Thousands of abandoned mine lands need to be reclaimed in Appalachia and across the country, and this reclamation work can create thousands of jobs. That’s in addition to the creative community and economic projects that local people can build with new funding.
A federal grant program aims to bring economic opportunity to long-abandoned mine lands. But as some sites are seeing progress, others are finding more obstacles.
Norton, VA — A coalition of groups in Central Appalachia today issued its third annual report highlighting innovative projects that will clean up abandoned coal mine lands and brownfields in six states and give them new life as solar energy…
Even before the pandemic, a growing number of coal companies were declaring bankruptcy — and now the decades-long decline of coal is in a nosedive. This will leave already-shortchanged coalfield communities even less money to deal with decades of damage to people’s health and the environment.
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, New Economy Program Manager chelsea@appvoices.org 276-679-1691 Norton, Va. – Furthering its commitment to innovative mine reclamation projects throughout the Appalachian region, the Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition (RAC) announced its investment in five projects in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Alabama…
Advocates for mine cleanup and economic development in Appalachia are calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the RECLAIM Act and AML Reauthorization after the two bills passed the U.S. House in early July.
The Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition held a webinar in May in which regional organizations including Appalachian Voices spoke on innovative mine reclamation work being done to turn coal-impacted lands into outdoor recreation hot spots.
CONTACT: Thom Kay, Senior Legislative Representative, thom.kay@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Senior Communications Strategist, cat@appvoices.org Washington, D.C. – More than 100 organizations have added their names to a sign-on letter urging leaders in the House of Representatives to prioritize several bills that…
Numerous Appalachian coal-bearing communities have passed resolutions calling on federal legislators to pass a bill that would reauthorize a program that funds cleanup of abandoned mine lands.
Local governments in Southwest Virginia and Pennsylvania are passing resolutions supporting cleanup of abandoned coal mines. A bill that would extend federal funding passed the House Natural Resources Committee last week.
