The Appalachian Voice
Virginia’s Appalachian Representatives
Robert Hurt (VA-5) A second-term representative whose district stretches from Charlottesville to the North Carolina border, Hurt has consistently voted to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants, including carbon and mercury pollution. He is also a supporter of offshore oil drilling along the coast of Virginia. District Specs:…
Read MoreWest Virginia’s Representatives
David McKinley (WV-1) Before serving in Congress, this northwestern West Virginia representative owned a construction and engineering company. As a freshman, McKinley drafted legislation that would prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing rules to regulate the disposal of coal ash waste. He is currently gathering support for a Congressional Resolution opposing a federal…
Read MoreIn Memoriam
Since Europeans arrived, excessive hunting and deforestation has led to the demise of a number of Appalachian creatures. Carolina Parakeet The only parrot native to the United States favored old forests along rivers. Farmers saw it as a despised agricultural pest and ladies prized its feathers for their hats — it was extinct by the…
Read MoreThe Heated Issue of Prescribed Burns
By Molly Moore Steep rock cliffs, a raging river, weathered heath balds and several types of forest make the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area in Western North Carolina a popular recreation destination. A few rare species native to the gorge are at the center of a controversial U.S. Forest Service proposal to conduct controlled burns, in…
Read MoreSpelunking the Highlands | Owning the Caves
Worley’s Cave: Worthy of Respect and Care By Matt Grimley With my headlight loosely strapped and my boots tightly tied, I walked into the mouth of Worley’s Cave and I realized something: 28 boy scouts. That’s how many boy scouts you shouldn’t have on a caving trip. Still, I enjoyed this pubescent expedition with River…
Read MoreThe Custodian’s Conundrum
By Molly Moore A swarthy tree trunk stands in a small clearing, a gap in the forest canopy created by its once-thick crown of leaves. Shrubs and saplings clamor for sunlight around the tree’s base, and carpenter ants colonize the wood’s damp interior, pushing it closer to decay. Sensing this activity, a pileated woodpecker, with…
Read MoreImpoundment Safety Called Into Question | Stream Buffer Zone Delay
Questions and criticism followed a Nov. 30 accident at a CONSOL Energy-operated coal slurry impoundment in West Virginia that left one worker dead. A few days after the incident, The Charleston Gazette reported that records “outlined company concerns that construction to enlarge the dump had not been moving fast enough to keep up with slurry…
Read MoreSoutheastern Coal Plants Retire and Convert | Other Shorts
The growing share of electricity generated by natural gas and recent announcements of coal plant retirements are rapidly changing the energy sector across the southeast. On Jan. 7, Georgia Power announced its plans to retire 15 coal- and oil-fired units at four plants across the state. The same week as Georgia Power’s announcement, Duke Energy…
Read MoreA Local Fight for Water Rights | Fiscal Challenges for N.C. Clean Water Trust Fund
More than 40 municipalities around the state have passed resolutions against state government control of municipal water infrastructure. Now, the North Carolina legislature plans to seize control of Asheville’s water system. The issue goes back to when Asheville entered into a regional water authority with Henderson and Buncombe counties. As time passed, the partnership dissolved…
Read MoreOn The Fringe of Life
A Tour of Appalachia’s Biodiverse Frontier By Molly Moore Crouch Knob in Randolph County, W. Va., might be home to the largest remaining cluster of running buffalo clover in the world. As its name suggests, this particular clover once flourished alongside buffalo, sending “runners” of floral clones across the bison-trodden earth of eastern North America.…
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