Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
Federal regulators poised to shut down coal mine owned by Jim Justice’s family
On Dec. 10, 2024, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement sent a damning letter to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection over the state’s failure to rein in operations on a wildly non-compliant coal strip mine in Wyoming County, West Virginia.
Top mine regulator can and must halt illegal coal hauling in the Monongahela National Forest
Sharon Buccino, the acting head of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, could take immediate action to shut down South Fork Coal’s illegal coal hauling operation in the Monongahela National Forest.
How the Department of Government Efficiency’s plans will harm Appalachian communities: Part 1
The Department of Government Efficiency’s proposal to cut funding for “unauthorized” programs would mean the end of programs and agencies that directly benefit Appalachians.
Pittsylvania County, Va., is at the center of an overbuilding of fossil fuel infrastructure
Pittsylvania County, Virginia, faces risks from a new gas plant from Balico and extensions of the existing Transco Mountain Valley pipelines.
Tennessee’s zombie mine crisis: A growing threat
Zombie mines often evolve into environmental hazards, leaking pollutants into waterways, disrupting natural areas and creating dangerous landscapes.
