Front Porch Blog
South Fork Coal Company: ‘a trail of pollution, debt and disregard’
Since late 2023, Appalachian Voices has worked closely with the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance and other partners to defend the Cherry River from South Fork Coal’s negligence, and to resist this coal company’s encroachment into the Monongahela National Forest.
Read MoreJustice family coal company faces contempt hearing over broken cleanup promises
A&G Coal Corporation, the coal company majority-owned by U.S. Senator Jim Justice and managed by his son Jay Justice, is under renewed legal scrutiny — this time for failing to comply with a federal consent decree that was supposed to ensure the long-overdue cleanup of three major surface mines in Wise County, Virginia.
Read MoreSolar’s Here to Stay at the YMCA!
Earlier this spring, community members and solar experts gathered to celebrate the opening of the Tazewell Four Seasons YMCA’s new solar array, which was made possible in part by federal clean energy tax credits that are now at risk.
Read MoreClean energy tax credits: Why are they important for Appalachia?
On the surface, federal tax credits may seem overly complicated or unrelatable. However, understanding the intricacies of tax law isn’t necessary to witness the positive impact these incentives are making in the country.
Read MoreSouthwest Virginia’s Solar Summit for Rural Appalachia
This year, the Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia decided to take on a new challenge: hosting the region’s first-ever solar summit! Inspired by the 2017 Wise Solar Fair, the Southwest Virginia Economic Forum and various summits hosted in Richmond, Virginia, the SWVA Solar Summit will take place at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise’s…
Read MorePutting faces to the floodwaters: The need for disaster preparedness in one rural community
There is something particularly heartbreaking about pulling a baby’s sock from the muddy banks of the Powell River while the current administration dismantles funding for community-led efforts to better prepare for floods like this one. On Feb. 25, several Appalachian Voices employees visited the town of Pennington Gap to offer help removing flood debris from…
Read MoreTrump administration cutting vital health and safety services for miners
Coal miners, families and advocates were still trying to figure out what the termination of leases for dozens of Mine Safety and Health Administration offices by Elon Musk’s DOGE meant for the work of mine safety inspectors when even worse news came.
Read MoreCommunity improvement projects proceed in Pound as some funding remains uncertain
Community projects in the town of Pound, Virginia are moving forward, as the federal funding that has helped to make some of them possible faces an uncertain future.
Read MoreEPA announces rollback of decades’ worth of regulations
On March 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced what it called the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” a rollback of dozens of important environmental health protections that will put communities across the nation at risk and let polluters go wild.
Read MoreVirginia’s 2025 General Assembly session wraps up
Matt Allenbaugh shares a few highlights from the Virginia General Assembly. We’ll share more updates on the bills we’ve worked on after the governor’s veto session wraps up on April 2 and we know which bills are becoming law!
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