The Front Porch Blog, with Updates from AppalachiaThe Front Porch Blog, with Updates from Appalachia

Miners and advocates travel to Washington to ask legislators to strengthen black lung benefits

Monday, June 17th, 2024 | Posted by Quenton King | 1 Comment

Recognizing the difficulty countless households have with these decisions, members of the West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky Black Lung Associations traveled in early May to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators about the need to increase miners’ benefits, which have failed to keep pace with inflation. [ Read More ]


Layers of injustice: Community concerns ignored as federal regulators allow Mountain Valley Pipeline to begin operation

Friday, June 14th, 2024 | Posted by Dan Radmacher | 2 Comments

Community members have fought this pipeline for 10 years — pointing out its many flaws and dangers and winning court battles by proving developers and regulators were ignoring laws meant to protect communities and the environment. Now, those regulators allow the pipeline to go into service. [ Read More ]


A week of action to stop zombie coal mines

Thursday, June 13th, 2024 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | No Comments

This week, Appalachian Voices and 12 partner organizations are on Capitol Hill to tell Congress to protect our communities by making coal companies clean up their functionally abandoned coal mines, known as zombie mines. [ Read More ]


Congressional hearing highlights issues with black lung benefits program

Friday, May 24th, 2024 | Posted by Quenton King | 2 Comments

On Wednesday, senators on a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions subcommittee led by Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, held a hearing and listened to testimony from miner advocates and experts on mine safety and the black lung benefits program. [ Read More ]


New limits on power plant pollution aim to protect communities and the climate

Thursday, May 23rd, 2024 | Posted by Dan Radmacher | 1 Comment

Four rules finalized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency late last month will limit pollution from power plants — reducing climate-altering emissions, protecting the health of nearby communities and speeding the transition to renewable energy. [ Read More ]


Pipe blowout heightens Mountain Valley Pipeline concerns

Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 | Posted by Jessica Sims | No Comments

When Congress placed a thumb on the scale to mandate approval of Mountain Valley Pipeline’s permits in June 2023, construction resumed and communities along the route expressed deep concerns about the use of degraded materials and rushed construction practices. [ Read More ]


Make your home energy efficient to avoid getting ripped off by Appalachian Power

Monday, May 20th, 2024 | Posted by Matt Allenbaugh | No Comments

You can soften the blow of ApCo’s rate increases by making a plan to improve the energy efficiency of your home and taking advantage of the tax incentives currently available. [ Read More ]


Building energy-resilient communities in far Southwest Virginia

Friday, May 17th, 2024 | Posted by Austin Counts | No Comments

Whether it’s a medical device, like a CPAP machine, or heating and cooling during extreme temperatures, electricity is an important part of a community’s overall resilience. This is especially true during local disasters and power outages. [ Read More ]


Coal bankruptcies continue to put a strain on communities

Tuesday, May 14th, 2024 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | No Comments

It is far too easy for coal companies to use bankruptcy to effectively hit a reset button. Once they file for bankruptcy, damages they caused and obligations they committed to are often no longer their responsibility. [ Read More ]


Appalachian Voices partners with Black By God to examine air quality in West Virginia’s African American communities

Tuesday, May 7th, 2024 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments

Appalachian Voices is launching a new partnership with Black By God, a Black-led news and storytelling organization, with a publication of the same name, in West Virginia. Black By God is dedicated to providing a more nuanced portrayal of African Americans in the Mountain State and the Appalachian region than is often found in other media sources. [ Read More ]


Rule to protect miners from silica falls short

Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 | Posted by Quenton King | 1 Comment

In April, the Mine Safety and Health Administration announced the final version of a rule meant to protect coal miners from respirable silica. The announcement was a long time coming. [ Read More ]


The slow, steady process of making regulators and coal companies monitor pollution

Tuesday, April 30th, 2024 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | No Comments

In late summer of 2022, Appalachian Voices discovered selenium, a common pollutant associated with coal mining, in high concentrations in certain streams in the Big Sandy River watershed in Pike County, Kentucky. These waterways receive runoff from the S-1 Hunts Branch Surface Mine, a nearly 2,000-acre mountaintop removal coal mine operated by Lexington Coal Company. [ Read More ]



 

 


Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube