Written by Kevin Ridder
Kevin Ridder
Born in Arizona and raised in Tennessee, Kevin’s love of the mountains drove him to move even further east to Boone, N.C., where he serves as The Appalachian Voice's Associate Editor and a communications associate for the organization.
The Cost of Trump’s Coal & Nuclear Bailout
A study found that the Trump Administration’s draft proposal to subsidize floundering coal and nuclear plants for two years could cost between $9.7 billion and $17.2 billion per year.
N.C. Slashes Duke Energy Carolinas Rate Hike
North Carolina regulators denied Duke Energy Carolinas’ request to enact a 13.6 percent overall rate hike, instead approving a 0.3 percent increase for residential customers for four years before rates rise.
Endangered Species Act Threatened
New guidelines from the Trump Administration alongside a congressional package of nine bills would bring massive changes to the Endangered Species Act.
House Version of Farm Bill Guts Environmental Protections
The U.S. House of Representative’s version of the 2018 Omnibus Farm Bill would roll back protections for endangered species, water and public lands.
Pipeline Resistance Grows on Multiple Fronts
Tree-sits, legal battles and more have sprung up in response to the natural gas pipelines being proposed and built across the region.
Coal Mining Under Trump
While Central Appalachian coal jobs saw a slight bump in President Donald Trump’s first year in office, not much has changed on the national level.
Cost of Coal Mine Cleanup
Despite problems with the current system, coal companies are being granted more leeway in paying for mine reclamation.
Environmental Protection Agency Aims to Deregulate Coal Ash
The Trump administration’s proposal to roll back federal coal ash safeguards gives more leeway to states — and advocates worry that would put drinking water at risk.
Sparking Petrochemical Valley?
Plans for cracker plants and a gas liquids storage hub could lead to a toxic plastics industry in Appalachia.
Cletus and Beverly Bohon
After Cletus and Beverly Bohon spent almost 30 years living in their peaceful woods, Mountain Valley Pipeline developers used eminent domain to cut down a swath of trees on their property.
