're fighting one alarming bill, working to pass two positive measures, and urging the Senate to confirm key appointments. Our Legislative Director Chelsea Barnes shares what's happening on Capitol Hill. [ Read More ]
Congress considers bills to address coal mining impacts at June hearing
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022 | Posted by Erin Savage | 1 Comment
During a recent U.S. House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing, Erin Savage of Appalachian Voices and two other Appalachian residents testified about acid mine drainage, abandoned mine sites and the impacts of ongoing mountaintop removal coal mining. [ Read More ]
Congress: Now is the moment to clean up acid mine drainage
Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
Congress can clean up orange water by removing red tape. Join the efforts of community leaders across the country and tell Congress to let states use their infrastructure funding for acid mine drainage treatment! [ Read More ]
Building community awareness to solve acid mine drainage: A conversation with DJ Coker
Thursday, December 9th, 2021 | Posted by Contributing Writers | No Comments
DJ Coker of Duff, Tennessee found acid mine drainage at a nearby pond that used to be part of a coal mining operation. Now, he’s made it his mission to get the site cleaned up and demand accountability from those responsible. Watch DJ's story. [ Read More ]
Restoring waters damaged by acid mine drainage: A conversation with Amanda Pitzer
Monday, November 1st, 2021 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
Amanda Pitzer with Friends of the Cheat discusses the specific impacts of acid mine drainage on the Cheat River, analyzes abandoned mine lands funding pending before Congress and charts a path for future success in collaboration with state and federal decision-makers. [ Read More ]
How acid mine drainage fits into pending mine cleanup legislation: A conversation with Joe Pizarchik
Sunday, October 17th, 2021 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
Joe Pizarchik, former head of OSMRE and one of the nation’s foremost experts on complex and sprawling abandoned mine lands issues, provides an essential overview of how acid mine drainage fits into pending legislative proposals and where we should look next. [ Read More ]
Confronting acid mine drainage: A conversation with Rural Action’s Marissa Lautzenheiser
Wednesday, October 6th, 2021 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
In this conversation, Marissa Lautzenheiser of Rural Action lays out the basics of the acid mine drainage challenge, discusses the unique funding needs for AMD clean-up, and talks about some of the innovative work Rural Action is doing to tackle this problem. [ Read More ]
Citizen scientists uncover water quality violations in Kentucky national forest
Wednesday, August 28th, 2019 | Posted by Matt Hepler | No Comments
Citizen scientists discovered that acid mine drainage is causing a creek in Kentucky’s Daniel Boone National Forest to flow a bright orange, and they spurred state regulators to issue citations to the mine operators. But mining company Revelation Energy is in bankruptcy, which leaves big questions about who will clean up the mess — and when. [ Read More ]
RECLAIM Act back in Congress
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019 | Posted by Cat McCue | No Comments
The bill to expedite spending of $1 billion in coal-impacted communities to repurpose old mine sites for new economic projects has been reintroduced into Congress with bipartisan support. [ Read More ]
A “golden opportunity” in disguise
Thursday, July 9th, 2015 | Posted by Cat McCue | 2 Comments
In 2013, federal funds derived from a per-ton fee on mined coal were distributed to Central Appalachia states for restoring abandoned mine lands. The result was $182 million in economic benefit and 1,317 jobs--plus cleaner streams, and a healthier future for nearby residents. A new report out shows how the federal program should be fixed to yield even better results, and sooner. [ Read More ]Sewanee Coal Seam Prohibition Bill Introduced in TN
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 | Posted by JW Randolph | No Comments
Tennessee State Senator Berke and Representative McDonald Introduce Legislation That Will Protect Tennessee’s Mountains, Waters, and Public Health. Appalachian Voices Urges TN Legislature to Support This Bill.
Appalachian Voices and other allies across Tennessee, including “Statewide Organizing For Community eMpowerment” (i.e. “SOCM“) were successful in working with the Tennessee Legislature to file a bill that will ban surface coal mining on the Sewanee coal seam. The Sewanee seam runs from Kentucky to Alabama and is the most toxic seam east of the Mississippi River. So far, there has been no way to mine on the seam that protect citizens and waterways from acid mine drainage.
There is currently no coal production on the Sewanee, all the more reason for the legislature to act now. Appalachian Voices believes that the Sewanee seam should stay undisturbed, mainly due to potential hazardous impacts on waterways and on the health of those of us living downstream.
Wanda Hodge, who lives on Walden’s Ridge, says:
The communities that would be impacted by acid mine drainage from the Sewanee can not afford the thousands and thousands of dollars it would take to lobby the Water Quality Board or can they necessarily afford to take off from work to address the board if the Commissioner decides that mining could happen in the Sewanee.
One foreign company (Novadx from Canada) is already speculating on the Sewanee seam. Tennesseans can not afford another out-of-state, out-of-country company that comes in and leaves our communities with nothing but poisoned water while sending our mountains and our money out of state.
SOCM’s Landon Medley gives an overview of the impacts from previous mining on the Sewanee coal seam:
There are presently four water treatment trust fund sites in the state of Tennessee. A trust fund site is where the water has to be treated “in Perpetuity” because of impacts from mining. Not every single trust fund site is a result of acid mine drainage, but of the 22 sites identified as “future Trust Fund” sites, 17 are in the Sewanee coal seam.
Tennesseans can take action by calling their state Senators and asking them to become a sponsor of Senator Berke’s Sewanee Coal Seam Prohibition bill.
