Posts Tagged ‘Coal’
Coalition launches second round of funding for reclaiming coal sites
CONTACT: Joey James, Principal, Downstream Strategies, jjames@downstreamstrategies.com, 304-292-2450 Following the success of its inaugural mini-grant program in 2020, the Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition is preparing to fund a new set of partners and their innovative mine land reclamation and economic development projects. The coalition is seeking applications from all interested public and private entities or individuals…
Read MoreNew Virginia law sets up stakeholder process to diversify coal region’s economy
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, Legislative Director, chelsea@appvoices.org, 614-205-6424 Governor Northam has signed into law a bill, passed by the General Assembly during the 2021 session, that ends decades-old tax credits for the coal industry and establishes a stakeholder process to inform economic development and transition in Southwest Virginia. The governor signed the bill on Thursday. Ending…
Read MoreUpcoming Webinar: Environmental Justice on Western Indigenous Land
The Alliance for Appalachia is hosting a webinar on April 13 to bring solidarity and support to Hopi and Diné people who are facing similar mine reclamation issues in the West.
Read MoreBills to ensure coal communities are part of America’s economic recovery introduced in Congress
CONTACT: Thom Kay, Legislative Director, thom.kay@appvoices.org, 864-580-1843 Cat McCue, Communications Strategist, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 Read our March 5 blog for more background. Washington, DC — As coal-impacted communities grapple with economic decline and public health risks made significantly worse by the Covid-19 crisis, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) introduced two bills in…
Read MoreGroups call on Biden administration to act swiftly on just transition
As all eyes turn toward economic relief proposals on the first full day of the Biden Administration, Appalachian Voices and 12 partner organizations working in coal-impacted communities from Navajo Nation to Appalachia are urging the new President to take several immediate actions to support the people and places hit hardest by the decline of the…
Read MoreCoalition highlights community projects to restore, redevelop old coal sites in Appalachia
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 sites, recycling centers, eco-tourism assets and other economic ventures. The report, Restoration and Renewal: The…
Read MoreVirginia Resident Finally Finds Relief From Coal Truck Dust
After a resident unsuccessfully sought aid from Virginia officials for two years to address constant dust from passing coal trucks, one reporter’s questions motivated the company to take action.
Read MoreVirginia officials must begin planning for Wise County, other power plant closures
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, chelsea@appvoices.org, 614-205-6424 Cat McCue, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 Today, the Institute for Energy Economics and Analysis released a report shedding light on Dominion Energy’s costly coal-fired Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise Co, Va., and its likely early closure. The report, entitled Virginia Coal Plant’s Future Isn’t Bright: Preparation for Transition Should Commence…
Read MoreVirginia regulators poised to grant mining permits to questionable company
As companies go bankrupt, they tend to pass off their mine mining permits — and the responsibility to reclaim them — to increasingly questionable entities. This is currently unfolding in Southwest Virginia, if the state mining agency allows it.
Read MoreCovid’s impact on coal sharpens the pandemic’s economic hardships
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.
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