Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
The National Mining Association doesn’t speak for coal communities
The National Mining Association shrugged when a review of research linking mountaintop removal to human health impacts was halted. But the NMA does not speak for coal communities.
The Land Matrix, Part 1: Stakeholders
The first installment in our new series, The Land Matrix, begins our look at land ownership in Appalachia and how it impacts efforts to diversify the region’s economy.
Massive mountaintop removal mine threatens Clearfork Valley
The Clearfork Valley of Tennessee has been intensely surface-mined going back decades. Now, Kopper Glo Mining is moving forward with a nearly 1,500-acre mountaintop removal mine on nearby Cooper Ridge.
Duke Energy wants to raise your power bill
Duke Energy is asking the North Carolina Utilities Commission for approval to raise rates for its residential customers by more than 16 percent. But North Carolinians are already paying the cost for Duke Energy’s mess.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice fights for coal — at any cost
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice clearly favors Central Appalachian coal — it’s largely how he made his fortune after all. It’s less clear whether Justice is thinking about Central Appalachian people or the future of the region.
