Front Porch Blog
Residents fight for Kentucky water
SB 89 would strip protections for Kentucky’s groundwater, headwater ephemeral streams and many wetlands, increasing pollution risks, raising water treatment costs and exacerbating flood risks for communities across the commonwealth.
Read MoreTVA doesn’t make public participation easy, but showing up is making a difference
On a cold and rainy Wednesday afternoon in mid-February, nearly 20 advocates and community members trudged to downtown Knoxville to speak and show support for our concerns as the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors met for its first public listening session of the new year.
Read MoreFederal regulators shut down illegal WV coal haul road — Interior quietly reopens it at company’s request
In a whirlwind of conflicting decisions, the U.S. Department of the Interior has quietly allowed South Fork Coal Company to resume hauling coal through the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia — just weeks after Biden administration regulators shut down the unlawful haul road.
Read MoreClintwood JOD cited for black water spill upstream of Fishtrap Lake in Pike County, Kentucky
Clintwood JOD, a coal mining company operating in Kentucky and Virginia, has been cited by Kentucky regulators for releasing polluted, black water into Big Creek and the Levisa Fork from coal mines in Pike County.
Read MoreThe importance of sustained investment in our Appalachian communities
Appalachian communities have been putting funding from two major federal laws to good use, adopting more sustainable and resilient forms of energy. Read about how recent executive orders and proposals from Congress could impact these popular programs.
Read MoreMake your home energy efficient to save money by lowering your power bills!
You can soften the blow of ApCo’s rate increases by making a plan to improve the energy efficiency of your home and taking advantage of the tax incentives currently available.
Read MoreNew map hints at scale of black lung crisis
Using data from the Department of Labor, we’ve created a map that hints at the scale of the black lung crisis.
Read MoreProposed Arch-Consol merger must secure black lung benefits for miners
Regulators scrutinizing a proposed merger between two of the country’s largest coal companies must make sure black lung benefits are protected.
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 operated 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.
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