A rare bipartisan proposal aims to tackle two pressing issues related to the flailing coal industry — the need for new economic opportunities in central Appalachia and repairing environmental damage from decades of mining.
Blog Archives
RECLAIMing Central Appalachia
TAGS: abandoned mine lands Appalachian politics economic development Economic diversification Power-Plus POWER+ Plan RECLAIM Act reclamation
Environmental Votetracker — April/May 2016
See how Appalachian congressional representatives voted on several environmental issues during February and March 2016.
Environmental Votetracker – Feb/March 2016
See how Appalachian congressional representatives voted on several environmental issues in December 2015 and January 2016.
How Congress Controls Regional Spending
The federal appropriations process determines how much funding is allocated to specific agencies, and could have big implications for efforts to protect Appalachian streams from mining and efforts to support a more diverse and sustainable regional economy.
TAGS: 114th Congress Appalachian politics federal budget POWER+ Plan STREAM Act Stream Protection Rule
Appalachia’s Environmental Votetracker – Dec. 2015/Jan. 2016
See how Appalachian congressional representatives voted on several environmental issues during fall 2015.
TAGS: 114th Congress Appalachian Legislators Appalachian politics energy policy environmental policy
Considering Clean Power Compliance
From The Appalachian Voice:Almost everyone agrees that the Clean Power Plan is a game changer. Beyond that though, arguments about the climate regulations are often deeply colored by politics and disconnected from the plan’s intention or realistically expected outcomes. Here’s how Appalachian states are reacting to the final rule.
Appalachia’s Environmental Votetracker: Oct-Nov 2015
See how Appalachian congressional representatives voted on several environmental issues during late summer 2015.
Caught Between a Budget and a Hard Place
An Obama administration proposal would direct funds to workforce training and reemployment programs in the coal-bearing communities of Appalachia and increase the budgets of agencies focused on economic development, but regional politicians are slow to embrace the plan.
Clean Power Plan Comes with Options and Opportunities
The federal Clean Power Plan is moving forward — and many states are moving forward with implementation plans — despite an unfriendly reception from many Appalachian politicians.
State Legislative Updates
While lawmakers in Washington, D.C., might get most of the spotlight, the legislators in state capitols across the region are busy making — and blocking — laws that affect Appalachia’s land, air, water and people. Here’s the latest updates from state legislatures around the region
TAGS: Coal fracking Kentucky Mine Safety North Carolina Politics Solar State politics Tennessee Virginia Water Pollution West Virginia
