Front Porch Blog
Not On This Land: Documentary celebrates the community-led fight against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
The two screenings brought together people to celebrate the fight that brought down the behemoth ACP. “Not On This Land: The Fight Against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline,” directed by Christopher Landry, profiles some of the West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina communities who helped defeat the fracked-gas pipeline.
Read MoreGovernor Youngkin, have you heard? Virginians love RGGI!
Virginians speak up about Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposal to exit the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. RGG limits carbon pollution from power plants at the lowest possible cost while funneling millions of dollars into at-risk communities.
Read MoreMining agency encourages more, better stakeholder engagement for coal-impacted communities
For years, the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program has been one of the only federal grant programs targeted at revitalizing coal mining communities. It’s now being funded at its highest level to date and is getting a spruce-up from the federal agency that administers it.
Read MoreRemembering Harvard Ayers, founder of Appalachian Voices
Harvard Ayers, founder of Appalachian Voices, passed away on March 9, 2023. Ayers was a true visionary and leaves behind a powerful legacy for the people and environment of Appalachia.
Read MoreMountain Valley Pipeline: Risky, ruinous and roadblocked
Nine years after the Mountain Valley Pipeline project was announced, it remains unnecessary and dangerous to the communities, water resources, lands and habitats through which it is routed.
Read MoreWins and losses in the 2023 Virginia General Assembly session
Even with the short session, Appalachian Voices’ capitol team had a lot to keep track of, with a number of bills we were hoping to convince legislators to support — and quite a few we were hoping to convince them to vote down.
Read MoreGuest post: New SkyTruth research reveals legacy of mountaintop mining — and the policy implications
Explosives and heavy equipment: the perfect combination for mine owners to extract coal from a pristine Appalachian landscape. Too bad this process, known as mountaintop removal mining, is terrible if you live near the mined mountain, or in a watershed downstream, or on a planet faced with the imminent threat of ever-increasing temperatures brought about by greenhouse-gas emissions.
Read MoreBad actor coal company seeks to expand surface mine in endangered candy darter habitat
Surface mining of this scale is bad news for the environment even if it is conducted within the confines of the law, but South Fork Coal Company’s history of regulatory infractions is almost as egregious as Greenbrier County is beautiful.
Read MoreEPA poised to botch update of important air quality rule
PM 2.5 is a lethal combination of metals, organic matter, acids and other substances so tiny that they can be inhaled and delivered directly into the bloodstream. These airborne pollutants are emitted by tailpipes, power plants and numerous other industries. In our region, coal mine dust is an additional source of this pollutant.
Read MoreFive reasons why the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans for a major gas buildout must be stopped
TVA is currently ignoring federal climate goals for a 100% carbon-free energy sector by 2035 to push forward a plan for the second-largest fossil fuel buildout of any utility in the country. These plans will line the pockets of two mega gas corporations, fuel climate change and devastate southeastern habitat and public health.
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