A major ruling in favor of the EPA says the agency has the authority to coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when reviewing permits for mountaintop removal mines. The EPA has the legal authority, scientific evidence, and moral obligation to block every mountaintop removal permit that comes through its doors. We all share the responsibility of making sure it does just that.
Blog Archives
Today’s court decision and what it means for Appalachia
One fish, two fish … Dead fish
A study from researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published this month provides strong new evidence that mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia is devastating downstream fish populations.
Fortunately, the Obama administration has an opportunity to take meaningful action to protect Appalachian streams.
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Water Watch Coal EPA Health Kentucky Mountaintop Removal Water Pollution West Virginia
Community Impacts of Controversial Coalfields Expressway Project in Va. to Receive Thorough Review
Agency letters Federal Highway Administration, May 22, 2014 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sept. 11, 2012 Environmental Protection Agency, Sept. 7, 2012 Corps of Engineers, Sept. 7, 2012 Contact: Jane Branham, Southern Appalachia Mountain Stewards, samsva@gmail.com, (276) 565-6167 …
“Hollow” Documentary Wins Award
By Kelsey Boyajian Throughout “Hollow,” an interactive online documentary, the lush hills of Appalachia are juxtaposed beside stripped mountaintops. Through the stories of 30 individuals living in rural McDowell County, W.Va., director and producer Elaine McMillion uses a combination of…
Facing the Frontier: Practical Considerations for Genetic Modification in Appalachian Food
By Valerie Bruchon It sounds perfect: enter a laboratory, change one quality of a food crop through genetic technology, and walk away having created a “miracle” food source to help feed the world. This new crop might eradicate the need…
Communities Pursue Revitalization Plans
By Carvan Craft Convenient access to local food can be a rare commodity in rural communities. Thanks to the Appalachian Livable Communities grant program, founded in 2012, five Appalachian communities will receive a shared total of $375,000 to help make…
TAGS: Agriculture appalachia Cherokee Foothills Kentucky Local food North Carolina Politics U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Environmental Protection Agency West Virginia
Acrobats of the Forest: The Eastern Gray Treefrog
By Meredith Warfield It’s mating season in Appalachia, and the region’s deciduous forests are humming with life. Birdsongs may be heard by day, but by night the Eastern gray treefrogs have hopped out of the branches and flocked to nearby…
Acting on Climate: EPA unveils carbon rule for existing power plants
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy unveiled a plan to regulate carbon pollution from existing power plants this morning. In a rousing speech that covered the host of risks, and opportunities, that come with a changing climate, McCarthy called the plan “part of the ongoing story of energy progress in America.”
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Voices Climate change Coal Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency Environment EPA Mountaintop Removal
Confronting Carbon Pollution
By Molly Moore Six months after declaring “climate change is a fact,” in his State of the Union address, President Obama prepared to unveil what The New Yorker calls “the policy centerpiece of his second term.” The U.S. Environmental Protection…
The Power of Energy Efficiency — Building a Stronger Economy for Appalachia (Part 3)
Energy efficiency is merely one strategy that local governments, economic development agencies working with the rural electric co-op or municipal utilities might employ with the goal of diversifying the local economy. But the proven benefits of energy efficiency investments suggest it should be a key focus in any plan for local economic diversification.
