RockingChair

Front Porch Blog

Updates from Appalachia

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Coal bankruptcies continue to put a strain on communities

It is far too easy for coal companies to use bankruptcy to effectively hit a reset button. Once they file for bankruptcy, damages they caused and obligations they committed to are often no longer their responsibility.

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Appalachian Voices partners with Black By God to examine air quality in West Virginia’s African American communities

Appalachian Voices is launching a new partnership with Black By God, a Black-led news and storytelling organization, with a publication of the same name, in West Virginia. Black By God is dedicated to providing a more nuanced portrayal of African Americans in the Mountain State and the Appalachian region than is often found in other media sources.

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Rule to protect miners from silica falls short

In April, the Mine Safety and Health Administration announced the final version of a rule meant to protect coal miners from respirable silica. The announcement was a long time coming.

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The slow, steady process of making regulators and coal companies monitor pollution

In late summer of 2022, Appalachian Voices discovered selenium, a common pollutant associated with coal mining, in high concentrations in certain streams in the Big Sandy River watershed in Pike County, Kentucky. These waterways receive runoff from the S-1 Hunts Branch Surface Mine, a nearly 2,000-acre mountaintop removal coal mine operated by Lexington Coal Company.

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Engaged activists get bipartisan wins in 2024 General Assembly session

There were bright spots and not-so-bright spots in the 2024 Virginia General Assembly session.

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