Press Releases
Bills to ensure coal communities are part of America’s economic recovery introduced in Congress
CONTACT: Thom Kay, Legislative Director, thom.kay@appvoices.org, 864-580-1843 Cat McCue, Communications Strategist, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 Read our March 5 blog for more background. Washington, DC — As coal-impacted communities grapple with economic decline and public health risks made significantly worse by the Covid-19 crisis, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) introduced two bills in…
Read MoreFederal funding can’t protect 100,000s of NC families from eviction and utility shutoffs
Raleigh, NC — Despite last week’s passage of legislation allocating nearly $500 million for emergency rent and utility assistance, hundreds of thousands of struggling families in North Carolina will remain at risk of eviction and disconnection from water and energy service if further action is not taken before the end of the month, advocates said…
Read MoreSouthwest Virginia workgroup seeks bids for residential solar program
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, New Economy Program Manager, chelsea@appvoices.org, (276) 207-9636 Norton, Va. — The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia issued its Request for Proposals (RFP) for partnership in the Southwest Virginia 2021 Residential Solar Program. The program will provide solar installation services for homeowners in the coalfield region. The workgroup is facilitating this program as…
Read MoreTennessee Valley Authority must commit to 100% clean energy, align with Biden climate goals
CONTACT: Gaby Sarri-Tobar, Center for Biological Diversity, 202-594-7271, gsarritobar@biologicaldiversity.org Daniel Tait, Energy Alabama, 256-812-1431, dtait@alcse.org Brianna Knisley, Appalachian Voices, 937-725-0645, brianna@appvoices.org KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The federally owned Tennessee Valley Authority must align its energy planning with President Biden’s recent executive order requiring that the federal electricity sector completely decarbonize by 2035, energy justice groups said…
Read MoreVa. coalfield groups one step closer to state grant for innovative battery and electric manufacturing proposal
An innovative economic development proposal heads to the GO Virginia State Board for final approval at its March meeting after the Region One Council approved the proposal last week. The implementation grant proposal focuses on creating jobs and attracting investments in the battery and electrification manufacturing sectors in Southwest Virginia. CONTACT: Adam Wells, Appalachian Voices:…
Read MoreCommunity groups challenge Trump Administration’s rule for coal mining violations
CONTACT: Aimee Erickson, Citizens Coal Council, Executive Director, aimee@citizenscoalcouncil.org Thomas Young, Sierra Club, thomas.young@sierraclub.org Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices, erin@appvoices.org Washington, DC — A coalition of environmental and community groups today brought a challenge to a Trump Administration rule designed to make it harder for communities impacted by coal mining to hold state regulators and mining…
Read MoreGroups call on Biden administration to act swiftly on just transition
As all eyes turn toward economic relief proposals on the first full day of the Biden Administration, Appalachian Voices and 12 partner organizations working in coal-impacted communities from Navajo Nation to Appalachia are urging the new President to take several immediate actions to support the people and places hit hardest by the decline of the…
Read MoreCoalition highlights community projects to restore, redevelop old coal sites in Appalachia
Norton, VA — A coalition of groups in Central Appalachia today issued its third annual report highlighting innovative projects that will clean up abandoned coal mine lands and brownfields in six states and give them new life as solar energy sites, recycling centers, eco-tourism assets and other economic ventures. The report, Restoration and Renewal: The…
Read MoreClean water advocates sue to stop political pressure to bail out Mountain valley Pipeline
Washington, D.C. — Community and clean water advocates today sued to reverse a U.S. Forest Service decision about the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) that was rushed through under political pressure from the lame duck Trump administration. The Forest Service announced today it approved a plan for the controversial fracked gas MVP to build through…
Read MoreNC public interest groups urge Gov. Cooper to immediately suspend evictions, utility shutoffs
Raleigh, N.C. — A coalition of racial justice, housing, low-income and conservation groups today sent a letter to Governor Roy Cooper urging him to institute an immediate emergency moratorium on housing evictions and electricity, gas and water shutoffs to prevent further infections and deaths from Covid-19. CONTACT: La’Meshia Whittington, Deputy Director, Advance Carolina, LaMeshia@AdvanceCarolina.org, (919)…
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