By Brian Sewell When David Frady, a 46-year-old from Leicester, N.C., woke up this morning, he felt like going fishing. So far, the rain has kept him indoors, where he’ll practice tying flies, work on the small boat he volunteered…
Brian Sewell
Brian is an environmental news junkie concerned with our lagging energy policy and revealing the true cost of coal on our health, the environment and the climate. He is Appalachian Voices' Director of Strategic Advancement.
Blog Archives
The Appalachian Voice
Recycling the Rain Brings a Barrel of Savings
By Paige Campbell Tom McMullen may be the most water-wise homeowner in the neighborhood. McMullen, his wife Amanda and their two sons live on six-tenths of an acre inside the town limits of Abingdon, Va. A small front lawn and…
Saying Hello and Goodbye
At Appalachian Voices, we are fortunate to share our work with some of the finest minds in the conservation movement, and this year is no exception. We would like to welcome three exciting new additions to our team, expanding our…
Coal Report Briefs
Whistleblower Gets His Day: A federal judge ordered a West Virginia coal company to allow Charles Scott Howard to return to his mining job and also pay a $30,000 fine for discriminating against a whistleblower. Cumberland River Coal Co. and…
Artists for Appalachia Help Us Celebrate 15 Years
By Kayti Wingfield What better way is there to celebrate 15 years of protecting the beautiful and unique Appalachian region than bringing people together with Appalachian-inspired music and revelry? That’s what we did on July 21 in Charlottesville, Va., when…
Bill Seeks Moratorium on Mountaintop Removal Permits | Black Lung Increasing in Appalachia
New Bill Seeks Moratorium on Mountaintop Removal Permits Representatives in Washington introduced a bill that would halt permitting for mountaintop removal coal mining until federal studies on health impacts can be conducted. Thirteen congressional representatives from nine states unveiled H.R.…
The Coalfields Expressway: 50-Mile Strip Mine Slated for Virginia
By Mike McCoy The Virginia Department of Transportation and Alpha Natural Resources are teaming up in a public-private partnership to create a 50-mile road and strip mine in Southwestern Virginia. Called the Coalfield Expressway, the road would run from Pound…
Coal’s Cloudy Future: The Factors in The Fossil Fuel’s Decline
By Brian Sewell A light winter that dented demand is the least of the coal industry’s worries in a year of unprecedented challenges that may point to a very frigid future. While the industry is familiar with market fluctuations and…
Stand Up That Mountain: A Contemporary Tale of Conservation
By Brian Sewell In the movement to end destructive mining practices that have made parts of Appalachia a sacrifice zone, stories of David versus Goliath proportions often emerge. In “Stand Up That Mountain,” Jay Erskine Leutze relates his own underdog…
The Blueberry Years: An Ode to Farming and Family
Reviewed by Kara Dodson The story of Jim and Sarah Minick’s years managing a blueberry farm read as sweet as a warm, ripe berry plucked from the bush. The courageous and loving young homesteaders recount ten years of preparing, planting,…
