Monday, February 20th, 2017 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
"One of the resources we are most blessed with here in Appalachia is fresh drinking water of the highest quality," writes Mackay Pierce in defense of the Stream Protection Rule, which was recently thrown out by Congress and President Trump. "We should be taking every possible measure that we can to protect it." [
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Wednesday, February 15th, 2017 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
For all my life, the coal economy has ruled this region and its people," writes Ron Short of Danville, Va., in a letter supporting the Stream Protection Rule. "Now we are facing the demise of the coal industry, and we must save the valuable natural resources that we have left if we are ever to develop cultural tourism and eco-tourism as important parts of a new economy that works for everyone." [
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Tuesday, February 7th, 2017 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments
When Congress voted last week to overturn the Stream Protection Rule, people braced themselves for the coming impacts. But threats to public water from corporate and political interests are nothing new in Central Appalachia, nor is the problem unique to this area. In the face of these threats, communities fighting for clean water need our continued support. [
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Friday, January 13th, 2017 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments
In December, the Obama administration released the final Stream Protection Rule knowing it would be a likely top target for the incoming Republican-controlled Congress. And it is, indeed, in the crosshairs -- but members of Congress should understand they’re gambling with Appalachia’s health and economic future, all for a risky bet on coal’s unlikely comeback.
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Tuesday, December 20th, 2016 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments
On Monday, the U.S. Department of the Interior released the Stream Protection Rule, which aims to protect streams from the impacts of surface and longwall mining. The final rule offers only modest improvements to protections for public waterways, but it is well worth defending from congressional attack. [
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Tuesday, November 15th, 2016 | Posted by Willie Dodson | No Comments
“God gave us the water so we can stay clean, and so we can drink it. I don’t want poison in the water.” Those are the words of 6-year-old Levi Marney, spoken to representatives of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy at a public meeting about the proposed Doe Branch mountaintop removal mine in Haysi. [
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Tuesday, September 27th, 2016 | Posted by Erin Savage | 1 Comment
The history of the Doe Branch mine in Southwest Virginia is long and complicated, and its future remains unclear. A bankruptcy saga with the mine’s previous owner stalled development in the past year, but things appear to be getting back on track — putting the Russell Fork River at risk. [
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Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
Daile Boulis, a resident of Loudondale, W.Va., lives just a few thousand feet from the KD#2 mountaintop removal mine in Kanawha County, W.Va. At a recent gathering of The Alliance for Appalachia, Daile shared the story of how she became involved in the fight against mountaintop removal coal mining. [
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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.
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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.
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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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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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