| Appalachian Voices

Citizen Stories

On January 9, 2014, a chemical called MCHM leaked into the water supply of 300,000 West Virginia residents, causing a crisis unlike anything that America has dealt with before. These are stories of the affected as well as those of folks trying to help.

Forty Minutes From Fresh Water

“The smell alone, with no physical contact, is burning our eyes, nose and mouth…” – S. Rhodes

Life Is Surreal Since The Chemical Spill

“There is no trust. We have been violated and lied to.” – Linda Frame

Fending For Yourself

“If you don’t stick up for yourself the water company’s not going to stick up for you.” – William Holsting

West Virginia Pride

“West Virginians stay strong no matter what happens.” – Hannah Spencer

An Expanded Idea Of Leadership

“I’ve witnessed all these incredible people working together to fill truck after truck.” – Jen Osha Buysse

A Son’s Outrage

“My father’s water is an “unidentified substance” now.” – Dustin White

Water Crisis In West Virginia

One Seriously Angry Granny

“The thing that scares me most is that I am certain that this was in the water long before residents discovered the spill.” – Linda Sodaro

Wary And Waiting

“Being a three-time cancer survivor makes me wary about the long-term effects of this.” – Karen Smith Zornes

English Language Learning in Appalachia

Learning English is always difficult. But current aggressive approaches to immigration policy are creating more barriers for learners and the programs that serve them than ever before in Appalachia and beyond.

Seventh-generation Pike County resident and SOLVE steering committee member Larry Thacker and his wife, Sharon, at their home in Pompey.

Landfill Drama

Many residents of Pike County, Kentucky, are breathing a sigh of relief since county commissioners finalized their decision to rescind a contract with an out-of-state waste management company.

Data from MBA, Consumer Price Index, graphic by PowerLines. Learn more at powerlines.org/utility-bills-are-rising

Overdrive: Fossil Fuels in Appalachia

Electricity demand is on the rise. Here, we share snapshots of energy trends in the region and how methane gas, coal and data centers are affecting our communities — and how people are pushing back.

Less Support for Communities with Mine Problems

The Trump administration issued a regulation to weaken the Ten Day Notice process that helps community members call in federal enforcement when state regulators don’t do a good job policing environmental problems at coal mines

TVA Listening Session - August 2025 crowd shot

Chaos at the Tennessee Valley Authority, Cuts to Public Input

The past year has brought turmoil and uncertainty to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public power provider, and its more than 10 million customers across the Tennessee Valley.

A woman holds a photo of her parents on her phone

Landmark Coal Ash Protections Under Attack

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning to eviscerate important, hard-won regulations on coal ash, a toxic waste left after burning coal for energy.