The Advocate — Issue #142

A win for solar on Southwest Va. schools!

After years of advocacy by AppVoices and partners, APCo has agreed to give schools and localities in Southwest Virginia more access to use solar energy.

Assessing growth on former coal mines

A new tool and report sponsored by the National Geographic Foundation tracks the health of tree and vegetation growth on surface mines from 1984 to the present.

Agencies weigh pipeline permits

Regulators are expected to make a decision on a key permit that would let the fracked-gas Mountain Valley Pipeline discharge material into the habitats of threatened and endangered aquatic species.

The aftermath of coal’s collapse

Coal mine regulations have not kept up with the industry’s downturn, leaving regulators without the money – or the legal tools – to address growing problems of scarred landscapes and polluted waters.

Jewish communities persist in West Virginia

Although Charleston’s population has slowly declined, two Jewish congregations with history stretching back to the 1800s have stood the test of time. One congregation’s membership even grew after moving its services online at the start of the pandemic.

Help us protect our mountains and keep our waterways clean. Donate today to support our efforts to defeat the Mountain Valley Pipeline and MVP Southgate once and for all.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Campus Climate Action: Regional college students are calling for a host of climate and sustainability initiatives at their schools.
• Co-op Democracy: Appalachian communities are starting to make progress reforming their electric co-ops to be more democratic and transparent.
• Fossil Fuel Transition: A national coalition is calling on Congress to support the workers and communities historically dependent on fossil fuels.

CALENDAR

Webinar Series: The Rural-Urban Divide

June 18, 15, 22, 29: Join Appalachian Voices and others for a discussion on the divide and ways to overcome it.

Webinar: The Road to Blair Mountain

June 18: Listen in on presentations commemorating the West Virginia Mine Wars of 1912-1921.

Juneteenth

June 19: A list of events in Appalachia to mark the 156th anniversary when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their liberation more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Shared Solar 101

June 22: Learn the basics of shared solar, also known as community solar, with the Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia.

Solar Open Houses

June 25-26: Southwest Virginia residents can ask questions in-person and sign up for solar home assessments at solar-powered homes in Clintwood and Wise, Va.

Collective Resilience: We Rise

June 26: A new podcast will share stories and strategies to inspire resilience and community transformation across the nation, from Appalachia to the Navajo Nation.

Water Quilt Project Convergence

July 10: An outdoor gathering of story and song to honor and protect waterways threatened by fracked-gas pipelines. Newport, Va.

Offices in:

Boone, NC • Charlottesville, VA

Knoxville, TN • Norton, VA • Durham, NC

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