West Virginia legislature interim committee passes resolution encouraging federal legislators to increase investments in mine land reclamation CONTACT: Dana Kuhnline, RECLAIM Coalition Coordinator, dana@appvoices.org, 304-825-3262 Erin Savage, Senior Program Manager at Appalachian Voices, erin@appvoices.org, 206-769-8286 Charleston, WV — The West…
With bills on the Hill, proposals from the White House, new reports issued and forthcoming from grassroots advocates, and new projects underway, there is a lot happening when it comes to coal communities and mine cleanup!
Guest blogger Rebecca Shelton explains why politicians need to be focusing on investing more in coal communities, not less. Congress needs to pass Rep. Cartwright’s abandoned mine lands bills. Rep. Cheney’s bill, which would shortchange coal communities by slicing the fee, is unacceptable.
As an organization that cares deeply about the people, land and water of our region, we find much to applaud in the White House’s American Jobs Plan. Read about what the plan entails and hear from us and partners about what this plan could mean for Appalachia.
Thousands of abandoned mine lands need to be reclaimed in Appalachia and across the country, and this reclamation work can create thousands of jobs. That’s in addition to the creative community and economic projects that local people can build with new funding.
A federal grant program aims to bring economic opportunity to long-abandoned mine lands. But as some sites are seeing progress, others are finding more obstacles.
President Biden’s executive order puts the United States in a position to vigorously confront the challenges of climate change, create good-paying jobs and protect communities from the hazards of polluted land, air and water.
Our legislative director outlines a list of action items for the Biden administration — suspending utility shutoffs during the pandemic, strengthening oversight of the fossil fuel industry, and moving swiftly to support just economic transition in coal-impacted communities.
As more coal companies file for bankruptcy, it remains unclear what will happen to hundreds of thousands of acres of unreclaimed mine land in eastern Kentucky and the rest of Appalachia.
Advocates for mine cleanup and economic development in Appalachia are calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the RECLAIM Act and AML Reauthorization after the two bills passed the U.S. House in early July.
