Powering Up: Diversifying central Appalachia’s economy

Blog Archives

Powering Up: Diversifying central Appalachia’s economy

By | December 9, 2015

As coal production continues to decline, many citizens and groups in Central Appalachia are working hard to find new avenues for economic diversification.

Student leaders support the POWER+ Plan

By | December 3, 2015

Yesterday, a group of student leaders in eastern Kentucky took a commendable step in support of Central Appalachia’s youth and economic future. By a unanimous vote, the Appalachian Renaissance Initiative Student Senate passed a resolution of support for the Obama administration’s POWER+ Plan.

Takin’ 5 with Tony Flaccavento

By | November 28, 2015

Tony Flaccavento has been a leading voice for sustainable economic development in southwest Virginia for more than two decades. An organic farmer, small businessman and author, Tony has been making a series of short videos exploring the positive forces of localized, sustainable economies.

Sizing up APCo’s plan, through customers’ eyes

By | November 25, 2015

Appalachian Power Company customers gathered in Roanoke recently to learn more about their electricity provider’s long-term resource plans and get involved in these critical decisions. Here’s a look at how APCo’s plan stands to impede Virginia from harnessing its full renewable energy potential.

Crowdsourcing Southwest Virginia’s New Economy

By | November 20, 2015

Appalachian Voices is on the ground in southwest Virginia, holding community forums and engaging with citizens from all walks of life to gather their hopes and visions for creating a new economy in the region. You might think of it as old-fashioned crowdsourcing. Soon, we’ll have an online, modern-day crowdsourcing platform to gather more ideas and details to help make these visions become reality.

White House POWER Initiative grants awarded

By | October 15, 2015

Efforts to increase employment, and develop and diversify the economies of historically coal-reliant communities just received a major boost. Earlier today, the White House announced $14.5 million in grant awards to organizations and projects occurring across 12 states. A majority of the three dozen awards, and most of the grant dollars, are going to plan or implement projects in Central Appalachia.

Appalachian Millennials and social media in Wyoming County

By | October 14, 2015

Guest Contributor Donald Welch: The Rural Appalachian Improvement League encourages plenty of groups to visit the Mullens, W.Va., area to volunteer. But, as an organization focused on sustainability and creating social change in southern West Virginia, the group also uses social media to engage youth and create opportunities for local residents.

Reaching for Virginia’s clean power potential

By | October 8, 2015

If Virginia takes a pragmatic approach to the Clean Power Plan, it can incentivize energy efficiency programs and drive growth in solar power — two ways to ensure a more secure grid and shrink bills for electric customers. But there are possible pitfalls too. That’s why it’s critical for Virginians to engage throughout the process, pressing state officials to advance a vision of safe, affordable and reliable energy.

Thank God for our Kentucky newspapers

By | October 6, 2015

Local newspapers in Kentucky have helped expose state regulators’ lax treatment of industry, most recently in the form of a secretive deal stuck with an oil company responsible for polluting drinking water supplies. But sadly, Kentucky’s politicians and agencies aren’t shy in revealing whose interests they truly serve either.

Citizen stories counter coal industry deception

By | September 22, 2015

Citizens and clean water advocates used a series of hearings on the proposed Stream Protection Rule to demand improvements to the draft version and call out state agencies for repeatedly failing to enforce regulations already on the books. Coal industry representatives, on the other hand, relied on “war on coal” rhetoric and deception to rally against the rule.