Jim Justice – target of the regional Justice to Justice campaign, recently expressed interest in becoming governor, much to the dismay of the thousands who have been cheated out of wages by Justice bad business practice, or had their communities damaged by outlaw mines he owns. As Tom Torres, an activist with the Justice to […]

Article by Gabby Gilliespie, Southwest Virginia oganizer with the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Last week, citizens from across Appalachia attended a listening session hosted by the Appalachian Regional Commission in Morehead, Kentucky. With the provisions proposed by Obama for the 2016 budget, organizers in Appalachia are attempting to create a groundswell on many levels […]

Cross-posted from AppVoices.org As even some of the largest U.S. coal producers run the risk of caving under their debts, officials that oversee the federal surface mine bonding program are voicing urgent concerns about companies’ ability to pay for post-mine reclamation. After bankruptcies, legal fees, fines, plummeting share prices and years without a profit in sight, another aspect of […]

Last week, our friend Dustin White traveled back to Washington, DC to speak up for the mountains. The House Committee on Natural Resources was having an Oversight Hearing on “State Perspectives on the Status of Cooperating Agencies for the Office of Surface Mining’s Stream Protection Rule.” At issue in this hearing is the cooperation between the […]

Healthy critters in our streams are an important sign that the water is safe for all life. So it’s key that we keep an eye on the crawdads! Our friends at Center for Biological Diversity have created a petition and lawsuit that forced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to propose to protect two species of crayfish from Appalachia under […]