Front Porch Blog
Solar energy lights up Southwest Virginia at inaugural SWVA Solar Summit
More than 200 attendees received a wealth of information from various energy, utility and environmental groups.
Read MoreSmoke on the mountain: Canadian wildfires and Appalachian air quality
The wildfire conditions in Canada also affected the United States, with smoke drifting southward and prompting the National Weather Service to issue air quality alerts across the Upper Midwest, including in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Read MoreHow the Trump plan for the federal budget hurts Appalachia
Late afternoon on Friday, May 30, President Donald Trump released his proposed fiscal year 2026 government funding budget, which includes steep cuts that would have serious consequences for Appalachians and people in coal communities across the country if enacted.
Read MorePart 2: Clean energy tax credits are powering change across Appalachia
Across Central and Southern Appalachia, the federal clean energy tax credits expanded by the Inflation Reduction Act are helping communities take action to support new jobs and save money with American-made energy.
Read MoreClean energy tax credits are powering change across Appalachia
Across the country, clean energy tax credits have opened doors for schools, nonprofits, churches, and small businesses to lower energy costs, invest in local jobs, and build more resilient communities.
Read MoreSouth 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…
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