The Appalachian Voice
Across Appalachia Shorts
Kentucky Institutes Task Force on Biofuels A task force on biofuels and biomass appointed by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear held their first meeting in September. The group was formed as part of Kentucky’s recent energy initiative, titled “Intelligent Energy Choices for Kentucky’s Future.” The group hopes Kentucky can produce enough biofuel by 2025 to cover…
Read MorePrize-Winning Prose to be Performed at NC Stage
Peter Neofotis is an extraordinary storyteller. He does more than narrate; he embodies every syllable of his well-crafted prose, which centers on a small town in the mountains of Virginia. He navigates characters, drama and flashbacks with grace and brings life to an entire town through the personalities and personal histories of its people. But,…
Read MoreCoping With Contamination
Stories by Sierra Murdoch Maria Lambert Sand Lick, W. Va. Maria Lambert was born in the coal camps at the head of Prenter Hollow. When she moved down the road to Sand Lick in 2000, her father drilled a well. He tested the water and found it safe to drink. In 2003, Massey Energy began…
Read MoreMoratorium Declared on New Slurry Injection Permits
Story by Sarah Vig In a partial victory for citizens and environmental groups opposed to the process, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection declared a two-year moratorium on new permits for disposing of coal slurry by injecting it into abandoned mines. Coal slurry is a byproduct of coal preparation, a mixture of fine coal…
Read MoreNew River Expedition Sees Both Beauty and Problems
By George Santucci, Executive Director National Committee for the New River We started talking last year about a complete trip down the New, from Watauga County, N.C., all the way to the confluence in West Virginia, to celebrate the river’s 10 years with the American Heritage designation. At times we feared we’d bit off more…
Read MoreFirst Colonists Were No Strangers To Drought
Excerpt from a new book: Heart of Dryness / By James G. Workman. Visit www.heartofdryness.com – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – “New hard evidence, accumulated from tree ring data and pollen counts, suggests that devastating droughts have shattered human settlements, dating back to when people first…
Read MorePrivate Wells Raise Concerns for Public Health
Story by Sarah Vig You would think for small, rural communities in central Appalachia, water from a private well—available at the fairly low cost of maintaining a well and without the hassle of a monthly bill—would be a blessing. And if it weren’t for mining operations, slurry injections, radon-rich aquifers, and an often poorly managed…
Read MoreAcross Appalachia Shorts
Will Harlan Runs 72 “Miles for Mountains” The same day members of the Alliance for Appalachia waited in the halls of Congress for the Senate hearing on the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696) to begin, iLoveMountains.org supporter Will Harlan ran 72 miles along the TN-NC border to raise awareness about the campaign to end mountaintop…
Read MoreMusic on the Mountaintop Combines Music, Mountains and Sustainability
The Music on the Mountaintop Festival will be held again at the Old State Fairgrounds in Boone, N.C. on Saturday, August 29, 2009. The event will feature headliners Sam Bush, Keller Williams, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Acoustic Syndicate, and Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, as well as 15 regional and local acts from western…
Read MoreMountaintop Removal Coal Mining’s Summer of Discontent
Story by Bill Kovarik A summer of discontent is rapidly turning into an autumn of confrontation, as Congressional hearings and regional protests increasingly pit environmental activists against coal industry employees. In one of over a dozen full scale protests this spring and summer, scientist James Hansen and actress Daryl Hannah were arrested in a protest…
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