Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
Virginia regulators poised to grant mining permits to questionable company
As companies go bankrupt, they tend to pass off their mine mining permits — and the responsibility to reclaim them — to increasingly questionable entities. This is currently unfolding in Southwest Virginia, if the state mining agency allows it.
Southwest Virginia schools and local governments call for fair solar policies
Several public entities in the region are urging Appalachian Power Company to loosen their restrictive solar policies. On the sunnier side, Appalachian Voices and Iron Works Cycling secured a $25,000 grant for a solar array on the Big Stone Gap, Va., bicycle shop.
Change on the horizon: Securing progress during the Biden administration
Securing progress for our region depends on our ability to remain committed to our shared values and to stand united as we advocate for a healthier, stronger, and more just future for Appalachia.
Miners with black lung disease deserve better
Coal miners were promised health care benefits if they contract black lung, a deadly disease. Congress owes it to them to ensure those benefits are funded.
TVA’s Covid relief fund should be a starting point
We’ve joined dozens of organizations to demand that TVA provide funding for a moratorium on electricity shutoffs in the region and debt relief for families struggling from Covid-related economic hardship.
