Taking Another Coal Company to Court Over Clean Water Act Violations

On Monday, Appalachian Voices, Sierra Club, and Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, represented by Appalachian Mountain Advocates, filed a lawsuit against Penn Virginia Resource Partners for violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Unlike other CWA cases filed by Appalachian Voices and its partners, this case addresses water pollution that still exists on former surface mine…

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Community Organizing & Water Testing Training

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth is hosting an Organizing and Water Testing Training in Whitesburg, KY. This will be a hands-on training about ways to use the tools of community organizing and citizen water testing to protect our water and health. Conductivity meters will be available at the training for use. No prior experience is necessary.…

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Coalition Acts to Protect Virginia Rivers and Streams from Mining Pollution

For Immediate Release May 3, 2012 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Contact: Tom Cormons, Appalachian Voices, 434-981-6506, tom@appvoices.org Sean Sarah, Sierra Club, 330 338-3740 sean.sarah@sierraclub.org Sam Broach, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, 276-523-1702, sbroach1@verizon.net – – – – – – – –…

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KY Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Citizens and Water

Yesterday the Kentucky State Supreme Court ruled in favor of Appalachian Voices and our partners KFTC, Waterkeeper and the Kentucky Riverkeeper. The ruling upheld lower court rulings allowing us to intervene in a lawsuit between Frasure Creek Mining and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. That case was brought about in October 2010 when we…

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Kentucky Surface Water: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Depending on what you have heard about eastern Kentucky, or your own experiences there, you may have different impressions of Appalachian streams around the area. Some may envision picturesque creeks running through green valleys, while others may think of bright orange “streams” running over rip-rock. Unfortunately, bright orange streams are commonplace in eastern Kentucky. The…

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Nally & Hamilton Case Continues in State Court

Yesterday Appalachian Voices along with our partners Kentucky Riverkeeper, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, and Waterkeeper Alliance challenged the recent settlement between Nally & Hamilton and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet in state court. Click here to see the press release with more information on this newest development. Click here to see the how the…

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Groups Challenge Public’s Exclusion From Secret Negotiations

An agreement negotiated in secret between the Beshear administration and a major polluter in eastern Kentucky does little to protect the public or prevent future violations, claimed several groups representing Kentucky citizens who use water polluted by the company’s coal mining operations.

The citizens’ groups filed a petition in Franklin Circuit Court on Thursday asking that the agreement between Nally & Hamilton Enterprises and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet be vacated on the grounds that there is “no factual evidence in the record, much less substantial evidence, [that] supports a finding that the Agreed Order is a fair resolution of Nally’s thousands of [Clean Water Act] violations, or that it will be an effective deterrent of future violations.”

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Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet cuts deal with Nally and Hamilton for Water Pollution Violations

Last week the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet entered a settlement with Nally and Hamilton Enterprises to resolve tens of thousands of violations of the Clean Water Act. The pending agreed order, originally submitted in September, was signed by the Cabinet Secretary Len Peters, now making it official. Nally and Hamilton is one of the…

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Saying Hello to Our 2011-12 AmeriCorps Team

Appalachian Voices is excited to welcome three new members from Americorps Project Conserve to our team for the 2011-12 service year. Brian Sewell Communications Outreach Associate Brian graduated from the College of Charleston with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Religious Studies. He was a freelance writer in Charleston, S.C. before relocating to…

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