Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
Underground mine blowout causes flood, property damage in Virginia
Accumulated water bursting out of one of CM Mining, LLC’s operations in Hurley, VA, causes flooding and property damage in nearby neighborhood.
Five years after Dan River: Coal ash in N.C.
The Dan River coal ash spill sparked a flurry of coal ash cleanup legislation, public hearings, community meetings and more across North Carolina. But where does coal ash stand in the state now?
In Tennessee, electric bill fees hurt customers
As Tennessee electric utilities seek to maintain profits, they are are increasing fixed fees on customer electric bills, regardless of how much electricity they use. That’s patently unfair, especially for lower-income people.
Cuts to funding for black lung benefits
Despite significant grassroots pressure, an excise tax that pays into a healthcare and disability fund for miners with black lung was slashed in half. The lack of action by Congress amounts to a tax break for coal companies while putting benefits for former miners and their families at risk.
Virginia’s Union Hill community continues fight for environmental justice
Pipeline resisters were distraught – but, alas, not surprised – when Va. regulators OK’d a huge fracked-gas compressor station in historic Union Hill. But all vowed to continue the fight for environmental justice.
