RockingChair

Front Porch Blog

Updates from Appalachia

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A miner's helmet.

Over 100 Miners Heading to Washington to Advocate for Black Lung Benefits

Over 100 miners from across the Appalachian region are traveling to Washington D.C. this week to lobby lawmakers on a number of issues related to black lung disease, a fatal respiratory condition caused by continuous exposure to harmful dust and rock particles in and around coal mines.

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mountaintop removal coal mine

Blackjewel’s bankruptcy looks like bad news for workers and mine cleanup

Appalachia’s latest coal bankruptcy looks different than others — mines shut down immediately and paychecks were clawed back from employees’ bank accounts. We take a look at what the Blackjewel and Revelation Energy bankruptcy could mean for mine land reclamation.

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REC service area map

Customer-owned utilities should be leaders on clean energy. Why do most of them fail to deliver?

Clean energy expert Ivy Main looks at how a lack of transparency and democracy at many Virginia electric cooperatives is causing them to fall behind on renewable energy. Member-owners at Rappahannock Electric Cooperative are trying to change that.

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Mountain Valley Pipeline soils all in its path

Trained citizen monitors in Va. and W.Va. have documented hundreds of violations and possible violations from construction along the Mountain Valley Pipeline. They continue calling for an immediate stop-work order from regulators.

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Gary Hairston

What is Congress going to do about black lung’s resurgence?

In June, advocates for black lung healthcare testified before Congress and urged them to act on the deadly disease’s resurgence. Donate today to help send coal miners with black lung to D.C. in July to fight for the healthcare they deserve!

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