A federal grant program aims to bring economic opportunity to abandoned mine lands, but the process is complex and sometimes falls short.
Blog Archives
An enormous step for coal communities, environmental justice and climate
President Biden’s executive order puts the United States in a position to vigorously confront the challenges of climate change, create good-paying jobs and protect communities from the hazards of polluted land, air and water.
TAGS: clean energy Climate change coal communities Economic Transition Environmental Justice Green jobs just transition mine reclamation National Economic Transition platform RECLAIM Act
A way forward for Appalachia
Our legislative director outlines a list of action items for the Biden administration — suspending utility shutoffs during the pandemic, strengthening oversight of the fossil fuel industry, and moving swiftly to support just economic transition in coal-impacted communities.
TAGS: aml biden Black Lung Coal mining FERC grijalva haaland just transition OSMRE pipelines RECLAIM Act shutoffs white house
Who Cleans Up Environmental Mess Bankrupt Coal Leaves Behind?
As more coal companies file for bankruptcy, it remains unclear what will happen to hundreds of thousands of acres of unreclaimed mine land in eastern Kentucky and the rest of Appalachia.
It’s the Senate’s turn to pass the RECLAIM Act
Advocates for mine cleanup and economic development in Appalachia are calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the RECLAIM Act and AML Reauthorization after the two bills passed the U.S. House in early July.
TAGS: abandoned mine lands aml AML reauthorization appalachia economic development just transition mine reclamation RECLAIM Act
RECLAIM Act passes the House as part of larger bill
CONTACT: Dana Kuhnline, RECLAIM Campaign Coordinator 304-825-3262 dana@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Sr. Communications and Public Engagement Strategist 434-293-6373 cat@appvoices.org The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the RECLAIM Act (HR 2156) as part of The Moving Forward Act (HR 2), a…
Advocating for Abandoned Mine Cleanup Bills
Appalachian Voices and our partners are working to make sure that legislation is passed this year to address the urgent problem of reclaiming abandoned mine lands.
Economic coalition identifies 19 old coal sites for cleanup and redevelopment in Central Appalachia
CONTACTS: Adam Wells, Appalachian Voices, adam@appvoices.org, 276-679-1691 Joey James, Downstream Strategies, jjames@downstreamstrategies.com, 304-322-4590 Rebecca Shelton, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, rshelton@aclc.org , 865-202-8688 Jacob Hannah, Coalfield Development, jhannah@coalfield-development.org, 304-614-8035 Marissa R. Lautzenheiser, Rural Action, marissa@ruralaction.org, 330-859-1050 New website launched as resource…
TAGS: abandoned coal mines abandoned mine lands aml appalachia appalachians citizens law center Downstream Strategies power grant RECLAIM Act reclaiming appalachia reclamation rural action
Calling on Legislators for Action in Washington, D.C.
In July, Appalachian Voices traveled to Capitol Hill alongside about 150 miners, widows and their loved ones to demand Congress to restore proper funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. And in June, we joined other organizations in a visit to D.C. to ask legislators to co-sponsor the RECLAIM Act to fast-track abandoned mine reclamation.
Congressional Support for RECLAIM Act Grows
U.S. House of Representatives co-sponsors for the RECLAIM Act grew after a coalition of coal mine reclamation advocates traveled to the nation’s capital to express their support for the bill that would accelerate the spending of money in the in the federal abandoned mine cleanup fund.
