Posts Tagged ‘Coal’
One month, two hearings on mountaintop removal
It’s rare that Appalachians have their voices heard in Congress. But twice in the past month, residents have had the opportunity to testify about mountaintop removal mining at two different U.S. House hearings. The lesson we learned? Congress does not want to help end mountaintop removal and they’d prefer not to hear about it.
Keep the Clean Water Act going strong
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ended a decade of confusion with the release of a long-awaited Clean Water Rule, which clarifies the scope of waters that are protected under the Clean Water Act. As the EPA pursues updates to the “effluent limitation guidelines,” we hope the Obama administration ready to continue the trend of strengthening and modernizing the Clean Water Act.
Read MoreSilas House: A Remembrance of Jean Ritchie
“Kindness always lit up the face of Jean Ritchie,” begins this remembrance by author Silas House of the Appalachian folk icon who died yesterday at 92. “She was a source of incredible pride for my people. Everyone I knew loved Jean Ritchie, and they especially loved the way she represented Appalachian people: with generosity and sweetness, yes. But also with defiance and strength.”
Appalachian communities are still at risk
Our goal with Communities at Risk is to ramp up the pressure on the White House to end mountaintop removal. As citizens have argued for years, cracking down on the continuing devastation of Appalachian mountains and streams is critical to moving the region forward. It’s incumbent on the Obama administration to help revive Appalachian communities, which have powered the nation’s economic ascendancy for generations.
Appalachian Crayfish: Canaries in a Coal Mine
Two species of crayfish native to Appalachia are in danger of becoming extinct after years of suffering habitat loss and water quality impacts attributable to mountaintop removal coal mining and other industrial activity. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agency is proposing the species be listed as endangered under federal law. Whether or not they are pushed past the point of no return depends largely on the outcome of a recent proposal by the agency to add them to the federal list of endangered species.
Appalachian communities at growing risk from mountaintop removal
Appalachian Voices is committed to creating a forum for citizens’ stories and sharing the most up-to-date data available about the ongoing risks the practice poses to Appalachia. Today, we’re sharing a new web tool we developed to reveal how mining continues to encroach on communities and send a resounding message that ending mountaintop removal is a must if we hope to foster economic and environmental health in Appalachia.
New map tracks growing threat of mountaintop removal
Contacts: Matt Wasson, Program Director, 828-262-1500, matt@appvoices.org Erin Savage, Central Appalachian Campaign Coordinator, 828-262-1500, erin@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org A new interactive map released today shows that mountaintop removal coal mining has been expanding closer to communities in Central Appalachia in recent years, posing increasing threats to human health and the environment even…
Read MorePOWER+ Plan deserves a warmer welcome
While we here in Appalachia are working overtime to reinvent our economy and outlast the fall of King Coal, you would think that our representatives in Washington, D.C., would be eager to pass measures that send much-needed federal aid to help our hard hit coal-producing counties. But most of the region’s congressmen and senators are staying silent, and those who are going on the record are definitely not stepping up to the plate.
State Legislative Updates
While lawmakers in Washington, D.C., might get most of the spotlight, the legislators in state capitols across the region are busy making — and blocking — laws that affect Appalachia’s land, air, water and people. Here’s the latest updates from state legislatures around the region
Read MoreWV Coal Lab Penalty Upheld
The West Virginia Environmental Quality Board upheld a decision by the state Department of Environmental Protection to revoke the certification of Appalachian Laboratories Inc., where employees routinely conspired to violate the federal Clean Water Act.
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