Front Porch Blog
Proposed Arch-Consol merger must secure black lung benefits for miners
Black lung disease continues to devastate coal miners, their families and communities. The fatal disease has been at epidemic levels for years now, sparking a surge of grassroots activism by the Black Lung Association and others, including Appalachian Voices.
Read MoreHow the Department of Government Efficiency’s plans will harm Appalachian communities: Part 2
What the heck is impoundment and why should you care? Undoing of the Impoundment Control Act would lead to much less certainty when it comes to many programs that the people of Appalachia and people all over the country use for economic growth and stability, environmental protection and more.
Read MoreFederal regulators poised to crack down on coal mine owned by Jim Justice’s family
On Dec. 10, 2024, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement sent a damning letter to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection over the state’s failure to rein in operations on a wildly non-compliant coal strip mine in Wyoming County, West Virginia.
Read MoreTop mine regulator can and must halt illegal coal hauling in the Monongahela National Forest
Sharon Buccino, the acting head of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, could take immediate action to shut down South Fork Coal’s illegal coal hauling operation in the Monongahela National Forest.
Read MoreHow the Department of Government Efficiency’s plans will harm Appalachian communities: Part 1
The Department of Government Efficiency’s proposal to cut funding for “unauthorized” programs would mean the end of programs and agencies that directly benefit Appalachians.
Read MorePittsylvania County, Va., is at the center of an overbuilding of fossil fuel infrastructure
Pittsylvania County, Virginia, faces risks from a new gas plant from Balico and extensions of the existing Transco Mountain Valley pipelines.
Read MoreTennessee’s zombie mine crisis: A growing threat
Zombie mines often evolve into environmental hazards, leaking pollutants into waterways, disrupting natural areas and creating dangerous landscapes.
Read MoreConnecting the future to the past through five special places
Appalachian Voices is working with five towns in the seven coalfield communities to successfully model resiliency in the face of economic difficulties, climate disasters and other hurdles by helping them create shovel-ready projects in their regions.
Read MoreA letter from our executive director
We could not be more determined to hold onto the progress we’ve made toward a positive future for our children built on clean energy and sustainable local economies. And we could not be more committed to the defense of our priceless natural heritage.
Read MoreDuke Energy to delay carbon reduction goals in North Carolina
North Carolina regulators will allow Duke Energy to waive a legal requirement to reduce its carbon emissions by 70% by 2030, according to an order issued earlier this month.
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