The Appalachian Voice
Rapids from Flannagan Dam Drive Tourism
Local residents and small business owners near Flannagan Dam are pushing for more frequent releases from the dam to allow for a longer whitewater rafting season to increase tourism.
Read MoreOpposition to Proposed Tennessee Mountaintop Removal Mine
Kopper Glo Mining is seeking a second permit to release pollution from its nearly 1,500-acre proposed Claiborne County, Tenn., strip mine into public waterways. Attendees at a public hearing voiced a number of concerns.
Read MoreFormer Coal Company Town Integrates Energy Efficiency and Solar
By Dan Radmacher Powering a coal museum with solar panels is the kind of news story that attracts attention, as the city of Benham, Ky., discovered. “It’s put us on the map internationally,” says former Benham Power Board chairman Roy Silver of the decision to install solar panels on top of the Kentucky Coal Museum,…
Read MoreWest Virginia Governor Shows Allegiance to Coal
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is pushing for federal coal subsidies, but his companies have also amassed millions in fines due to worker safety and environmental violations.
Read MoreSnail Tales
Did you know Appalachia has the most snail species out of any region in North America? Discover the important role our slimy little friends play in the ecosystem in this issue’s Naturalist’s Notebook.
Read MoreThe Rules of the Solar Game
Nothing is more free than the sun and the wind, right? The answer is not as clear-cut as one might think, and is different from state to state and even within the same state, as utilities often set their own renewable energy policies. The cost of both residential and utility-scale solar has fallen greatly in…
Read MorePipelines Face Continued Challenges
Citizen and environmental groups continue to challenge the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline as the companies behind the pipelines push for rushed decisions.
Read MoreHistoric Eastern Kentucky Sites Added to National Register
Three Eastern Kentucky sites were added to the National Register of Historic Places in August.
Read MoreHarnessing Solar in Appalachia
The United States is in the midst of a solar boom. The Solar Energy Industries Association reported a 97 percent increase in solar installations in 2016 compared to 2015. But as other states take advantage of solar, much of Appalachia is left in the dark with legislation that limits solar expansion. Even within Appalachian states,…
Read MoreRegional Coal Ash News: Toxic Cleanup, Legal Woes and EPA Changes
Over two dozen workers who helped clean up the December 2008 TVA coal ash disaster have died, and surviving workers and family members are suing. Duke Energy faces legal trouble for withholding dam safety information. The EPA is being challenged for retracting a 30-day public comment extension on coal ash guidelines.
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