Karen and Jerry Kirk live in a home that they believe was damaged during blasting for a nearby surface mine. Despite years of frustration, they have been unable to get compensation for the damage to their property.
Blog Archives
Federal Agency Considering Partial Surface Mining Ban in Tennessee
The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is considering a petition from the state of Tennessee to prevent surface coal mining on land within 600 feet of certain ridgelines in a 67,000-acre area north of Knoxville.
Appalachian Voices testifies before Senate panel on coal-mining rule
Contact: Matt Wasson, Program Director, 828-773-0799, matt@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Appalachian Voices Director of Programs Matt Wasson, Ph.D., is testifying tomorrow morning before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at a hearing on the implications…
TAGS: environment and public works Mountaintop Removal Office of Surface Mining osm OSMRE Senate stream health Stream Protection Rule Water quality
Coal, Congress and the art of lying
It’s amazing how much work goes into stretching the truth. It’s even more amazing when media outlets and political leaders latch onto that “truth” and peddle it without scrutiny. A recent and relevant example: an economic impact analysis of the Stream Protection Rule, commissioned by the National Mining Association.
Bleak outlook for coal in 2016
After the dismal year coal had in 2015, more hard times for the industry are ahead. Nowhere is the struggle more real than in Central Appalachia. A new white paper from Downstream Strategies tells the story of Appalachian coal over the past few decades in five simple charts.
Coal’s death knell in Kentucky
The final months of 2015 may prove to be a historic moment for Kentucky’s politics and the state’s struggling coal industry. But it remains to be seen how the industry will maintain its political power in the Bluegrass State.
Budget holds promise for Central Appalachia
Today the U.S. Congress passed a spending bill that covers expenditures for agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Department of Labor, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. The spending bill is a big deal for Appalachian Voices and our work. And honestly, it looks pretty darn good.
West Virginia Communities Still at Risk Despite Idled Mines
West Virginia communities, including Naoma and Sundial are still dealing with problems related to mountaintop removal coal mining. Toxic coal slurry impoundments, increased blasting and diminished water quality are among the challenges facing such communities at risk.
TAGS: Alpha Natural Resources appalachia Appalachian Voices bankruptcy Coal mining coal sludge communities at risk Mountaintop Removal West Virginia
An end to Frasure Creek’s water violations in Kentucky — finally
Late Monday evening, Appalachian Voices and our partners finalized a historic settlement in our case against Frasure Creek Mining. The settlement follows a five-year-long legal battle to protect eastern Kentucky’s waterways and bring a coal company notorious for violating environmental laws to justice.
TAGS: Appalachian Voices Appalachian Water Watch Clean Water Act Coal Environment Health Kentuckians for the Commonwealth Kentucky Kentucky Litigation Mountaintop Removal Politics Water Pollution
Land through the Lens
Photographs of Appalachia’s wild wonders have shaped our relationship with the mountains since the early 20th century, and witnessing the destruction of the region’s land and waters has long stirred residents to defend our natural heritage. – Compiled by Molly…
TAGS: Appalachian Culture Art Great Smoky Mountains National Park landscape photography Mountaintop Removal nature Photography SouthWings
