Environmental and community advocates got some jarring news Tuesday when a federal judge rejected EPA’s “guidance” on surface mine permitting in Appalachia — the centerpiece of its 3-year effort to curtail the environmental damage caused by mountaintop removal coal mining.…
Blog Archives
EPA Revising Air Pollution Standards
Last Friday, EPA announced it will be considering revisions to the first-ever standards for controlling mercury, arsenic, selenium and other toxic pollutants from coal fired power plants, issued in December. These standards are the result of a years-long process, and…
Another Coal Show in Abingdon
Yesterday I witnessed an award-winning political stunt attacking the EPA in defense of Big Coal. Representatives Griffith (VA), Roe (TN), and Whitfield (KY) led a field hearing in Abingdon, VA part of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power series…
Official EPA Comments on 36 Ky Permits
Appalachian Voices submitted official comments following the EPA’s public hearing on June 2nd and 4th. Our comments affirm the EPA’s objections to 36 water pollutant discharge permits for surface mines in Kentucky. The 36 draft permits were issued by the…
TAGS: Clean Water Clean Water Act EPA Kentucky Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Kentucky Litigation NPDES surface mining Water Pollution
VICTORY: Alexander, Hagan, Rockefeller vote for Clean Air
Inhofe Resolution fails despite support of Virginia Senators Webb, Warner Big news out of the Senate as Senator Inhofe’s most recent effort to stop clean air protections (SR 37) was killed by a vote of 46 to 53. Much more…
Congress’ Big Day: Voting on two polluter-friendly proposals
By Erin Burks Red, White and Water intern, Summer 2012 This is a critical week in the U.S. Congress. The House will vote on a bill that could have negative impacts on the quality of waterways in our nation for…
Speaking Out At EPA Hearings in Kentucky
Upon our arrival, we definitely stood out. I wondered if we exuded “tree hugger,” but it’s more likely that the “I Love Mountains” buttons gave us away. While no one approached us directly to ask what we were doing there…
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Voices Clean Water Act Coal EPA Kentucky Kentucky Division of Water Mountaintop Removal Water Water Pollution
Front Row Seats at the Political Theater in Abingdon, VA
Last Saturday, June 2nd, FACES of Coal and Americans for Prosperity held the “Rally for Appalachian Coal Jobs” in Abingdon, VA. The flier for the rally touts the usual “War on Coal” rhetoric: “Appalachian Coal Jobs have been under regulatory…
D.C. District Court Overrules EPA’s Spruce Mine No. 1 Permit Veto
By Brian Sewell On March 23, a District of Columbia District Court ruled in favor of Arch Coal and overturned a 2011 veto by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, restoring the permit of the Logan County, W.Va., Spruce No. 1…
Over the Line
A lot has been made of EPA’s proposed greenhouse gas rules, but a quotation from Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) will likely grab the most headlines. The Navy SEALs shot Osama Bin Laden in…
