The Appalachian Voice
Funding Cuts for Hazardous Waste Management
Starting this year, Kentucky’s hazardous waste management fund will have $1 million less to work with annually.
Read MoreWV Repeals Changes to Climate Science Standards
Following a heated public rebuke, the West Virginia Board of Education reversed its decision to alter newly proposed national K-12 science education standards.
Read MoreEPA Cannot Regulate Lead in Ammunition
A recent federal court ruling determined that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cannot regulate use of lead ammunition, which raises concerns over the effects of spent ammunition on raptors and other wildlife.
Read MoreAn Early Warning for the Birds
Scientists noticed a group of golden-winged warblers in northeast Tennessee fleeing an approaching tornado — while the tornado was still 250 miles away.
Read MoreRevisions Expected for Surface Mine Blasting Rules
The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced that it will revise current rules to prevent toxic gas emissions from surface coal mine blasting operations.
Read MoreNew Contaminants Found in Fracking Waste
Researchers tested wastewater discharged or leaked into Pennsylvania and West Virginia waterways and found ammonium and iodide in abnormally high levels in hydraulically fractured and conventionally drilled oil and gas operations, both of which are exempt from the Clean Water Act.
Read MoreLooking on the bright side, states seek solar benefits
U.S. jobs grew nearly 20 times faster in the solar industry than the whole economy’s national average, reports The Solar Foundation, and some southeastern states are catching the rays of the burgeoning industry with policies encouraging growth in both privately-owned and utility-scale solar.
Read MoreThe “Pinnacles” of Berea
Tucked against the edge of the Cumberland Plateau sits Berea, home to Kentucky’s largest privately managed forest. What’s more, the forest contains a variety of natural landmarks, many of which are accessible to the public through nearly 12 miles of trail networks, including 9 miles that traverse Indian Fort Mountain.
Read MoreWhite House moves to regulate methane emissions
After years of scientific research pointing to methane’s outsized contribution to climate change, the Obama administration will use its executive power to regulate emissions of the potent greenhouse gas from oil and gas productions and pipelines.
Read MoreRegulators Restore 1983 Stream Protection Rule
To comply with a federal court ruling, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement restored an earlier version of a rule meant to protect water quality and stream channels from coal mining waste.
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