Posts Tagged ‘Virginia’
Appalachian communities at growing risk from mountaintop removal
Appalachian Voices is committed to creating a forum for citizens’ stories and sharing the most up-to-date data available about the ongoing risks the practice poses to Appalachia. Today, we’re sharing a new web tool we developed to reveal how mining continues to encroach on communities and send a resounding message that ending mountaintop removal is a must if we hope to foster economic and environmental health in Appalachia.
New map tracks growing threat of mountaintop removal
Contacts: Matt Wasson, Program Director, 828-262-1500, matt@appvoices.org Erin Savage, Central Appalachian Campaign Coordinator, 828-262-1500, erin@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org A new interactive map released today shows that mountaintop removal coal mining has been expanding closer to communities in Central Appalachia in recent years, posing increasing threats to human health and the environment even…
Read MorePOWER+ Plan deserves a warmer welcome
While we here in Appalachia are working overtime to reinvent our economy and outlast the fall of King Coal, you would think that our representatives in Washington, D.C., would be eager to pass measures that send much-needed federal aid to help our hard hit coal-producing counties. But most of the region’s congressmen and senators are staying silent, and those who are going on the record are definitely not stepping up to the plate.
“MVP” is not a most valued project
Opposition is mounting to the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline that would carry highly pressurized natural gas for 300 miles through farms and forests from W.Va. to Va. Several counties have taken action to oppose or question the project, and citizens all along the route are making their voices heard. Guest blogger Tina Badger is one.
Pipe Dreams: The push to expand natural gas infrastructure
Landowners whose property lies along a natural gas pipeline route worry about local impacts, while others warn of the long-term consequences that could come with a reliance on this fickle fuel.
Read MoreState Legislative Updates
While lawmakers in Washington, D.C., might get most of the spotlight, the legislators in state capitols across the region are busy making — and blocking — laws that affect Appalachia’s land, air, water and people. Here’s the latest updates from state legislatures around the region
Read MoreBustling Streets, Thriving Business: A Shared Vision in Southwest Virginia
Residents and community leaders came together in Dungannon, Va., to launch a new regional project, Hometowns of the Clinch. Participating communities, which currently include Dungannon, Tazewell, Richlands, Honaker, Cleveland, Cedar Bluff and St. Paul, will encourage economic development along the Clinch River — one of the most biodiverse river ecosystems in the United States
Read MoreYes, Virginia, there was a silver lining to the General Assembly
For Appalachian Voices and our partners, it was a mostly defensive game this year in the Virginia legislature as we fought a slew of bad bills by industry-backed and climate-denying politicians. We succeeded in squelching the worst of them, but a lot of policy that could have moved the commonwealth toward cleaner energy and a stronger economy fell by the wayside. There’s always next year….
Virginia environmental chief supporting weaker coal ash rule
Contact: Amy Adams, N.C. Campaign Coordinator, 828-262-1500, amy@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org The following is a statement from Amy Adams in response to testimony today by David Paylor, director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, to the House Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy regarding “Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of…
Read MoreWise County, Va. resident joins Appalachian Voices staff
Contact: Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Adam Wells, Economic Diversification Campaign Coordinator, 276-679-1691, adam@appvoices.org Wise County, Va. – Appalachian Voices is pleased to announce the addition of Adam Wells, a sixth generation resident of Wise County, to our team of dedicated professionals. Appalachian Voices is a nonprofit conservation organization working to protect the mountains,…
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