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Online Ticketing for Music on the Mountaintop
Tickets are now available online for the third annual Music on the Mountaintop Festival, which is quickly becoming one of Boone’s largest music festivals. Just visit Music on the Mountaintop to purchase tickets in advance for the event, held on August 28th and 29th. The festival combines a love for music with an environmental consciousness,…
Read MoreBig Win for Appalachia: Streamlined “NWP 21” Officially Suspended!
The US Army Corps of Engineers has decided to suspend the “streamlined” Nationwide Permit 21 in Appalachia. According to statements made by Meg Gaffney-Smith, Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program: “Under the surface coal mining MOU, we identified concerns with surface coal mines specifically related to mountaintop removal…within those states.” “Over the…
Read MoreThe Coal War Documentary Launches
By Megan Naylor Megan is a frequent contributor to The Appalachian Voice publication, and served as Appalachian Voices’ Communications intern during Spring and Fall 2010. The Coal War, a documentary four years in the making focusing on the fight of West Virginia native Lorelei Scarbro to save the mountain and home that she loves is…
Read MoreDuke Energy Considering Non-Mountaintop Removal Options
Duke Energy has recently made comments hinting that they would like to see an end to mountaintop removal coal mining, but some are skeptical of their commitment. Duke has asked its suppliers to quote the price for coal not mined with the controversial mountaintop removal technique, a first for the company. Senior vice president Paul…
Read MoreMajor Flooding In Southern West Virginia
Four counties in West Virginia are in a state of emergency after 4.8 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period caused major flooding in the state’s southern region. While there were no fatalities, the flooding caused severe property damage, which is especially detrimental for the many without flood insurance. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin toured…
Read MoreDon’t Blast Our Homes!
“Don’t Blast Our Homes!” That’s what Wise County residents told the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy when more than 20 community members gathered outside the DMME’s office in Big Stone Gap to rally in opposition to A&G Coal’s proposed Ison Rock Ridge surface mine. “Ison Rock Ridge is families. Keep it standing!” said…
Read MoreCome celebrate the river Watauga Riverkeeper Festival July 24
]By Jeff Deal Appalachian Voices is hosting Watauga Riverkeeper Fest, an outdoor recreation celebration, July 24, at the Community Park in Valle Crucis, N.C. from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., rain or shine. “Outdoor recreation is healthy, wonderfully fun, and leads to resource stewardship,” says Willa Mays, Appalachian Voices’ executive director. “We need to get…
Read MoreChesapeake Climate Action Network is Hiring
From the organization: CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK Looking for a challenge? How about working to change the tune of Virginia’s leaders away from dirty coal and oil and toward clean, renewable power like wind and solar…Sound good? Read on. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting…
Read MoreA Miner’s Response
Dear Editor, I am writing on behalf of myself and many coal miners throughout Southwest Virginia. I am a reader of your newspaper and an avid outdoorsman and conservationist. Recently, as I read through [Two Miles from Hell: a Miner’s Story in the March 2010 issue], I was appalled at the biased point of view…
Read MoreHold Fossil Fuel Industries Accountable
The last few months have shocked us all with headlines reporting the fossil fuel industry’s negligent disregard for security and safety. Mine disasters devastated a West Virginia community in April, with 29 miners killed in a blast at Upper Big Branch — the biggest mining disaster since the 1970s. In Kentucky’s Coal Dotiki Mine, a…
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