Written by Dan Radmacher

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Dan Radmacher

Dan is Appalachian Voice's Media Specialist. Previously, he worked as an opinion journalist for newspapers in Illinois, West Virginia, Florida and Virginia, and then as a communications consultant for a number of environmental nonprofit organizations.

Orange water, indicative of acidity and high levels of iron, discharging from South Fork Coal's Lost Flats mine, flowing towards the South Fork of Cherry River, on Aug. 5, 2025. Photo by Andrew Young of Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance

South Fork Coal says it will liquidate rather than restructure in bankruptcy filing

White Forest Resources, the parent company of South Fork Coal Company, announced that its bankruptcy would end in liquidation rather than restructuring. South Fork Coal has a history of more than 140 environmental violations at its mining complex near Richwood, West Virginia.

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Labor unions, allies to address Tennessee Valley Authority board on Wednesday against TVA privatization 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 18, 2025 CONTACTDan Radmacher, Media…

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Community leaders, grassroots organizations and members of the public spoke out against Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Southgate project at a public hearing on MVP’s application for a 401 water quality permit. Photo by Kasey Kinsella of 7 Directions of Service

Local residents, grassroots organizations call on North Carolina regulators to deny Mountain Valley Pipeline’s water permit application for Southgate project

Community leaders, grassroots organizations and members of the public spoke out against Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Southgate project at a public hearing on MVP’s application for a 401 water quality permit.

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Russell County passes resolution supporting black lung benefit increases

Last night, Russell County supervisors passed a resolution urging U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith and U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to support legislation increasing black lung benefits.

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Three people walk down a rough mine road in the middle of a large surface mine, surrounded by rock and dirt

CANCELED: Justice family coal company must explain to regulators why mountaintop removal mining permit should not be revoked

A coal company owned and operated by the family of U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., will need to explain why its permit for a large mountaintop removal mining operation known as the Poca mine shouldn’t be revoked.

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The NIOSH mobile testing unit provides free, confidential black lung screenings for miners. Photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Appalachian Voices applauds Senate Appropriations Committee for pushing back against cuts for black lung and miner safety programs

Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to advance its Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2026 funding bill. The package includes funding for mine safety and black lung programs.

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This lengthy section of green, pre-welded pipeline lays along side a deep, machine-dug trench that extends down a long slope through a cleared swath of forested land.

Statement on introduction of important pipeline safety bill

Yesterday, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and Edward Markey D-Mass. and Reps. Scott Peters, D-Calif., and Troy Carter, Sr. D-La., introduced the Gas Pipeline Leak Detection and Repair Act of 2025.

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Statement on Trump administration’s intent to rollback greenhouse gas endangerment finding

Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the EPA will propose a rule to repeal the 2009 endangerment finding that has been crucial for regulating greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

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Dominion building in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Jen Lawhorne

Experts say Dominion fails to prove reliability need for Chesterfield gas plant

On behalf of Appalachian Voices, Mothers Out Front, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed testimony from Telos Energy before the Virginia State Corporation Commission showing that Dominion’s proposed Chesterfield gas plant is not necessary to ensure reliable power.

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The Appalachian Voice logo on a dark green background

EPA Plans to Roll Back Air and Water Protections

Last spring, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its intention to roll back dozens of vital environmental health protections, calling it the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history.”

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