West Virginia Archives < Page 18 of 34

Formidable Costs

By AV's Intern Team | August 12, 2015 |

Coal Company Conducts Business as Usual Near Kanawha State Forest By Tarence Ray Seven miles south of Charleston, W.Va., sits a 9,300-acre expanse of trails, streams and wildlife known as the Kanawha State Forest. The forest’s diverse wildflower and bird species attract naturalists from all over the region, and trails and fully-equipped campgrounds bring in…

Water Privatization

By Molly Moore | August 12, 2015 |

The troubles of an investor-owned, private water utility in West Virginia illustrate some of the hazards of private water ownership. Nationally, the number of Americans relying on public water utilities is growing, and for-profit water companies face a tougher market.

U.S. coal giant Alpha Natural Resources files for bankruptcy

By Jamie Goodman | August 7, 2015 |

Alpha Natural Resources, one of the largest coal mining companies in the United States and a big player in the Appalachian coal market, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday of this week, blaming “an unprecedented period of distress with increased competition from natural gas, an oversupply in the global coal market, historically low prices due to weaker international and domestic economies, and increasing government regulation that has pushed electric utilities to transition away from coal-fired power plants.

Mounting Threats Imperil Two Appalachian Crayfish

By AV's Intern Team | August 6, 2015 |

The Big Sandy crayfish, which is currently considered endangered by Virginia officials, may also be listed as federally endangered. Photo by Zachary Loughman, West Liberty University

There are more than 300 different species of crayfish in the southeastern United States, and two West Virginia species of these adaptable freshwater crustaceans may be declared federally endangered.

Fracking Investigations Stir Questions, Fines

By AV's Intern Team | July 30, 2015 |

Kentucky researchers prepare to test for fracking-induced earthquakes, a university fracking site stirs controversy in West Virginia, and suspicion rises that there may be natural gas beneath Stokes County, North Carolina.

Interior Department Issues Draft Stream Protection Rule

By Brian Sewell | July 16, 2015 |

Contact: Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a long-awaited draft of the Stream Protection Rule, which the agency has been working on since 2010. The purpose of the rule is to prevent or minimize the impacts of surface coal mining on surface water and groundwater. The agency’s…

EIA: Mountaintop removal coal production down

By Brian Sewell | July 7, 2015 |

The U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) published a blog post today showing that coal produced by mountaintop removal mining in Central Appalachia decreased by 62 percent between 2008 and 2014. Demand for Central Appalachian coal will continue to decline, making further progress inevitable. But we won’t end mountaintop removal by relying on the market alone.

Appalachian legislators give POWER+ the cold shoulder

By Adam Wells | June 26, 2015 |

Virginia’s coal-bearing counties would directly benefit from the adoption of the POWER+ plan, a proposal in the Obama administration’s 2016 budget that would direct more than a billion dollars to Central Appalachia. But budget bills passed out of both houses of Congress weaken or include no mention of the POWER+ Plan.

Reworking the Region

By AV's Intern Team | June 15, 2015 |

From innovative job-training models and worker-owned business to the prospect of federal funding to reinvigorate Appalachia, people across the region are working for a stronger economy.