Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
Expecting Justice: The backward priorities of a billionaire coal baron
In recent years, outstanding violations and unpaid fines have weighed down coal companies owned by West Virginia billionaire Jim Justice and burdened the communities where they operate. But rather than paying his debts, Justice just spent $30 million to build a lavish sports complex on the grounds of the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.
An Appalachian mother finds inspiration, and inspires
“Inspiration is something we all can use, especially if it is inspiration to change things for a brighter and cleaner future.” – Rusti Mullins, a mother of two and wife of a former Va. coal miner reflects on her summer traveling with her family on the Breaking Clean Tour.
An activist is born
An Appalachian Voices intern attends her first-ever environmental rally and finds a sense of belonging among other advocates calling for clean energy and climate action. “It’s one thing to wear the pins and stickers; it’s another thing to feel empowered by your peers to take action and work towards a common goal,” Marissa Wheeler writes.
Science vs. Mining
Over 2,000 miles of streams have been buried by Mountain Top Removal mining, and many more have been degraded. This seems like it should be illegal, but the destructive practice continues. That’s why Appalachian Voices has been working to keep the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry from opening up new loopholes in our environmental laws that would make it easier to poison streams.
Obama pulls the plug on mountaintop removal study
When President Obama first took office, he made a commitment that his agencies would always act on what the science dictated. I guess the way around taking actions, then, is to stop the science from ever being completed.
