August/Sept 2019 - Features

The August/September issue explores a broad range of topics, including growing public frustration with the Tennessee Valley Authority and continued protests and legal delays affecting major fracked-gas pipelines.

We also look at local attempts to tackle the problem of food insecurity, share one man’s inspiring effort to save rare heirloom apple varieties, and examine how sustainable agriculture practices and local ingredients are influencing our region’s vineyards and distilleries. In addition, we feature community efforts to restore and protect historic African-American cemeteries. Check out these stories and more below!

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TVAFeaturedImage

Challenging TVA

Tired of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s frequent rate increases and lack of transparency and clean energy, communities across the region are pushing for change in the monopoly utility.

Taking on TVA

family tends to cemetery

Restoring Black Cemeteries

Across the region, communities are working to document and preserve historic African-American cemeteries. Hear from people involved in this work, including reflections from a writer who discusses her family’s past through the lens of a local cemetery.

Preserving Historic African-American Cemeteries

Featured Stories

pipeline protest

Pipelines Continue to Face Obstacles

As the Mountain Valley Pipeline continues to cause problems and spark protests, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline faces new legal troubles.

man holding apple

A Tale of Orchards Past

Apple aficionado Tom Brown has dedicated more than 20 years of his life to saving Appalachia’s forgotten heirloom apples.

man in truck

Tackling Food Insecurity

To combat food insecurity, some programs work to fill gaps in federal food assistance programs, while others are getting creative with food systems and supporting local farmers. All of them are making a difference in the fight against hunger, and all face challenges.

Aug/Sept 2019 - Columns

Hiking the Highlands

Grandfather Mountain

Summiting Grandfather Mountain

On this classic Western North Carolina hike, hikers can see a fantastic view of the cliffside profile for which Grandfather Mountain is named.

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Naturalist's Notebook

kudzu

Tangled Up in Kudzu

The story behind the highly invasive vine that is creeping across the Southeast, and what can be done to stop it.

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Member Spotlight

Taking Energy Democracy to the People Through Tours

Alongside partner organizations and concerned citizens, Appalachian Voices launched an Energy Democracy Tour to educate residents in Virginia, North Carolina and the Tennessee Valley on how to take back their electric system from monopoly utilities.

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Photo of Executive Director Tom Cormons

The Magic of Summer: A note from our executive director

A message from Appalachian Voices’ Executive Director Tom Cormons about late summer and our connection to nature.

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Member Spotlight: Vesta Jean Lenhart

Appalachian Voices member Vesta Jean Lenhart’s desire to preserve mountains goes back to her childhood in Eastern Kentucky.

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Politics

The Trump Administration’s Environmental Record

A partial summary of President Donald Trump’s and his administration’s established track record of reducing environmental protections.

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Chart showing how Appalachian legislators voted in June and July 2019

Environmental Votetracker — August/September 2019 issue

See how Appalachian legislators at the federal level voted in June and July 2019.

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Across Appalachia

Job Corps Sites to Remain Open

The Trump administration reversed its decision to privatize 16 federal job centers and close nine after public and political backlash.

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Ohio River Protections Now Optional

In June, an interstate regulatory agency voted to replace mandatory water quality protections for the Ohio River with voluntary guidelines that states can choose whether or not to follow.

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Federal Approval Rescinded for Kentucky Prison

The project would have used public money, including abandoned mine reclamation funds, to build a federal prison on a former coal mine in Letcher County, Ky.

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Energy Report

Environmental Groups Sue Four Coal and Chemical Facilities

Environmental groups have sued three coal facilities and one chemical plant for the alleged illegal pollution of adjacent waterways.

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tents near train tracks

Blackjewel and Revelation Energy Coal Bankruptcy Raises Concerns for Workers and Mine Cleanup

Two coal company bankruptcies in July resulted in retroactively withdrawn paychecks from coal miners and an unclear future for roughly 13,000 acres of unreclaimed mine land.

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Church

Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate Public Comment Period Begins

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will be accepting public comments on the 73-mile fracked-gas pipeline through Sept. 16, 2019.

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