Press Releases
Mountain Valley Pipeline loses authority to cross Virginia waters
NORFOLK, VA — Today, at the request of a coalition of clean water advocates, the Army Corps of Engineers suspended a permit that the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) must have in order to build through waterways in Virginia. This action follows Tuesday’s federal court ruling throwing out MVP’s stream crossing permit for southern…
Read MoreFederal court vacates key permit in W. Va. for Mountain Valley Pipeline
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated the Army Corps of Engineers’ verification that the Mountain Valley Pipeline project can be certified under a general permit, Nationwide Permit 12, instead of an individual permit for large portions of its route in West Virginia. The decision is a victory for pipeline opponents,…
Read MoreWhile the nation celebrates Energy Efficiency Day, N.C.’s High Country residents left out in the cold
Boone, N.C. — Residents, businesses, local and state governments, electric utilities and others all across the United States will celebrate October 5th as National Energy Efficiency Day. Proclaimed a national day of recognition in 2016 as part of a bigger Energy Action Month, the purpose of the event is to showcase the benefits of energy…
Read MoreCouncilman and constituents deliver black lung resolutions to Congress
From September 24 to 26, 10 residents of Southwest Virginia traveled with The Alliance for Appalachia, a regional coalition, to Washington, D.C., to speak with senators and representatives in support of miners suffering from black lung disease. The Black Lung Disability Trust Fund provides medical care and financial support for miners with black lung and…
Read MoreAppalachian Voices response to Va. water board meeting on pipelines
Today, the Virginia State Water Control Board voted to direct the Department of Environmental Quality to aggressively enforce violations of water pollution control plans for the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipeline, and to respond promptly to citizen complaints about construction problems. The board also voted to direct DEQ to provide relevant information to the…
Read MoreCourt deals another blow to fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dealt another blow to the floundering Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), handing down a decision that rescinds permission for all pipeline-related activities in the Jefferson National Forest. In response to a challenge from a coalition of clean air and water advocates, the court vacated…
Read MoreNew maps reveal yearly footprint of surface coal mining in Central Appalachia
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — In a peer-reviewed study published today in PLOS ONE, researchers from SkyTruth, Duke University, and Appalachian Voices released the first-ever maps of the year-by-year footprint of surface coal mining, including mountaintop mining, in Central Appalachia. Among the key findings: Surface mining, including mountaintop mining, has been responsible for clearing 2,900 km2 (~720,000…
Read MoreHouse renews funding to clean up old coal mines
The House of Representatives yesterday evening passed two measures that would continue the critical work of communities in Central Appalachia to cleanup and repurpose old coal mines for new economic development initiatives. The two amendments to the Interior appropriations bill were joined and passed by a single voice vote. One identifies six states to receive…
Read MoreClean water advocates ask court, Corps to halt Atlantic Coast Pipeline
RICHMOND, VA – The coalition of clean water advocates that forced a halt of stream crossing construction activities for the Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia today formally requested the same for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The coalition took two actions. First, it filed a petition for review with the Fourth Circuit. Second, it formally…
Read MoreMountain Valley Pipeline impacts halt construction; rollbacks for Atlantic Coast Pipeline revealed
Northam administration must act following string of regulatory failures BREAKING: Developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline announced today that they are suspending construction activities of the project in Virginia. Citizens have repeatedly called on the state to order a halt of construction due to dozens of documented violations of the state’s water quality standards. Today’s…
Read More