Press Releases
White House nominates coal industry insider for director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Contact: Erin Savage — Central Appalachian Program Manager, 206-769-8286, erin [at] appvoices.org Davie Ransdell — Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, 502-229-1122, davie.ransdell [at] gmail.com The White House today announced the nomination of J. Steven Gardner for Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), the federal agency charged with mitigating the impacts of…
Read MoreVirginia cannot approve proposed natural gas pipelines lacking critical information about impacts on state waters
Appalachian Mountain Advocates * Chesapeake Bay Foundation * Preserve Craig * Southern Environmental Law Center * Wild Virginia Contact: Greg Buppert, Southern Environmental Law Center, 434-977-4090, gbuppert@selcva.org Ben Luckett, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, 304 645-0125, bluckett@appalmad.org Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Conservationists concerned about the two highly controversial natural gas pipelines proposed to cut hundreds…
Read MoreIn reckless decision, FERC approves two massive, risky fracked-gas pipelines in Appalachia
Contact: Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices Director of Communications, 434-293-6373, cat [at] appvoices.org VIRGINIA – Late yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the controversial and dangerous inter-state Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines. The projects are still pending approval from state agencies like the Virginia State Water Control Board, which meets in December to…
Read MoreDuke Energy coal ash pollution in Dan River Basin prompts citizens’ step toward Federal Court
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – On behalf of Appalachian Voices, the North Carolina Conference of NAACP Branches, and the Stokes County Branch of the NAACP, the Southern Environmental Law Center today sent a notice of intent to sue Duke Energy to stop its violations of the Clean Water Act at its Belews Creek facility in Stokes…
Read MoreVa. health advocates hold coal company accountable for water pollution
Contact: Matt Hepler, 276-679-1691, matt.hepler@appvoices.org Brian Willis, 202-675-2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org Isak Howell, 540-998-7744, ihowell@appalmad.org WISE, Virginia – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia has ruled in favor of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Sierra Club on a citizen request for federal inspection of Red River Coal Company’s Greater Wise mine. In…
Read MoreVa. foes of Atlantic Coast Pipeline applaud N.C. delay, urge Gov. McAuliffe to likewise seek more information
CONTACT: Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 VIRGINIA – Late yesterday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration delayed until mid-December its decision on whether to permit the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline project, requesting additional information on its potential impact on more than 300 nearby waterways. This action follows on the heels of a move by…
Read MoreVa. regulators reject APCO’s misguided renewable energy program
Contact: Peter Anderson, Appalachian Voices, 434-293-6373, peter@appvoices.org Yesterday, the Virginia State Corporation Commission rejected a program proposed by Appalachian Power Company that would have charged customers well above market rates if they elected the utility’s proposed program for 100% renewable energy. Appalachian Voices and others who participated in the SCC proceeding were concerned the program…
Read MoreSolarize Wise (Va.) running strong with Sigora Solar on board
Contact: Lydia Graves, Solarize Wise Program Coordinator, Lydia@appvoices.org, (276) 679-1691 NOTE TO EDITORS: These photos (here and here) are available to download and print. Caption: Solar thermal hot water system on the roof of the Duffield Regional Jail in Scott County, Va. Photo credit: Christine Gyovai. In the last several months, more than 45 people…
Read MoreFERC’s final Atlantic Coast Pipeline report a sham
Citizens turn to states to scrutinize environmental impacts Contact: Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices communications director, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 More contacts listed below The Trump administration’s final environmental report issued today for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would carry fracked-gas through West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, utterly fails to independently assess whether the project is even…
Read MoreHouse Committee approves the RECLAIM Act with bipartisan support
On Tuesday morning, the House Natural Resources Committee passed the RECLAIM Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at revitalizing coal mining communities. The legislation would direct $1 billion over five years to restoring abandoned mine lands. Committee members also approved an amendment put forward by Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) to require projects that receive funding under…
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