Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
Proposed Arch-Consol merger must secure black lung benefits for miners
Black lung disease continues to devastate coal miners, their families and communities. The fatal disease has been at epidemic levels for years now, sparking a surge of grassroots activism by the Black Lung Association and others, including Appalachian Voices.
How the Department of Government Efficiency’s plans will harm Appalachian communities: Part 2
What the heck is impoundment and why should you care? Undoing of the Impoundment Control Act would lead to much less certainty when it comes to many programs that the people of Appalachia and people all over the country use for economic growth and stability, environmental protection and more.
Federal regulators poised to crack down on 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.
