By Melanie Foley Legislative Policy and Research Assistant, Summer 2013 The coal industry and the members of Congress who depend on its support have accused President Obama and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of waging a “war on coal.” Industry…
Blog Archives
America’s “Sadness Belt”: Appalachian States Worst in U.S. for Health and Happiness
By Melanie Foley Legislative Policy and Research Assistant, Summer 2013 Gallup and Healthways recently released their annual Well-Being Index for 2012, and Appalachia was found once again to be home to some of the least healthy and happy Americans. The…
An Uphill Climb Gets Steeper
Sequestration Comes to Appalachia By Melanie Foley Legislative Policy and Research Assistant, Summer 2013 In August 2011, Congress and President Obama made a pact. They agreed to $1.2 trillion worth of cuts over 10 years if another deficit reduction compromise…
North Carolina Cares About Clean Water
By Ian Watkins Red, White and Water Intern, Spring 2013 According to a recent report by Land for Tomorrow, 91 percent of residents in North Carolina and surrounding states believe it is “important” or “very important” to conserve and protect…
A Clearcut Connection Between Mountaintop Removal and Climate Change
By Melanie Foley Legislative Policy and Research Assistant, Summer 2013 Scientists from the universities of Kentucky and California recently released a study detailing the climate implications of coal extraction by mountaintop removal. If coal mining continues at its current pace,…
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Voices Climate change Coal Environment Kentucky Mountaintop Removal Tennessee Virginia West Virginia
Forward on Climate!
By Matt Abele Multimedia Communications intern, Fall 2012/Spring 2013 This past weekend’s Forward on Climate rally in Washington, D.C., made it more evident than ever that America is ready for a clean energy future. I arrived on a bus from…
TAGS: appalachia clean energy Climate change Environmental Justice Mountaintop Removal President Obama Washington D.C.
North Carolina’s Appalachian Representatives
Virginia Foxx (NC-5) Representing northwestern North Carolina, Congresswoman Foxx was elected to the House after serving 10 years in the state Senate. She is a conservative and advocates reducing the size of government wherever possible. Last year, she voted for…
Tennessee’s Appalachian Representatives
Phil Roe (TN-01) Congressman Roe represents a former pro-union district in upper East Tennessee which has been held by the Republican Party since 1881. There is no coal in his district, but he has said he believes that the United…
Virginia’s Appalachian Representatives
Robert Hurt (VA-5) A second-term representative whose district stretches from Charlottesville to the North Carolina border, Hurt has consistently voted to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants, including carbon and mercury pollution. He…
West Virginia’s Representatives
David McKinley (WV-1) Before serving in Congress, this northwestern West Virginia representative owned a construction and engineering company. As a freshman, McKinley drafted legislation that would prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing rules to regulate the disposal of…
