August/Sept 2018 - Features

The 11 national forests in Central and Southern Appalachia offer us respite and recreation, and provide refuge for the natural world. Yet national forests are complex, and these public lands are often simultaneously home to significant logging projects and mineral extraction.

The U.S. Forest Service is tasked with determining the needs of recreational visitors, hunters, anglers, various industries and at-risk species and ecosystems. Impassioned forest-lovers may disagree about how well the agency is doing, especially given its complex charter and budget constraints. But because national forests belong to all of us, we have an opportunity to shape their direction.

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Hands-on Education in Central Appalachia

Youth in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky are participating in projects that foster science and technical skills through interesting projects like building tiny homes, testing water quality and developing satellites.

FIRE Summit Embraces Hands-on Learning in Eastern Kentucky

Featured Stories

Mountain Valley Pipeline construction

Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipeline Challenges Continue

A slew of legal challenges and protestors has suspended construction on the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines.

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Hemp and Medical Cannabis Make Joint Gains

Industrial hemp could soon be legalized nationally under the 2018 Farm Bill, and Virginia could soon have up to five medical cannabis oil dispensaries in the state.

People at Elmwood Park

Remaking Downtowns

Communities across Appalachia are striving to bring new energy to downtowns that have suffered from population decline or the loss of once-dominant industries.

August/Sept 2018 - Columns

Member Spotlight

Safeguarding our shared natural heritage

Our executive director shares his thoughts on protecting our shared lands and waters in the face of powerful industry.

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New Study Maps Increase in Land Disturbed by Coal Mining

A new study shows that surface mining has cleared 1.5 million acres of land between 1976 and 2015, and also showed a drastic increase in the ratio of land cleared to tonnage of coal produced over the last three decades.

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Powell Valley Electric Co-op Members Raise Their Voices

Members of Powell Valley Electric Cooperative have launched a campaign to make their cooperative more transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of its communities. The group has three candidates running for board seats and submitted a bylaw amendment.

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Politics

Reauthorization of Mine Lands Program Advances

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would renew funding for restoring abandoned coal mine sites — but it would also limit a wide swath of environmental protections.

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Environmental Votetracker — Aug/Sept 2018 issue

Chart showing how Appalachian legislators voted on recent environmental legislation.

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Endangered Species Act Threatened

New guidelines from the Trump Administration alongside a congressional package of nine bills would bring massive changes to the Endangered Species Act.

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Across Appalachia

The STAY Project Celebrates 10 Years

The Stay Together Appalachian Youth (STAY) Project, a youth-led organization of people ages 14 to 30 that aims to “make Appalachia a place young people can and want to stay,” celebrated 10 years in July.

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Giant Hogweed Sprouting up in Appalachia

New patches of Giant Hogweed, a toxic non-native invasive species, have been found in the eastern U.S., including Western North Carolina and parts of Virginia.

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SolSmart Designation in Works for Southwest Virginia

Several counties and towns in Southwest Virginia received a federal grant to help develop solar energy in the area.

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Energy Report

chart showing energy burden by region and demographic

Rural Residents Face Greater Energy Costs than National Average

A new report found that rural households spend much more on energy costs than urban households and that some groups such as renters, elderly residents and non-white residents are hit particularly hard.

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Blair Mountain Returns to National Register of Historic Places

The site of West Virginia’s Blair Mountain labor conflict between coal miners and law enforcement was placed back on the National Register of Historic Places after a federal judge ruled its delisting to be unlawful.

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Black Lung Disease Surges as Support for Miners Dwindles

A recent study shows that black lung disease in Appalachian coal miners is at a 25-year high — but federal taxes on coal companies that help compensate affected miners are set to expire next year.

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