Good Ole Rocky Top: Trail Repair in the Smokies

By Davis Wax Leaving I-40 South near Newport, Tenn., heading down Cosby Highway, I slowed down and leaned forward over the steering wheel, watching as the late September sky disappeared behind undulations of green and blue earth. The Great Smoky Mountains loomed ahead, as did my next adventure on the Appalachian Trail, a footpath —…

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Choose Your Own [Historical] Adventure: An Appalachian Travel Guide

By Rachel Ellen Simon — Editorial Communications Intern, Fall 2013 A graduate student in Appalachian Studies, Rachel was a frequent contributor to The Appalachian Voice and worked as our Editorial Communications intern for Fall 2013. When my editor first asked me to compile a list of “Historical Hidden Treasures,” I imagined my words guiding readers…

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Energy Efficiency Programs Survive the Government Shutdown

Although TVA is a government-owned electric utility, the ongoing government shutdown has not affected its operations. As a result, businesses across the Southeast are able to continue saving money and energy thanks to TVA’s Energy Right Solutions for Industry program. For instance, on Oct. 8, TVA representatives and Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant handed a $2…

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Workers Exposed to Toxins at Kingston Ash Spill Cleanup

By Kimber Ray A federal lawsuit alleges that Jacobs Engineering Group knowingly exposed workers to toxic substances during cleanup of the 2008 coal fly ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tenn. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 22, claims Jacobs Engineering deliberately misrepresented the health hazards of fly ash, failed to…

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Tenn Tuesday: SEJ, CAPP Coal Decline, Record Hydro!

Now, with even *more* Chattanooga! Happy Tuesday! A whole mess of Appalachian Voices’ staff spent most of last week and the weekend at the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in one of the greatest cities in America — Chattanooga, Tenn. The Scenic City, has the world’s fastest internet, the first LEED-Platinum certified factory at the…

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Historical Hidden Treasures of Tennessee

By Rachel Ellen Simon Lost Sea / Craighead Caverns Sweetwater, Tennessee is home to the largest underground lake in America. Spanning over 4.5 acres, the Lost Sea lies hundreds of feet beneath a mountain within the Craighead Caverns cave system. Exploration has uncovered Pleistocene-era jaguar tracks, Cherokee artifacts and graffiti from Confederate soldiers who were…

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Tenn. Tuesday: Football! Trampolines!! Technology!!!

Fall is right around the corner and football season is upon us, so let’s get rolling! Now this is just the kind of headline every Tennessean wants to see: Chattanooga; America’s Next High-Tech Hub? Here’s what Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke has to brag about my hometown’s technological literacy and phenomenally fast internet: In the past,…

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Raising the Standard

How State Laws Affect Our Clean Energy Future By Molly Moore Raising the Standard: State Laws and our Clean Energy Future Democratizing the Grid: Community-owned Renewable Energy Bio-energy Creates a Mass of Questions Beyond Renewable: The Cutting Edge in Energy A Guide to Clean Energy Incentives Almost Always Sunny in Appalachia New Vision: Faith-based Renewable…

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Native Bivalves “Musseling” Their Way Back into Appalachian Streams

By Matt Grimley Waterways are sometimes disturbed by humans, and mussels are often the first to feel the pain. Thankfully, conservationists are working to repair native Appalachian populations of the bivalve. In West Virginia, the state Division of Natural Resources is using fish to restore pollution-damaged populations of pink heelsplitter mussels, and they’ve found an…

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