The Appalachian Voice
Tennessee Bill Would Change Mining Oversight
A bill that would change Tennessee’s status as the only active coal mining state that does not have state control of coal mine permitting and oversight has passed the state house and senate.
Read MoreVirginia Law Grants Large Utilities Less Regulation
Massive changes in Virginia’s energy policy were signed into law last month, with many legislators crying foul.
Read MoreNeely’s Creek Mine Permit Up for Renewal
The permit renewal for Neely’s Creek Mine near Somerset, Ky., is being contested by a local environmental group.
Read MoreEPA Dismisses Coal Ash Civil Rights Case
A civil rights case brought by Uniontown, Ala., residents who argued that their health problems were caused by TVA coal ash dumped at a nearby landfill was dismissed.
Read MoreKentucky Legislators Split Over Solar
A Kentucky net-metering bill that would allow the state to decide how much money residents with rooftop solar earn from the surplus power they produce narrowly passed the state House in March.
Read MoreCash for Carbon: Working Woodlands Program Grows in Appalachia
Over 25,000 acres of forest in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia will remain undeveloped for use in Forest Stewardship Council-certified timber markets.
Read MoreWest Virginia State Park Logging Bill Defeated
Widespread public backlash led to the defeat of a West Virginia bill that would have lifted the 80-year ban on commercial logging in state parks.
Read MoreSanctuary for Research Chimpanzees Opens Outdoor Habitat
In January, Georgia-based chimpanzee sanctuary Project Chimps opened a six-acre expanse of woods to 15 apes that had spent their entire lives indoors for biomedical research.
Read MoreEastern Cougar Declared Extinct
The eastern cougar, a subspecies of the North American cougar that once roamed much of the Eastern United States and parts of Canada, was officially declared extinct in February.
Read MoreN.C. Rock Faces Closed to Protect Falcons
The U.S. Forest Service is seasonally closing nine recreational rock faces in North Carolina to protect rare peregrine falcon nests.
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