Kentucky Archives < Page 9 of 25

Budget holds promise for Central Appalachia

By Thom Kay | December 18, 2015 |

Today the U.S. Congress passed a spending bill that covers expenditures for agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Department of Labor, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. The spending bill is a big deal for Appalachian Voices and our work. And honestly, it looks pretty darn good.

An end to Frasure Creek’s water violations in Kentucky — finally

By Erin Savage | December 10, 2015 |

Late Monday evening, Appalachian Voices and our partners finalized a historic settlement in our case against Frasure Creek Mining. The settlement follows a five-year-long legal battle to protect eastern Kentucky’s waterways and bring a coal company notorious for violating environmental laws to justice.

States Hold Strong on Clean Power Plan Positions

By AV's Intern Team | December 9, 2015 |

Appalachian states vary in their reactions to the Clean Power Plan: West Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio have filed a lawsuit against the new regulations, while Virginia and Maryland are working to defend the plan.

Algae Blooms, Water Quality Withers

By AV's Intern Team | December 9, 2015 |

Algae blooms in Kentucky’s Ohio River are raising concerns about water quality and human safety.

State Environmental Departments Criticized

By AV's Intern Team | December 9, 2015 |

Government and media investigations have criticized the oversight of state environmental departments in North Carolina and Kentucky, respectively.

Citizens groups, Kentucky reach historic settlement with coal company over water pollution

By Brian Sewell | December 8, 2015 |

Deal sends strong signal to incoming Bevin administration Contact: Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices, 206-769-8286, erin@appvoices.org Ted Withrow, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, 606-784-6885, tfwithrow@windstream.net Pat Banks, Kentucky Riverkeeper, 859-200-7442, kyriverkeeper@eku.edu Peter Harrison, Waterkeeper Alliance, 828-582-0422, pharrison@waterkeeper.org Alice Howell, Sierra Club, 859-420-8092, a.howell0607@gmail.com Highlights of press coverage New York Times Louisville Courier-Journal Daily Independent (CNHI) Lexington Herald-Leader…

Student leaders support the POWER+ Plan

By Brian Sewell | 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.

Understanding the Stream Protection Rule

By Erin Savage | October 23, 2015 |

While the draft Stream Protection Rule is far from perfect, it is a long overdue update to protections for surface and groundwater from mountaintop removal coal mining. Not surprisingly, the coal industry had relied on “war on coal” talking points to fight against the rule, and claims these protections are unnecessary and will undermine an otherwise viable industry. Let’s examine those claims.

White House POWER Initiative grants awarded

By Brian Sewell | 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.