Our Region

Kentucky Virginia Tennessee North Carolina West Virginia

Our work is concentrated in the five-state section of Central and Southern Appalachia. Learn more about the different areas of focus for each state.


North Carolina

North Carolina is our home state. Appalachian Voices was founded in Boone, N.C., in 1997 with the vision of promoting deeper awareness and appreciation of the Appalachian region. After 20 years, we have grown into a nationally recognized advocate for the communities and ecology of the area. With our headquarters still in Boone, plus staff in Raleigh and Asheville, we have the Tar Heel state well covered.


Coal Ash

From community organizing to water testing to policy advocacy, we are at the forefront of forcing Duke Energy and the state to address the coal ash crisis.

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Fracking and Pipelines

“Clean” natural gas is a myth, and proposals to build huge pipelines here pose one of the greatest environmental threats in our region today.

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Energy Democracy

Driving the movement to ensure all citizens have access to affordable, clean energy.

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Virginia

Appalachian Voices opened an office in Charlottesville, Va., in 2007 to help organize citizen opposition to a proposed coal-fired power plant in Wise County. Through that work, we established strong roots in the Old Dominion, and today it’s our second largest office. In 2015, we opened an office in Norton, in the heart of coal country in Southwest Virginia, to deepen our work with local citizens and leaders to diversify the region’s economy as coal continues to decline.

Appalachian Voices is a member of the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative and supports the Mission and Vision of the Collaborative.


New Economy

Forging partnerships with people of diverse interests to work toward our common goal of reviving the region’s economic well-being.

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Photo by Sierra Shamer / FracTracker
Fracking and Pipelines

“Clean” natural gas is a myth, and proposals to build huge pipelines here pose one of the greatest environmental threats in our region today.

More

Photo of mountaintop removal mining by Kent Mason
Mountaintop Removal

Thirty years of satellite imaging show how mountaintop removal is moving ever closer to people’s homes.

More



Tennessee

Volunteering is at the heart of our organization, and we have a long track record of working in the Volunteer State, including advocating for protection of Tennessee’s mountain ridges. With an office in Knoxville, we are currently focused on promoting affordable financing through rural electric cooperatives for citizens to make energy efficiency home improvements to save energy, strengthen the local economy and protect the environment.


Energy Democracy

Driving the movement to ensure all citizens have access to affordable, clean energy.

More

Photo of mountaintop removal mining by Kent Mason
Mountaintop Removal

Thirty years of satellite imaging show how mountaintop removal is moving ever closer to people’s homes.

More



Kentucky

For more than a decade, Appalachian Voices has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with many of Kentucky’s nonprofit organizations — including Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Kentucky Riverkeeper and Appalachian Citizens Law Center — to defend the mountains, waters and communities of the Bluegrass state. In 2015, Appalachian Voices and our partners achieved a major milestone in protecting the state’s waters after a protracted legal battle with the coal industry and state regulators.

Photo of mountaintop removal mining by Kent Mason
Mountaintop Removal

Thirty years of satellite imaging show how mountaintop removal is moving ever closer to people’s homes.

More


Citizen Enforcement

In the absence of strong government oversight of the coal industry, Appalachian Voices and others take action to protect the environment.

More


New Economy

Forging partnerships with people of diverse interests to work toward our common goal of reviving the region’s economic well-being.

More



West Virginia

We partner with a range of organizations in West Virginia to fend off harmful projects like mountaintop removal coal mines and proposed fracked-gas pipelines. Our partners include Coal River Mountain Watch, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.

Photo of mountaintop removal mining by Kent Mason
Mountaintop Removal

Thirty years of satellite imaging show how mountaintop removal is moving ever closer to people’s homes.

More


Citizen Enforcement

In the absence of strong government oversight of the coal industry, Appalachian Voices and others take action to protect the environment.

More


New Economy

Forging partnerships with people of diverse interests to work toward our common goal of reviving the region’s economic well-being.

More


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