Front Porch Blog Archives < Page 6 of 71

A week of action to stop zombie coal mines

By AV's Intern Team | June 13, 2024 |

Photo taken December 2023 of a mine in Pike County that has not produced coal since 2019.

This week, Appalachian Voices and 12 partner organizations are on Capitol Hill to tell Congress to protect our communities by making coal companies clean up their functionally abandoned coal mines, known as zombie mines.

Congressional hearing highlights issues with black lung benefits program

By Quenton King | May 24, 2024 |

On Wednesday, senators on a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions subcommittee led by Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, held a hearing and listened to testimony from miner advocates and experts on mine safety and the black lung benefits program.

New limits on power plant pollution aim to protect communities and the climate

By Dan Radmacher | May 23, 2024 |

Four rules finalized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency late last month will limit pollution from power plants — reducing climate-altering emissions, protecting the health of nearby communities and speeding the transition to renewable energy.

Pipe blowout heightens Mountain Valley Pipeline concerns

By Jessica Sims | May 21, 2024 |

When Congress placed a thumb on the scale to mandate approval of Mountain Valley Pipeline’s permits in June 2023, construction resumed and communities along the route expressed deep concerns about the use of degraded materials and rushed construction practices.

Building energy-resilient communities in far Southwest Virginia

By Austin Counts | May 17, 2024 |

Whether it’s a medical device, like a CPAP machine, or heating and cooling during extreme temperatures, electricity is an important part of a community’s overall resilience. This is especially true during local disasters and power outages.

Coal bankruptcies continue to put a strain on communities

By AV's Intern Team | May 14, 2024 |

It is far too easy for coal companies to use bankruptcy to effectively hit a reset button. Once they file for bankruptcy, damages they caused and obligations they committed to are often no longer their responsibility.

Appalachian Voices partners with Black By God to examine air quality in West Virginia’s African American communities

By Willie Dodson | May 7, 2024 |

Appalachian Voices is launching a new partnership with Black By God, a Black-led news and storytelling organization, with a publication of the same name, in West Virginia. Black By God is dedicated to providing a more nuanced portrayal of African Americans in the Mountain State and the Appalachian region than is often found in other media sources.

Rule to protect miners from silica falls short

By Quenton King | May 2, 2024 |

In April, the Mine Safety and Health Administration announced the final version of a rule meant to protect coal miners from respirable silica. The announcement was a long time coming.

The slow, steady process of making regulators and coal companies monitor pollution

By AV's Intern Team | April 30, 2024 |

In late summer of 2022, Appalachian Voices discovered selenium, a common pollutant associated with coal mining, in high concentrations in certain streams in the Big Sandy River watershed in Pike County, Kentucky. These waterways receive runoff from the S-1 Hunts Branch Surface Mine, a nearly 2,000-acre mountaintop removal coal mine operated by Lexington Coal Company.