Blog Archives

Calling on Legislators for Action in Washington, D.C.

In July, Appalachian Voices traveled to Capitol Hill alongside about 150 miners, widows and their loved ones to demand Congress to restore proper funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. And in June, we joined other organizations in a visit to D.C. to ask legislators to co-sponsor the RECLAIM Act to fast-track abandoned mine reclamation.

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Blackjewel’s bankruptcy looks like bad news for workers and mine cleanup

mountaintop removal coal mine

Appalachia’s latest coal bankruptcy looks different than others — mines shut down immediately and paychecks were clawed back from employees’ bank accounts. We take a look at what the Blackjewel and Revelation Energy bankruptcy could mean for mine land reclamation.

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Advocates for Appalachia in D.C. this week

Meet Laura Miller, Jacob Hannah and Darrell Coker — three Appalachians who traveled to D.C. this week to stand up for their communities and advocate for passage of the RECLAIM Act.

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Congress Needs to Pass the RECLAIM Act

Politicians like to talk about helping rural Appalachia. The RECLAIM Act is a chance for them to show that they mean it.

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KY plans to spend Abandoned Mine Land Pilot funds on a federal prison

Google map showing relationship of mines to USP Letcher site

The state of Kentucky intends to use Abandoned Mine Land Pilot funds to build water and sewer lines for a proposed federal prison, a project that does not support true economic renewal or justice.

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Congressional Hearing Addresses Abandoned Mine Cleanup

Eric Dixon sits before microphone

Regional leaders testified in front of a U.S. House subcommittee about strategies to restore abandoned mines and witnesses expressed support for the RECLAIM Act.

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Gov. Jim Justice’s Barren Mine Lands and Unpaid Taxes

Gov. Jim Justice

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice made nearly $2 billion off Appalachia’s coalfields, but his family’s mines owe back taxes in multiple states. They have also accrued hundreds of environmental violations, and many idled mines are still unreclaimed.

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Laying the Groundwork for Innovative Mine Reclamation Projects

A coalition of environmental groups including Appalachian Voices released a report in November detailing opportunities to give old mine lands new life.

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States Seek Mine-Related Debts from WV Governor

Virginia and Kentucky regulators are seeking to hold West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice accountable for his companies’ failure to meet mine land reclamation deadlines.

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Cost of Coal Mine Cleanup

Despite problems with the current system, coal companies are being granted more leeway in paying for mine reclamation.

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