Blog Archives

Appalachian communities are still at risk

communities_pikecounty_kyOur goal with Communities at Risk is to ramp up the pressure on the White House to end mountaintop removal. As citizens have argued for years, cracking down on the continuing devastation of Appalachian mountains and streams is critical to moving the region forward. It’s incumbent on the Obama administration to help revive Appalachian communities, which have powered the nation’s economic ascendancy for generations.

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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

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Duke Energy to close aging Asheville coal plant

Asheville coal plant Duke Energy announced plans today to retire its polluting, uneconomical Asheville coal plant and build a natural gas-fired facility in its place. While the news should be celebrated as progress, it also represents another precarious step along a dangerous road that will prolong our region’s over-reliance on fossil fuels and saddle consumers with long-lived investments in natural gas.

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Residents in Mountain Valley path pipe up at hearing

Turnout was tremendous at the first of two public hearings where Virginians had a chance to share their stories and environmental concerns about the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline with federal energy regulators.

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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.

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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.

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Don’t drink the water

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As part of coal ash law enacted in North Carolina last year, Duke Energy is required to test the well water of residents living within 1000 feet of the massive coal ash ponds that dot the state. Now, the first round of water testing results are coming back, giving residents and regulators a clear picture of just how widespread the problem is.

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Under Pressure: A Fractured Relationship with Natural Gas

Across the East, fracking for natural gas is advancing in starts and stops — as some states embrace the practice, another bans it, and still more consider the risks and potential rewards of entering the fracking fray.

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State Legislative Updates

While lawmakers in Washington, D.C., might get most of the spotlight, the legislators in state capitols across the region are busy making — and blocking — laws that affect Appalachia’s land, air, water and people. Here’s the latest updates from state legislatures around the region

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WV Coal Lab Penalty Upheld

The West Virginia Environmental Quality Board upheld a decision by the state Department of Environmental Protection to revoke the certification of Appalachian Laboratories Inc., where employees routinely conspired to violate the federal Clean Water Act.

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