Across Appalachia Archives < Appalachian Voices

Final Stage of Blue Grass Chemical Weapons Cleanup Underway

By AV's Intern Team | August 23, 2022 |

The Blue Grass Chemical-Agent Destruction Pilot Plant began destroying the last type of chemical weapons stored at an Army depot in Kentucky in July with a completion date scheduled for September 2023.

Doubts Follow Elk River Contamination

By AV's Intern Team | June 3, 2014 |

By Kimber Ray Four months after a Freedom Industries chemical tank contaminated the water of approximately 300,000 West Virginia residents this past January, only 36 percent of those residents were drinking their tap water, according a survey released in May by the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. The affected private utility, West Virginia American Water Company, is…

Regional Mountain Photography Contest Seeks Entries for 2014

By AV's Intern Team | October 9, 2013 |

By Kimber Ray The 11th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is now open for registration. competition invites both amateur and professional photographers to “showcase their interpretation of the unique character, people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.” Competition categories include: Adventure, Best in Show, Blue Ridge Parkway: People on the Parkway, Culture, Our…

N.C. Citizens Speak Up About Power Plant Water Pollution

By AV's Intern Team | October 9, 2013 |

By Sarah Kellogg Four out of five power plants currently have no limits on the levels of heavy metals they can dump into rivers and lakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, however, is preparing to change that, and in the process they are hearing from impacted citizens around the country. Since June, more than 165,000…

Workers Exposed to Toxins at Kingston Ash Spill Cleanup

By AV's Intern Team | October 9, 2013 |

By Kimber Ray A federal lawsuit alleges that Jacobs Engineering Group knowingly exposed workers to toxic substances during cleanup of the 2008 coal fly ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tenn. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 22, claims Jacobs Engineering deliberately misrepresented the health hazards of fly ash, failed to…

Progress on Black Lung Prevention

By Molly Moore | October 9, 2013 |

By Kimber Ray After over three years of delay, a proposal for stricter coal dust standards appears to be moving forward. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has submitted a final draft of its rules to the Office of Management and Budget for review. This development followed a letter sent by Senator Jay Rockefeller…

A Local Fight for Water Rights | Fiscal Challenges for N.C. Clean Water Trust Fund

By AV's Intern Team | February 13, 2013 |

More than 40 municipalities around the state have passed resolutions against state government control of municipal water infrastructure. Now, the North Carolina legislature plans to seize control of Asheville’s water system. The issue goes back to when Asheville entered into a regional water authority with Henderson and Buncombe counties. As time passed, the partnership dissolved…

Ghostly Legends Rooted in History

By Brian Sewell | October 14, 2011 |

By Molly Moore As fall creeps into Appalachia, a smoky fog drifts through the hollows and wraps trees and church steeples in a ghostly haze. At this time of year, it’s wise to pay attention to the human stories buried in the region’s historical towns and landmarks. Elizabethton, Tenn., one of the earliest permanent settlements…

It’s Sad to Say, Fracking’s Here to Stay

By Brian Sewell | October 13, 2011 |

A new series of proposed natural gas pipelines will give many states better access to natural gas reserves of the Marcellus Shale, a formation of sedimentary rock that covers much of the Appalachian Basin. The pipelines will connect to larger interstate lines to reach more customers in the northeastern United States and possibly Canada. The…