The Appalachian Voice
Crowdfunding Solar in West Virginia
In a state known for coal, solar energy emerges through a grassroots “barn-raising.” This innovative program relies on energy efficiency and a collaborative spirit to harness the sun’s power for community nonprofits.
Read MoreAppalachian Voices Uncovers Clean Water Violations in Kentucky
Judge Rejects Deals Between State and Coal Company On Nov. 17, Appalachian Voices and our partners in Kentucky served Frasure Creek Mining with a sixty-day notice of our intent to sue for perpetrating almost 28,000 violations of federal law at its coal mines in eastern Kentucky. This is possibly the biggest conspiracy to violate the…
Read MoreRemembering an Environmental Warrior
Lenny Kohm was an activist who inspired countless people from the Arctic to Appalachia to stand up and exercise their right to protect the land and communities they love. We share several of the many tributes made to this hero, known by many as “The Chief.”
Read MoreCorruption and Enforcement Failures Raise Concern for Clean Water
Recently uncovered conspiracies to violate the Clean Water Act have heightened concerns about corruption in central Appalachia and the effectiveness of state agencies responsible for enforcing the law.
Read MoreContested Mine Next to Kanawha State Forest Continues Operations
An effort by West Virginians to stop mountaintop removal mining near a state forest failed even as the mine amassed a series of violations.
Read MoreRoanoke Electric Receives $6 Million Loan for Energy Efficiency
In October, the North Carolina-based Roanoke Electric Cooperative became one of the first recipients of a loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program.
Read MoreLegal Battles Flare Up Regarding Atlantic Coast Natural Gas Pipeline
The proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline would deliver natural gas produced in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to power plants and other industrial customers in the Southeast, and is already stirring controversy along the proposed route.
Read MoreSandhill Cranes: A Winter Spectacle in Southeast Tennessee
Each winter, thousands of redheaded, long-legged sandhill cranes descend upon the mud flats and grain fields along the banks of the Tennessee River at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Southeast Tennessee.
Read MoreProposed N.C. Fracking Rules Move Forward
North Carolina’s Mining and Energy Commission approved proposed changes to state rules on hydraulic fracturing this November. Citizens and environmental groups submitted nearly 220,000 public comments on the rules governing fracking safety standards, but the commission made few significant changes the public proposed.
Read MoreCourt Upholds EPA Revocation of Mine Permit
A federal judge acknowledged the environmental damage caused by mountaintop removal this September when she ruled to uphold a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency veto of a permit for one of the largest surface mines ever proposed in Appalachia.
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