The Front Porch Blog, with Updates from AppalachiaThe Front Porch Blog, with Updates from Appalachia

A good idea is right under your nose

Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

Last summer, when Appalachian Voices' friend Caroline Armijo was pondering how to address the problem of coal ash pollution, she came across a few words of wisdom on the bottom of a coffee bag: “A good idea is right under your nose.” In this post that first appeared on her website, Caroline writes about a new technology that may offer a solution. [ Read More ]


Making sense of crisis: The West Virginia floods

Wednesday, July 6th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | 1 Comment

In this guest post, West Virginia resident and former coordinator of The Alliance for Appalachia Katey Lauer shares her perspective on the aftermath of the storms and the humanity she witnessed as communities come together and begin to rebuild. [ Read More ]


West Virginia files Clean Water Act suit against Kanawha County mine

Wednesday, June 29th, 2016 | Posted by Willie Dodson | Comments Off on West Virginia files Clean Water Act suit against Kanawha County mine

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has brought a lawsuit against Keystone Industries over Clean Water Act violations at the KD #2 surface mine in southern Kanawha County, W.Va., adjacent to the Kanawha State Forest. [ Read More ]


An open letter to the North Carolina General Assembly

Monday, June 27th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments

In an open letter addressed to North Carolina lawmakers by the Alliance of Carolinians Together (ACT) Against Coal Ash, citizens threatened by coal ash pollution call on decision makers to take urgent action to ensure coal ash is cleaned up and impacted communities have access to clean water. [ Read More ]


Speaking up for energy savings

Tuesday, June 21st, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

A story on We Own It, a national network to help electric cooperative members rediscover their role as owners of a democratically-controlled enterprise, recounts the efforts of Appalachian Voices’ Energy Savings for the High Country campaign — and how we helped members of Blue Ridge Electric get their co-op’s attention on energy efficiency. [ Read More ]


Coal ash controversy continues in North Carolina

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | No Comments

In May, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality released risk rankings for Duke Energy’s coal ash impoundments across the state following 15 public hearings. But those rankings could still change and a newly revived legislative battle is a sign that the controversy over coal ash cleanup in North Carolina will continue. [ Read More ]


Announcing the Energy Savings for Appalachia webinar series

Tuesday, May 24th, 2016 | Posted by Amber Moodie-Dyer | No Comments

If you happened to miss our first energy efficiency on-bill financing webinar on May 11, don’t despair. You can watch the recording of the webinar, which is the first in a series describing the benefits of on-bill financing entitled “Leveraging Energy Savings: On-bill Financing as an Economic Opportunity in the Southeast.” [ Read More ]


DEQ dodges legitimate coal-ash safety concerns

Thursday, May 19th, 2016 | Posted by Amy Adams | 1 Comment

Enabled by anti-regulatory powers in the legislature, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has abandoned the principles necessary to serve the public. It's time for lawmakers to acknowledge DEQ’s failures and focus on moving forward on coal ash cleanup. [ Read More ]


Drinking water problems still plague eastern Kentucky

Friday, May 6th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | 5 Comments

After a nearby creek ran bright yellow last month, residents of Martin County, Ky., still have questions for local and state officials — and that’s not uncommon in a county that has seen its fair share of coal slurry spills and municipal water problems. So why are so many officials ignoring the problem? [ Read More ]


How coal ash impacts civil rights

Monday, April 18th, 2016 | Posted by Sarah Kellogg | No Comments

Residents of Walnut Cove, N.C., have fought for years to win justice for community members who have been harmed by coal ash pollution at the nearby Belews Creek power plant. In response to the interest in the threats posed by coal ash expressed by the North Carolina Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Walnut Cove community showed up in a big way. [ Read More ]


Another step toward clean water in Southwest Virginia

Thursday, April 14th, 2016 | Posted by Erin Savage | 1 Comment

Through a settlement with Penn Virginia Operating Company, a large landholding company, and A&G Coal Corp., a Jim Justice-owned company, several sources of the toxic pollutant selenium in Wise County, Va., will be cleaned up. [ Read More ]


What happened on Pine Creek?

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | 4 Comments

A lot of folks have had questions about last month's mine blowout on Pine Creek, in Letcher County, Ky. So we’ve put together an explainer that runs through the facts, the science and the regulatory protocols behind spills like this — and offers tips on what you can do about them. [ Read More ]



 

 


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