Editorial
Hold Fossil Fuel Industries Accountable
The last few months have shocked us all with headlines reporting the fossil fuel industry’s negligent disregard for security and safety. Mine disasters devastated a West Virginia community in April, with 29 miners killed in a blast at Upper Big Branch — the biggest mining disaster since the 1970s. In Kentucky’s Coal Dotiki Mine, a…
Read MoreOur finest hours
When the history of the 21st century is written, the most important question will be how – or even whether — we responded to the climate crisis. As nations gather this fall in Copenhagen to consider a climate treaty, we Americans need to understand what is at stake. First, it’s now settled that the…
Read MoreFormer Appalachian Voices Director Mary-Anne Hitt Recognized by Alma Mater
Mary Anne Hitt, who served as Appalachian Voices’ Executive Director from spring 2004 until November, 2008, recently received the University of Tennessee’s Notable Woman award. The award, given every year since 1995 by the University of Tennessee Commission for Women, honors “a woman whose accomplishments bring distinction to the university.” Margaret Crawford, who serves as…
Read MoreMaking Realistic Choices
Proposals for new wind energy projects are generating controversy in Appalachia. Opponents of wind projects, such as the ones in Tazewell or Highland counties of Virginia, or Barbour and Randolph counties of West Virginia, are worried about biodiversity, about safety, about property values and about views of the mountains. This is perfectly understandable. The legitimate…
Read MoreEarth Day 2009
Americans celebrated the first nationwide Earth Day 39 years ago, in 1970. Usually we remember such events when they fall on a decade or a century mark, and of course, next year’s 40th anniversary will be on everyone’s calendar. It’s important to remember, however, that by this time 40 years ago, a nationwide Earth Day…
Read MoreOpinion
Citizens and Advocates: The New Newsmakers By Bill Kovarik and Sarah Vig From the standpoint of public information, the TVA Fly Ash Disaster was unlike any other environmental disaster in recent history. Immediately following the spill, TVA’s public relations department attempted to spin the catastrophic failure of an earthen dam holding back a billion gallons…
Read MoreTVA must clean house
Recent events clearly show the need for a clean sweep of TVA’s leadership. It’s not just Tom Kilgore, the CEO of TVA, who needs to be held accountable. The nine-member board of directors, entirely appointed by the Bush Administration as part of an old-school, old boy network, is directly responsible for the tragic and disturbing…
Read MoreA Prayer for Peace in Appalachia
Amid Christmas hymns and Hannukah lights, we ask you to join us in a prayer for peace in Appalachia. No one who follows events would ask why we need this prayer. Clearly, the climate of political violence escalated in 2009 with these incidents: • A US Census worker murdered in Kentucky, the word “FED” scrawled…
Read MoreAugean Cleanup on Aisle Six
It’s been widely observed that the next president will be left with an enormous cleanup task. At one point, Vice President-elect Joe Biden compared it to cleaning the Augean Stables. He was referring to the humblest of the Twelve Labors of Hercules, a Greek myth dating from before 600 B.C. Hercules took on the impossible…
Read MoreEditorial
Carthage and Kentucky When Rome destroyed Carthage in 146 BC, do you suppose they tried to sell their citizens on the virtues of salty land? Did they tell them that the salt-laden fields of Carthage were just brimming with opportunities for new hospitals and businesses? If that sounds absurd, consider this bit of rhetoric from…
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