Blog Archives

Appalachia is blessed with abundant water — we should protect it

“One of the resources we are most blessed with here in Appalachia is fresh drinking water of the highest quality,” writes Mackay Pierce in defense of the Stream Protection Rule, which was recently thrown out by Congress and President Trump. “We should be taking every possible measure that we can to protect it.”

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Congress Blocks Stream Protection Rule

The Congressional Review Act, a rarely invoked procedure, was used by the U.S. Congress to strike down the Stream Protection Rule.

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Environmental Votetracker — Feb/March 2017

How Appalachian House and Senate members voted regarding whether to nullify the Stream Protection Rule.

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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.

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Appalachian Voices joins coalition to legally defend stream protections, community health

Contact: Thom Kay, Senior Legislative Representative, 864-580-1843, thom.kay [at] appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat [at] appvoices.org Washington DC – A coalition of local and national community and conservation groups, including Appalachian Voices, yesterday filed a motion to participate

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Congress takes aim at stream protections

Mountaintop removal coal mines like this one in W.Va. have polluted streams for years. Photo by Kent Mason.

In December, the Obama administration released the final Stream Protection Rule knowing it would be a likely top target for the incoming Republican-controlled Congress. And it is, indeed, in the crosshairs — but members of Congress should understand they’re gambling with Appalachia’s health and economic future, all for a risky bet on coal’s unlikely comeback.

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Courts Could Determine Obama’s Environmental Legacy

As the Obama administration draws to a close, several regulations set to safeguard the environment and public health are either not finalized or tied up in the court system.

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Bringing Citizen Voices to the U.S. Senate

Armed with a wealth of science and quotes from residents directly impacted by mountaintop removal coal mining, our Director of Programs Matt Wasson defended the proposed Stream Protection Rule during a U.S. Senate committee hearing.

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Appalachian Voices testifies before Senate panel on coal-mining rule

Contact: Matt Wasson, Program Director, 828-773-0799, matt@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Appalachian Voices Director of Programs Matt Wasson, Ph.D., is testifying tomorrow morning before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at a hearing on the implications

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How Congress Controls Regional Spending

The federal appropriations process determines how much funding is allocated to specific agencies, and could have big implications for efforts to protect Appalachian streams from mining and efforts to support a more diverse and sustainable regional economy.

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