Friday, April 8th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | 13 Comments
Exclusive to the Front Porch: WGN's television series "Outsiders" doesn't leave a single stereotype of Appalachia unturned. In this essay exclusive to the Front Porch Blog, award-winning author Ron Rash reflects on how stereotypes cloak harms much more profound than cultural misperceptions: "The region is diverse, and many areas are doing well, but for those that are not, might a show focused on “retard hillbilly animals” make it easier for America to ignore the region’s needs?"
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Tuesday, March 1st, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 2 Comments
Over the weekend, a letter by our Executive Director Tom Cormons to the editors of The New York Times appeared on the newspaper’s website. It was penned in part to stress the importance of the Stream Protection Rule and to urge federal regulators to stand firm in the face of industry opposition, and finalize it. [
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Thursday, February 18th, 2016 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe stated that Virginia will “stay the course” and continue working to reduce carbon pollution after the U.S. Supreme Court hit pause on the Clean Power Plan. But there's still more that we’re counting on Governor McAuliffe to deliver. [
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Thursday, February 11th, 2016 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | 1 Comment
While football fans were pumping up for the Big Game last weekend, supporters of clean power in Virginia were gearing up for a different showdown as key committees in the General Assembly prepared to take up important clean energy legislation. [
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Thursday, February 4th, 2016 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
Late last month, we learned that the U.S. Forest Service rejected the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s proposed route. This development significantly checks the lickety-split pace of the project. If that renews your desire to take action, there are opportunities channel that feeling into these important legislative fights in the General Assembly.
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Friday, January 22nd, 2016 | Posted by Tom Cormons | 1 Comment
Appalachian Voices is beginning 2016 stronger than ever and positioned to advance a positive future for the region we all love. Standing with citizens from across Appalachia and from all walks of life, we are hard at work and have high hopes for the year ahead. [
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Monday, January 11th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | 1 Comment
It’s amazing how much work goes into stretching the truth. It’s even more amazing when media outlets and political leaders latch onto that “truth” and peddle it without scrutiny. A recent and relevant example: an economic impact analysis of the Stream Protection Rule, commissioned by the National Mining Association. [
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Monday, January 4th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | No Comments
The final months of 2015 may prove to be a historic moment for Kentucky’s politics and the state’s struggling coal industry. But it remains to be seen how the industry will maintain its political power in the Bluegrass State. [
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Friday, December 18th, 2015 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
Around this time of year, we usually offer a legislative preview, looking ahead at the issues that will arise in the upcoming session of the Virginia General Assembly. Recent events relate to some of those possible energy policy changes, thickening the plot and making this session one worth engaging in — especially for customers of Appalachian Power Company. [
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Thursday, December 10th, 2015 | Posted by Erin Savage | 1 Comment
Late Monday evening, Appalachian Voices and our partners finalized a historic settlement in our case against Frasure Creek Mining. The settlement follows a five-year-long legal battle to protect eastern Kentucky’s waterways and bring a coal company notorious for violating environmental laws to justice. [
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 | Posted by Ridge Graham | No Comments
Over the past few months, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has seemed determined to have complete environmental regulatory control with little regard for federal or public input. In this endeavor, DEQ has taken every chance to highlight how external forces, including citizens groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are simply getting in its way. [
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Monday, October 26th, 2015 | Posted by Amy Adams | 5 Comments
Late last Friday afternoon, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law H765, the "Regulatory Reform Act of 2015." This massive reform bill should be called "The Polluter Protection Act" with its plethora of anti-environmental provisions, rollbacks and giveaways to industry. So, just how bad is this bill? [
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