Blog Archives

Video Shows Rare View of Mountaintop Removal Mining

CONTACT: Cat McCue, Communications Director, (434) 293-6373; cat@appvoices.org A short video released today by Appalachian Voices with stunningly detailed drone footage provides a rare view of mountaintop removal coal mining and the increasing proximity of this destructive form of mining

TAGS:

Reflections from the second SOAR Summit

20150510_182914Last week’s SOAR Summit provided a positive forum for people working to strengthen local economies in Appalachia. But, even with so many who care deeply about the region gathering in one place, there was disappointingly little time or space created for discussion amongst the people who are doing the lion’s share of the groundwork in Appalachian communities.

TAGS:

Appalachian Crayfish: Canaries in a Coal Mine

16382866013_a4cd6916dd_zTwo species of crayfish native to Appalachia are in danger of becoming extinct after years of suffering habitat loss and water quality impacts attributable to mountaintop removal coal mining and other industrial activity. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agency is proposing the species be listed as endangered under federal law. Whether or not they are pushed past the point of no return depends largely on the outcome of a recent proposal by the agency to add them to the federal list of endangered species.

TAGS:

Appalachian communities at growing risk from mountaintop removal

Appalachian Voices is committed to creating a forum for citizens’ stories and sharing the most up-to-date data available about the ongoing risks the practice poses to Appalachia. Today, we’re sharing a new web tool we developed to reveal how mining continues to encroach on communities and send a resounding message that ending mountaintop removal is a must if we hope to foster economic and environmental health in Appalachia.

TAGS:

New map tracks growing threat of mountaintop removal

Contacts: Matt Wasson, Program Director, 828-262-1500, matt@appvoices.org Erin Savage, Central Appalachian Campaign Coordinator, 828-262-1500, erin@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org A new interactive map released today shows that mountaintop removal coal mining has been expanding closer to communities in

TAGS:

Mountain protectors try again in N.C.

DotGriffith North Carolina Rep. Pricey Harrison introduced a bill today to phase out North Carolina’s use of mountaintop removal coal. The bill mirrors one that has been in the legislature before and that received bipartisan backing, with 75 legislators signing a letter of support. Rep. Harrison’s bill also aims to help ratepayers during the economic recovery by placing a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in the state.

TAGS:

Going to court for clean water

fc-mtrAfter we revealed thousands of water pollution violations at Frasure Creek Mining’s mountaintop removal coal mines in eastern Kentucky, state regulators (finally) took administrative action. Appalachian Voices and our partners are seeking to intervene in that process to ensure environmental protections are enforced, and we have filed our own lawsuit in federal court.

TAGS:

Groups Sue Kentucky Mining Company

Contacts: Eric Chance, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500, eric@appvoices.org Ted Withrow, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, 606-782-0998, tfwithrow@windstream.net Pat Banks, Kentucky Riverkeeper, 859-200-7442, kyriverkeeper@eku.edu Pete Harrison, Waterkeeper Alliance, 828-582-0422, pharrison@waterkeeper.org Adam Beitman, Sierra Club, 202-675-2385, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org Pikeville, Ky. – A coalition of citizens

TAGS:

Déjà vu in Kentucky clean water cases

15813913282_fd4c121114_zFriday, Appalachian Voices and our partners filed a motion to intervene in a case between the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet and Frasure Creek Mining to ensure clean water laws are being enforced in Kentucky. To anyone following our lawsuits in Kentucky, these recent developments will sound familiar.

TAGS:

Obama budget creates opportunities for Appalachian communities

economyThe Obama administration’s 2016 budget calls for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds to be spent cleaning up abandoned strip mines, and to support economic development and workforce training in mining communities facing layoffs as coal is increasingly outcompeted in America’s energy mix. Read a statement from Appalachian Voices Legislative Associate Thom Kay on the proposals.

TAGS:

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube