Front Porch Blog
New report shows alarming lack of mine cleanup progress in Kentucky
A recent study found that nearly 40% of the “active” surface permits in Kentucky have been sitting idle for the last five years. The coal companies responsible for those mine permits did not produce any coal, nor did they make any progress in cleaning up the sites.
Read MoreFour ways you can support Appalachian communities in the new year!
In 2023, Appalachian advocates made several advancements in the fight for greater protections for rural communities and families affected by black lung but as we enter 2024, an ongoing battle in Congress over spending is threatening to undo much of this progress while also cutting programs that benefit these communities.
Read More2024 Virginia General Assembly session is underway!
As the Virginia Assembly opened its 2024 legislative session on Jan. 10, Appalachian Voices held a webinar to lay out our priorities for the session and explain how those interested in these issues can get involved and make a difference.
Read More‘A moral imperative:’ Two bills would support miners with black lung and their families
Dec. 13 was a day that Vonda Robinson had been waiting over three years for. On that day, Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., introduced the Relief for Survivors of Miners Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Read MoreReliance on fossil fuels was last year’s Grinch that stole Christmas — and the real cause of Winter Storm Elliot blackouts
On Dec. 24, 2022, as Winter Storm Elliot bore down on North Carolina and Tennessee, problems at fossil-fuel power plants and high electricity demand led Duke Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority to shut off power for millions with rolling blackouts. But it didn’t have to be this way.
Read MoreCommunities continue to seek safety measures for Mountain Valley Pipeline
Along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, citizen monitors have watched a frenzy of workers hurriedly lower sun-bleached and degraded pipe into trenches, burying as much material as possible. Although safety concerns led the agency tasked with pipe safety, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, to issue a consent agreement, the agreement has not brought peace of mind.
Read MoreNo time to waste averting another coal mine cleanup crisis
Regulators are ignoring a growing crisis unfolding in modern mine reclamation. Coal companies are often failing to complete timely reclamation, and safeguards to ensure mine cleanup are failing. Communities are already seeing a new, more devastating wave of abandoned mines — a problem that will get worse without action.
Read MoreReImagining Your Community with the help of EPA’s Environmental and Justice Community Change Grants
The EPA’s Community Change Grants could be an opportunity to engage key community stakeholders in strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to promote climate resilience, and to simultaneously create good jobs for local residents. Check out the ReImagine Your Community resource page for resources to help guide community visioning and project development.
Read MoreProposals to put new nuclear reactors near coal mine sites ignore geological hazards
In October 2022, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a goal of building a new nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia within the next 10 years, setting off a flurry of excitement among local economic development officials and outrage among local residents who are concerned about the health and safety risks of nuclear power.
Read MoreCommunity celebrates opening of new recreation area in Dante, Virginia
This new recreation area features approximately 16 miles of new trails that will connect to existing trails around the nearby town of Saint Paul, and the campground features full amenities.
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