Blog Archives

How a proposed rule can help communities hold coal companies accountable

Photograph of the Hobet mine taken during a 10-day notice inspection.

The federal surface mining agency has proposed a new rule that, if finalized, will restore community members’ ability to ensure coal companies follow the law.

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Tennessee enacts law halting efforts to take over surface mine regulation from federal government

On May 11, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee enacted a significant law that temporarily halts the state’s pursuit of primacy. Primacy refers to a state’s right to petition the federal government to become the primary authority in issuing surface mine permits and implementing associated regulations.

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Appalachian Voices urges Congress to pass Biden’s proposed investments in Appalachian coalfields

Today, President Joe Biden released his Fiscal Year 2024 budget to fund government programs through September 2024. The budget proposal includes crucial investments in programs to boost economic growth in the coalfields, ensure coal mine reclamation and protect miners from black lung disease.

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Guest post: New SkyTruth research reveals legacy of mountaintop mining — and the policy implications

Explosives and heavy equipment: the perfect combination for mine owners to extract coal from a pristine Appalachian landscape. Too bad this process, known as mountaintop removal mining, is terrible if you live near the mined mountain, or in a watershed downstream, or on a planet faced with the imminent threat of ever-increasing temperatures brought about by greenhouse-gas emissions.

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Carbon removal on reforested mine lands: One nature-based solution for two deep challenges

Imagine a landscape that, 10 years ago, was a moonscape mountaintop removal coal mine and is now carefully managed as a large-scale working forest growing trees to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and combat climate change. Appalachian Voices is exploring making this vision a reality in the years to come through a reforestation project that engages with the emerging carbon offset market.

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Community groups and A&G Coal Corporation reach settlement on coal mine reclamation

Today, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Appalachian Voices and the Sierra Club announced a settlement with A&G Coal Corporation, owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, to help ensure the reclamation of three large surface coal mines in Wise County, Virginia.

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Backed by bipartisan momentum, STREAM Act advocates urge leadership to advance legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2022 Contact: Trey Pollard, trey@pollardcommunications.com, 202-904-9187 READ THE LETTER APPALACHIA — With the clock ticking down on the current session of Congress, 87 organizations are urging leadership of both parties to not miss an opportunity

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How the Coal Mine Cleanup System is Failing

A desolate patch of disturbed ground sits as a result of an abandoned surface mine.

The bankruptcy of coal company Blackjewel has exposed many flaws in the current mine cleanup system.

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Major progress for action to address acid mine drainage crisis as STREAM Act passes House with strong bipartisan support

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2022 Contact: Trey Pollard, trey@pollardcommunications.com, 202-904-9187 COAL COUNTRY — Today, advocates for abandoned mine clean up and clean water across the country celebrated as the U.S. House passed the Safeguarding Treatment for the Restoration of

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Community organizations applaud action in Congress to advance bipartisan bill to address acid mine drainage crisis

Orange water in a shallow stream

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 13, 2022 Contact: Trey Pollard, trey@pollardcommunications.com, 202-904-9187 APPALACHIA — Today, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held a mark-up of the Safeguarding Treatment for the Restoration of Ecosystems from Abandoned Mines (STREAM) Act — bipartisan

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