Front Porch Blog
An end to Frasure Creek’s water violations in Kentucky — finally
Late Monday evening, Appalachian Voices and our partners finalized a historic settlement in our case against Frasure Creek Mining. The settlement follows a five-year-long legal battle to protect eastern Kentucky’s waterways and bring a coal company notorious for violating environmental laws to justice.
Read MoreNC DEQ’s blatant bid for control
Over the past few months, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has seemed determined to have complete environmental regulatory control with little regard for federal or public input. In this endeavor, DEQ has taken every chance to highlight how external forces, including citizens groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are simply getting in its way.
Read MoreFormer Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship guilty
After a six-week-long trial that included 27 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, followed by a week and a half of dramatic deliberations, Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship has been found guilty of conspiring to violate federal mine safety laws.
Read MoreStudent leaders support the POWER+ Plan
Yesterday, a group of student leaders in eastern Kentucky took a commendable step in support of Central Appalachia’s youth and economic future. By a unanimous vote, the Appalachian Renaissance Initiative Student Senate passed a resolution of support for the Obama administration’s POWER+ Plan.
Read MoreTakin’ 5 with Tony Flaccavento
Tony Flaccavento has been a leading voice for sustainable economic development in southwest Virginia for more than two decades. An organic farmer, small businessman and author, Tony has been making a series of short videos exploring the positive forces of localized, sustainable economies.
Sizing up APCo’s plan, through customers’ eyes
Appalachian Power Company customers gathered in Roanoke recently to learn more about their electricity provider’s long-term resource plans and get involved in these critical decisions. Here’s a look at how APCo’s plan stands to impede Virginia from harnessing its full renewable energy potential.
Read MoreNew faces, fresh perspectives
We’re excited to welcome two new members to the Appalachian Voices team. Maya Viknius, born and raised in the Ukraine, brings a unique cultural perspective and nearly 20 years experience in accounting, while Leigh Kirchner, a first-generation college graduate with centuries-old roots in Appalachia, adds her regional know-how to our development team.
Read MoreFocus on Appalachia’s future
The winds of change are blowing in Central Appalachia, carrying voices of people determined to see their communities thrive in a future where the coal industry no longer dominates. Executive Director Tom Cormons reflects on our achievements in 2015, including the opening of our new office in southwest Virginia where we have made tremendous progress engaging with local citizens to envision a new, sustainable economy.
Read MoreCrowdsourcing Southwest Virginia’s New Economy
Appalachian Voices is on the ground in southwest Virginia, holding community forums and engaging with citizens from all walks of life to gather their hopes and visions for creating a new economy in the region. You might think of it as old-fashioned crowdsourcing. Soon, we’ll have an online, modern-day crowdsourcing platform to gather more ideas and details to help make these visions become reality.
North Carolina lawmakers put fracking first
Residents across North Carolina are looking to their local government officials to oppose fracking since pleas to decision makers in Raleigh have largely fallen on deaf ears. The town of Walnut Cove, N.C., and Rockingham County recently joined the small but growing list of localities where commissions of elected officials have passed anti-fracking moratoriums.
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