Blog Archives

What the government spending fight means for Appalachia

An aerial photo shows a business called Breeding's Plumbing & Electric. A brick sign and three flags stand on the opposite side of the parking lot.

Leaders in the Senate and the House need to come together to negotiate a final deal in order to keep the government funded. Appalachian Voices will keep fighting to fund these crucial programs and agencies to help protect coal mining communities and transition to clean energy.

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Advocates in coal communities urge Congress to prevent “enormous step backwards” by rejecting harmful appropriations bills

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 24, 2023 Contact: Trey Pollard – trey@pollardcommunications.com – 202-904-9187 VIEW THE LETTERS: House & Senate COAL COUNTRY — Leaders and advocates from across coal country sounded the alarm today, warning Congress that harsh cuts in proposed

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Statement by Appalachian Voices on House Appropriations Committee proposed cuts to interior and environment agency budgets

workers cleaning up mine site

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee released its proposed FY 2024 budget for the Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal includes a 10% budget cut to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s operational budget, while also providing a $1 million increase to the budget for the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program.

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How a proposed rule can help communities hold coal companies accountable

Photograph of the Hobet mine taken during a 10-day notice inspection.

The federal surface mining agency has proposed a new rule that, if finalized, will restore community members’ ability to ensure coal companies follow the law.

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Lawsuit launched to protect endangered crayfish pushed to the brink of extinction by coal mining in Appalachia

The Center for Biological Diversity and Appalachian Voices filed a formal notice today of their intent to sue the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failure to protect the endangered Guyandotte River crayfish and the threatened Big Sandy crayfish from coal mining pollution. Both species are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

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Mining agency encourages more, better stakeholder engagement for coal-impacted communities

For years, the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program has been one of the only federal grant programs targeted at revitalizing coal mining communities. It’s now being funded at its highest level to date and is getting a spruce-up from the federal agency that administers it.

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Appalachian Voices urges Congress to pass Biden’s proposed investments in Appalachian coalfields

Today, President Joe Biden released his Fiscal Year 2024 budget to fund government programs through September 2024. The budget proposal includes crucial investments in programs to boost economic growth in the coalfields, ensure coal mine reclamation and protect miners from black lung disease.

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Statement on Justice40 Announcement

Today, the Biden Administration announced the first list of federal programs that are part of its Justice40 initiative, representing more than 200 programs and billions of dollars in federal spending.

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Our communities can’t wait: Advocates urge Biden administration to fill vacant OSMRE director role ASAP

Today, community leaders from coal-impacted communities launched a joint effort to urge the Biden Administration to nominate and confirm a director for Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

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Community advocates welcome RENEW Act to address modern-era coal mine reclamation crisis

CONTACT: Dan Radmacher, (540) 798-6683), dan@appvoices.org Trey Pollard, 202-904-9187, trey@pollardcommunications.com APPALACHIA — More than a dozen community groups from across coal country announced their support of U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb’s RENEW (Revitalize, Enhance, and Nurture in Expanded Ways Our Abandoned

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