Written by Erin Savage
Erin Savage
While Erin prefers to be on rivers rather than at a desk, as our Central Appalachian Program Manager she devotes a lot of time delving through data to make it meaningful to others who care about the health of our waterways.
5 graphs explain coal in Trump’s first year
The Trump administration claims an uptick in coal production shows its anti-regulatory agenda is working —
ignoring the fact 2017 was an outlier and coal’s long-term trend is downward. Meanwhile, coal communities across the country need better policies now to help diversify their local economies.
West Virginia Governor Shows Allegiance to Coal
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is pushing for federal coal subsidies, but his companies have also amassed millions in fines due to worker safety and environmental violations.
White House Halts Review of Mountaintop Removal Health Impacts
In August, the U.S. Dept. of the Interior ordered the National Academy of Sciences to halt a two-year review of the human health impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining. The review’s budget was less than 1 percent of the department’s current grant spending.
The National Mining Association doesn’t speak for coal communities
The National Mining Association shrugged when a review of research linking mountaintop removal to human health impacts was halted. But the NMA does not speak for coal communities.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice fights for coal — at any cost
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice clearly favors Central Appalachian coal — it’s largely how he made his fortune after all. It’s less clear whether Justice is thinking about Central Appalachian people or the future of the region.
White House halts review of mountaintop removal health impacts
The U.S. Department of the Interior ordered the National Academy of Sciences to halt its review of the links between mountaintop removal coal mining and human health impacts.
Citizens discuss environmental threats and economic priorities during Congressman’s visit
People from coal-impacted communities across Central Appalachia recently gathered in Wise County, Va., to share their concerns and ideas with U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva.
Coal slurry spill in West Virginia linked to Alpha Natural Resources affiliate
A coal slurry spill on March 23, 2017, leaked approximately 5,400 gallons of coal slurry into Crooked Run, a tributary of the Coal River. The processing plant in Boone County, W.Va., where the spill originated is affiliated with Alpha Natural Resources.
Fighting for clean water after the Stream Protection Rule
When Congress voted last week to overturn the Stream Protection Rule, people braced themselves for the coming impacts. But threats to public water from corporate and political interests are nothing new in Central Appalachia, nor is the problem unique to this area. In the face of these threats, communities fighting for clean water need our continued support.
Final Stream Protection Rule released
On Monday, the U.S. Department of the Interior released the Stream Protection Rule, which aims to protect streams from the impacts of surface and longwall mining. The final rule offers only modest improvements to protections for public waterways, but it is well worth defending from congressional attack.
