More than a year into the Trump administration, a director for the Office of Surface Mining has yet to be confirmed. And it’s unlikely that Trump’s pro-coal pick will reinstate a review of the human health impacts of mountaintop removal.
Blog Archives
Energized by Efficiency: SOCM members and their dedication to reducing energy waste
Over the last two years, SOCM’s Cumberland County Chapter has advocated for on-bill financing program for energy efficiency at their electric co-op, Volunteer Energy Cooperative.
TAGS: appalachia East Tennessee Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency Energy Savings on-bill financing rural electric cooperatives Tennessee
Trump’s war on reality
To revive coal and ignore climate change, the White House must wage war on reality itself.
The National Mining Association doesn’t speak for coal communities
The National Mining Association shrugged when a review of research linking mountaintop removal to human health impacts was halted. But the NMA does not speak for coal communities.
Massive mountaintop removal mine threatens Clearfork Valley
The Clearfork Valley of Tennessee has been intensely surface-mined going back decades. Now, Kopper Glo Mining is moving forward with a nearly 1,500-acre mountaintop removal mine on nearby Cooper Ridge.
TAGS: appalachia Clean Water Act Coal Coal mining Environment Health Mountaintop Removal Tennessee Water Pollution
House Committee approves the RECLAIM Act with bipartisan support
On Tuesday morning, the House Natural Resources Committee passed the RECLAIM Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at revitalizing coal mining communities. The legislation would direct $1 billion over five years to restoring abandoned mine lands. Committee members also approved an…
Citizens discuss environmental threats and economic priorities during Congressman’s visit
People from coal-impacted communities across Central Appalachia recently gathered in Wise County, Va., to share their concerns and ideas with U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva.
All the ways this White House props up coal
The coal lobby’s influence over the White House is a given at this point — as is the White House’s willingness to put its finger on the scale in favor of our dirtiest, most carbon-packed energy sources.
Environmental regulations didn’t cause coal’s decline — and rollbacks won’t save it.
Despite his repeated promises to do so, President Trump is unlikely to revive the coal industry through federal policy, and CEOs of electric utilities and coal mining companies know it.
TAGS: appalachia clean energy Climate change Coal coal companies bankruptcy Coal mining Duke Energy Energy Efficiency EPA Politics Trump administration
Get out the sunscreen: Solar is coming to Southwest Virginia
The Southwest Virginia Solar Fair on May 9 in Wise, Va., will be a celebration of the upcoming solar development in Southwest Virginia and brings an emerging and exciting effort full circle.
