Following U.S. Route 219 through five counties in West Virginia, the Mountain Music Trail highlights the old-time music of the Mountain State.
Blog Archives
Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship guilty
After a six-week-long trial that included 27 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, followed by a week and a half of dramatic deliberations, Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship has been found guilty of conspiring to violate federal mine safety laws.
Understanding the Stream Protection Rule
While the draft Stream Protection Rule is far from perfect, it is a long overdue update to protections for surface and groundwater from mountaintop removal coal mining. Not surprisingly, the coal industry had relied on “war on coal” talking points to fight against the rule, and claims these protections are unnecessary and will undermine an otherwise viable industry. Let’s examine those claims.
TAGS: appalachia Climate change Coal Environment Health Kentucky Mountaintop Removal Politics Stream Protection Rule Tennessee Virginia Water Pollution West Virginia
White House POWER Initiative grants awarded
Efforts to increase employment, and develop and diversify the economies of historically coal-reliant communities just received a major boost. Earlier today, the White House announced $14.5 million in grant awards to organizations and projects occurring across 12 states. A majority of the three dozen awards, and most of the grant dollars, are going to plan or implement projects in Central Appalachia.
Natural Gas Pipelines Encroach on Appalachia
A circuit court judge ruled that a natural gas pipeline project could not survey private land without the owner’s permission.
Appalachian Millennials and social media in Wyoming County
Guest Contributor Donald Welch: The Rural Appalachian Improvement League encourages plenty of groups to visit the Mullens, W.Va., area to volunteer. But, as an organization focused on sustainability and creating social change in southern West Virginia, the group also uses social media to engage youth and create opportunities for local residents.
Citizen stories counter coal industry deception
Citizens and clean water advocates used a series of hearings on the proposed Stream Protection Rule to demand improvements to the draft version and call out state agencies for repeatedly failing to enforce regulations already on the books. Coal industry representatives, on the other hand, relied on “war on coal” rhetoric and deception to rally against the rule.
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Voices Coal Economy Environment Health Kentucky Mountaintop Removal Politics Tennessee Virginia Water Water Pollution West Virginia
Peculiar Patriot Coal deal raises questions
What would a health care executive-turned-environmentalist want with the dying business of mining coal? That’s the question some are asking after the announcement that a Virginia environmentalist plans to acquire assets, and assume around $400 million in liabilities, from recently-bankrupt Patriot Coal.
Predictable politics giving way to popular support for POWER+
In Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, cities and counties with long histories of coal mining are advocating for the POWER+ Plan, a federal budget initiative proposed by the White House to build a more diverse economy in the communities hardest hit by the regional coal industry’s decline. They deserve to be heard.
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Voices Coal Congress Economy Environment Health Kentucky Politics Tennessee Virginia West Virginia
Formidable Costs
Coal Company Conducts Business as Usual Near Kanawha State Forest By Tarence Ray Seven miles south of Charleston, W.Va., sits a 9,300-acre expanse of trails, streams and wildlife known as the Kanawha State Forest. The forest’s diverse wildflower and bird…
