The Appalachian Voice
Clearing the Air on How Wood Pellet Factories Affect Their Neighbors and the Climate
The wood pellet industry is growing in the American South, but communities near wood pellet plants are seeing damages to air and water quality. As new facility proposals from wood pellet companies like Enviva continue, local residents and regional climate activists are speaking out.
Read MoreTurning Coal Ash into Art
In Walnut Cove — a community whose history has been tainted by coal ash for decades — The Lilies Project has turned coal ash into art, and is expanding to encompass the town’s story beyond coal ash.
Read MoreBills Aim to Help Miners with Black Lung and Surviving Family Access Benefits
Miners with black lung disease face a difficult process to obtain modest benefits, as do their widows. Two bills in Congress aim to help miners with the disease and their bereaved families, including by tying benefit levels to inflation.
Read MoreFighting for Black Lung Benefits for Miners and Families
Kathryn South’s husband, Mike South, was diagnosed with black lung disease at age 35. As they grappled with his disease, the couple also navigated the arduous legal process to obtain federal black lung benefits, a fight that Kathryn continued even after Mike’s passing.
Read MoreThe Root that Shaped a Region
Luke Manget, author of the book “Ginseng Diggers: A History of Root and Herb Gathering in Appalachia,” discusses the complex and impactful history of ginseng and root digging.
Read MoreContaminants Found in East Tennessee Springs
Springs are often assumed to be a safe, clean source of drinking water. But they can harbor a number of health hazards, as new research published in the journal Geosciences shows.
Read MoreConfronting Rising Black Lung
Amid an ongoing surge in severe black lung disease among coal miners, federal lawmakers have introduced a number of bills aimed at assisting affected miners and their families. The Inflation Reduction Act shored up funding for benefits, and advocates are pushing for additional measures.
Read MoreNative Plant Rescue Squad Aims to Boost the Biodiversity of Tennessee Neighborhoods
By saving native plants from destruction and helping these plants find new homes, the Native Plant Rescue Squad is “helping reconnect people to themselves through the natural world.”
Read MoreConservation Crew Builds Trails in Dante, Virginia
Conservation crew members spent 10 weeks creating trails in Southwest Virginia.
Read MoreAs EPA Prepares to Update Federal Air Quality Limits, Coal Dust Looms Large in Eunice
Frustrated with constant coal dust, residents of Eunice, West Virginia, asked the state to install an air quality monitoring device in their community. The request was denied.
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