The Clearfork Valley of Tennessee has been intensely surface-mined going back decades. Now, Kopper Glo Mining is moving forward with a nearly 1,500-acre mountaintop removal mine on nearby Cooper Ridge.
Blog Archives
Massive mountaintop removal mine threatens Clearfork Valley
TAGS: appalachia Clean Water Act Coal Coal mining Environment Health Mountaintop Removal Tennessee Water Pollution
Severe Black Lung Disease Makes A Deadly Resurgence
Diagnoses of the most severe form of black lung disease, known as progressive massive fibrosis, are on the rise in Appalachia. The causes of this deadly trend aren’t entirely clear, though it may be linked to the silica rock dust associated with thinner layers of coal.
The Human Impact: Mining and Fracking in Appalachia
Extracting coal and natural gas is linked to a range of health problems in Appalachia, including shorter life expectancies.
Appalachian Access to Affordable Healthcare
Changes in federal health policy could leave even more residents without adequate access to healthcare — and increase the number of patients who rely on nonprofit safety net clinics. In Southwest Virginia, the grassroots group We Care aims to create more dialogue between the public and legislators about the healthcare system.
White House halts review of mountaintop removal health impacts
The U.S. Department of the Interior ordered the National Academy of Sciences to halt its review of the links between mountaintop removal coal mining and human health impacts.
TAGS: Air Pollution Coal Congress Environment Health Kentucky Mountaintop Removal Tennessee Virginia Water Pollution West Virginia
Cutting carbon pollution in Virginia: Governor McAuliffe should finish what he started
In his final year in office, Governor McAuliffe can cement a powerful legacy on climate and the economy by leading the way on environmental protection and climate action.
TAGS: clean energy Climate Economy Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency Health Renewable Energy Solar Energy Virginia
Students speak out against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline: Why collaborative resistance matters
Guest bloggers Divest Appalachian members Cassidy Quillen and Olivia Nelson take a look at how the Atlantic Coast Pipeline touts an ideology of sustainability while profiting off of industries driving climate change.
TAGS: Appalachian Voices Atlantic Coast Pipeline Climate change Duke Energy Environment Health North Carolina pipelines
White House budget leaves Appalachia in the dust
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.
TAGS: appalachia Climate change Congress Economy Environment EPA Health Kentucky Politics West Virginia
Protect natural resources for Southwest Virginia’s future
For all my life, the coal economy has ruled this region and its people,” writes Ron Short of Danville, Va., in a letter supporting the Stream Protection Rule. “Now we are facing the demise of the coal industry, and we must save the valuable natural resources that we have left if we are ever to develop cultural tourism and eco-tourism as important parts of a new economy that works for everyone.”
Fighting for clean water after the Stream Protection Rule
When Congress voted last week to overturn the Stream Protection Rule, people braced themselves for the coming impacts. But threats to public water from corporate and political interests are nothing new in Central Appalachia, nor is the problem unique to this area. In the face of these threats, communities fighting for clean water need our continued support.
TAGS: appalachia Coal Congress Environment Health Mountaintop Removal Politics Stream Protection Rule Water Pollution
