Across Appalachia
ARC Develops New Community Capital Bank to Invest in Appalachia
By Chelsey Fisher The Appalachian Regional Commission opened a new bank called Appalachian Community Capital in June to increase loans and other capital that small businesses in Appalachia receive. Industry analyses have shown that over the past several years, banks across the nation have instituted tighter credit requirements for small-business lending and reduced their risk-taking…
Read More6,000 Acres of Blue Ridge Preserved
By Chelsey Fisher Nearly 6,000 acres of land in the Appalachian region were purchased or donated for conservation purposes in the same month Environment North Carolina released 10 reasons why the state General Assembly should restore conservation funds in the state. In Transylvania County, the new Headwaters State Forest, developed through a deal with former…
Read MoreRegional Roundup
‘Ag-gag’ bills Considered in Tenn., N.C. North Carolina became the 11th state this year to consider a form of an “ag-gag” bill, which limits the spread of information about agricultural practices through laws about employee practices. Called the “Commerce Protection Act,” the North Carolina bill was proposed by Senators Brent Jackson, Wesley Meredith and Jim…
Read MoreFirst National Monument in West Virginia Proposed
By Chelsey Fisher The Birthplace of Rivers is an area in the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia known for its preserved wildlife and ecological features. It includes some of West Virginia’s tallest waterfalls and cleanest waterways, and is considered one of the largest expanses of wild forest in the eastern part of the country.…
Read MoreRegional Roundup
A Failure To Cooperate Over Wilderness Right-of-Way Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation filed a condemnation petition in January that would allow the utility to build power lines through Box Creek Wilderness, a 5,100-acre tract of preserved forest east of Asheville, N.C. REMC says the utility needs the line to supply power to members in McDowell County…
Read MoreEPA Finds Impaired Streams Across Nation, Cites West Virginia
According to a recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 55 percent of the country’s rivers and streams are in poor biological health, unable to support healthy populations of aquatic insects and other creatures. The most widespread problem is excessive levels of nutrient pollution; high levels of phosphorus, found in detergents and…
Read MoreBuild-It-Up! Prepares Young Leaders
By Kate Cahow Tessa Gore’s passion for creating positive change in the Appalachian region was sparked during her time with Build-It-Up West Virginia. “My first summer, we traveled to several mountaintop removal sites, and I witnessed the impact on the environment and surrounding communities,” says Gore, a student at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Ky.…
Read MoreWilliamson, W.Va. – A Gateway to Sustainability in Central Appalachia
By Kate Cahow The Coal House, built in 1933 from its namesake rock, sits in downtown Williamson, W.Va., in the heart of Appalachia’s coal mining region. It is home to the Tug County Chamber of Commerce. Next door, construction of a high-tech “smart office” is underway in the lobby of the historic Mountaineer Hotel. The…
Read MoreVirginia Bill to Lift Uranium Mining Ban Withdrawn | Inspecting Fracking in Ohio
By Davis Wax On January 31, legislation to lift a 31-year old ban on uranium mining was withdrawn from the Virginia Senate floor before voting could commence that afternoon. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. John Watkins, removed the bill from the agenda of a panel expected to defeat the proposal. Like many others across the state,…
Read MoreAt Long Last, A Safer School for Marsh Fork | Inside the Kudzu Bug
On Jan. 7, more than 200 students of Marsh Fork Elementary began classes at a new facility a few miles from the old school in Raleigh County, W.Va. Because of health concerns brought on by a coal processing plant and a high-hazard coal slurry impoundment located adjacent to and above the original building, Marsh Fork…
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