Blog Archives

Turning Coal Ash into Art

Woman points to location on a map.

In Walnut Cove — a community whose history has been tainted by coal ash for decades — The Lilies Project has turned coal ash into art, and is expanding to encompass the town’s story beyond coal ash.

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Bills Aim to Help Miners with Black Lung and Surviving Family Access Benefits

A painting of boots, a hat and other gear used by coal miners.

Miners with black lung disease face a difficult process to obtain modest benefits, as do their widows. Two bills in Congress aim to help miners with the disease and their bereaved families, including by tying benefit levels to inflation.

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Fighting for Black Lung Benefits for Miners and Families

A woman poses next to her husband with her arm around his shoulders.

Kathryn South’s husband, Mike South, was diagnosed with black lung disease at age 35. As they grappled with his disease, the couple also navigated the arduous legal process to obtain federal black lung benefits, a fight that Kathryn continued even after Mike’s passing.

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Contaminants Found in East Tennessee Springs

Two men stand on a gravel road outdoors next to a truck and another man crouched next to white buckets.

Springs are often assumed to be a safe, clean source of drinking water. But they can harbor a number of health hazards, as new research published in the journal Geosciences shows.

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As EPA Prepares to Update Federal Air Quality Limits, Coal Dust Looms Large in Eunice

gray dust hovers between two trees

Frustrated with constant coal dust, residents of Eunice, West Virginia, asked the state to install an air quality monitoring device in their community. The request was denied.

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No Easy Answers on Coal Ash Cleanup

10 people raise their fists in front of a bronze statue

To protect groundwater and community health, coal ash ponds must be cleaned up. But, as communities in Tennessee have learned, safely removing the toxic waste brings its own set of challenges.

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Snorkelers Explore Appalachia’s Diverse Freshwater Life

Two young snorkelers exploring a shallow river.

The rivers and streams of southern Appalachia attract snorkelers with their wide variety of species and beautiful sites.

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How the Coal Mine Cleanup System is Failing

A desolate patch of disturbed ground sits as a result of an abandoned surface mine.

The bankruptcy of coal company Blackjewel has exposed many flaws in the current mine cleanup system.

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Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project

A series of photographs of various bear, deer and elk roaming in the wild.

A collaborative effort to make the Pigeon River Gorge section of I-40 safer for wildlife and humans is yielding results.

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Chubs: A key species and a mystery

A gray and green fish carries a stone in its moth, surrounded by smaller red fish

Snorkelers helped to uncover a population of river chubs in an unusual location.

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