Today, we remember those who gave it all. We honor them by doing the work of standing up for our neighbors, showing up in hard times and building strong communities.

Appalachian Voices is working with members of the community in Clinchco, Virginia to reforest a former coal mine on Quarry Drive. Read more about how the landscape has been transformed over the past few months in this reflection by Community Forest Steward Jared Ring. https://loom.ly/HH30gi8

West Virginia’s southern coalfields have faced severe drinking water issues for decades, but a recent request for $250 million in targeted funding to address the crisis was not included in the congressional appropriations budget. Learn more by reading our blog post! https://loom.ly/RvRnfEY

Health care for coal miners is critical given the black lung disease crisis in Central Appalachia. Black lung clinics serve as vital first responders, providing screening and long-term care. ✍️: Quenton King for The Appalachian Voice #BlackLungKills

Members of our team were on Capitol Hill this week to talk to lawmakers about coal ash cleanup, disaster relief, and the need for transparency and smart energy planning at the #TVA. 📣 Check out our action center to support our work by contacting your legislators! https://appvoices.org/actions/#TVA

A 35-page booklet distributed in a public meeting by TVA about coal ash is filled with “lies” and misleading information, according to coal ash researchers. ✍️: @dennispillion.bsky.social for @insideclimatenews.org.

Clogger Arthur Grimes has danced his own singular path from Boone, NC, to the most hallowed stages alongside roots music royalty, such as J.D. Crowe & The New South, Old Crow Medicine Show, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and others. ✍️: David Brewer for The Appalachian Voice

#DukeEnergy wants to build methane gas plants in Davidson Co. & potentially Davie Co while the SSEP pipeline is under construction. Come to a community meeting 5/28 to learn more, connect with neighbors & discuss how to protect the area. RSVP: https://loom.ly/yeY1eJY#DukeEnergy#NoSSEP

West Virginians have faced dirty, toxic water for years. Reps. Miller & Moore pushed for $250M in the 2027 funding bill, but it was not included. Call Congress at (202) 224-3121! Tell them enough is enough. Demand they fund an amendment to fix WV's water infrastructure. https://loom.ly/G8T32Ak

The #EPA is holding a virtual hearing on 5/28 on its proposal to roll back #CoalAsh protections. The powerful testimony shared at the 2023 EPA hearing helped win stronger safeguards in 2024. Now we need people to show up again. Sign up to testify or attend: https://loom.ly/osebamc

#ElectricityDemand is on the rise. In a new article for The Appalachian Voice, we share snapshots of the trends driving the energy demand debate, & explore how certain issues are affecting our communities — & how people are pushing back. ✍️: Molly Moore, Dan Radmacher, Jen Lawhorne & Abby Hassler

A new fed report reveals that utility companies shut off residential 💡 service 13.5M times in 2024 over unpaid bills while the industry raked in record profits, with 400k disconnections in #NorthCarolina. In 2025, #DukeEnergy , #NC's largest utility, posted $5B in profits. https://loom.ly/Pj4vWY8

“What in the world are they thinking?” says Jessica Waller-Downs, daughter of a late 2008 Kingston coal ash spill cleanup worker. “Did they not learn from last time?” Read more in The Appalachian Voice: https://appvoices.org/2026/05/08/coal-ash-protections-under-attack/

Protect your home, family and property by learning how to prepare for climate-related threats at “Know Your Risks,” on Saturday, May 30, 1-4 p.m. in #Swannanoa. Register to attend ⬇️ https://loom.ly/waORGXg

Last month, the Trump administration announced it was indefinitely pausing the new protections against silica dust, with devastating consequences for miners and their families. Read more in this commentary in @kentuckylantern.com: https://loom.ly/CFSqhCQ

Bri Knisley, Director of Public Power Campaigns, honors the role of workers and their families in the fight to secure and strengthen #CoalAsh protections, while also warning about the consequences of rolling back these safeguards in our newest blog post. https://loom.ly/_CXvSNc

🌞 Appalachian Voices is working with 15 facilities across Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell and Wise counties to collect quotes for various building upgrades as part of the SWVA Building UP grant program. https://www.solarfinancefund.org/building-upgrade-program-contractors/.

The Appalachian Voice is 30 years old this year! 🎂 Help us celebrate by ordering our new 2026 print edition or reading the stories online. Read more about our history from our editor, Molly Moore!

Residents in Person Co., #NorthCarolina were kept in the dark for months while officials worked behind closed doors on a massive Microsoft #DataCenter. New reporting details how secret negotiations and infrastructure deals moved forward long before the public was informed. https://loom.ly/04Wc_-g

Fields of solar panels are starting to bloom with new life, as energy developers pair solar power with beekeeping in a sweet twist on clean energy. 🌞🌼🐝🍯 ✍️: Jen Lawhorne for The Appalachian Voice

Several TN cyclists are biking most of Enbridge’s 122-mile Ridgeline methane gas pipeline route to highlight its impact on our forests, waterways and communities. https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/National?actionId=AR0607187&id=701Po00001lwp51IAA&utm_medium=social #RidetheRidgeline #NoTVAPipelines

Some members of our team caught a few versions of the 2026 print edition of The Appalachian Voice in Russell County, Virginia, last week! 🎣 Have you "reeled in" your copy yet? 👀 Sign up to receive it here: https://appvoices.org/voice/distribution-2026/

For decades, utilities dumped toxic #CoalAsh in unlined pits that can leak into ground 💧 & waterways. Now, the #EPA wants to roll back protections & let polluters avoid cleanup. 👀 #Chesterfield resident Jason Woodby share how coal ash impacts his community & take action: loom.ly/chrYSeM

“TVA is handing out propaganda that coal ash is as benign as dirt,” says Stephen Smith of @cleanenergy.org. “Coal ash is not benign. It is hazardous.” More from @carolineeggers.bsky.social for @wpln.bsky.social!

The real magic of Grayson Highlands State Park isn’t just the sweeping views… It’s the feral ponies. 🐴 Read more about these pretty — and sometimes petulant — ponies, their dedicated caretakers, and the challenges that they face in The Appalachian Voice! ✍️: Melissa Bahleda

Many residents of Pike County, Kentucky, are breathing a sigh of relief since county commissioners finalized their decision to rescind a contract with an out-of-state waste management company for a mega landfill earlier this spring. More in The Appalachian Voice! ✍️ & 📸: Rance Garrison

The EPA is proposing to gut the safeguards that protect communities & force coal power plants to monitor & clean up their toxic #CoalAsh. Submit your comment today to tell the #EPA to put communities before industry interests! https://appvoices.org/actions/epa-ccr-rollback-comment/

At first, it’s just a faint thumping noise in the distance. Then it accelerates — louder, faster — for a few seconds before abruptly stopping. That sound isn’t a far-off lawnmower: It’s the ruffed grouse. ✍️: Debra Murray 📸: Greg Johnson via Unsplash

RESCHEDULED EVENT: Join us & partners in #Durham for a rally & drag show before the state hearing on #DukeEnergy's rate hikes! 🗓️ Weds. 6/3 ⏰ 5:30 pm: "Drag Down Our Electric Bills" rally & drag show ⏰ 7 pm: Public hearing 📍Durham Co. Courthouse RSVP: https://loom.ly/Saj04bI#Durham#DukeEnergy

Thank you to Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia for bringing attention to water quality issues in the state. Congress must act to provide funding to address this crisis. Read Rep. Moore's full commentary: https://loom.ly/70SqRGs

We're pleased to present the 2025 annual report for the Upper South and Appalachia Citizen Air Monitoring Project (USACAMP). In this report, we share details about our latest findings and shine a community spotlight on Southwest Virginia's black lung clinics on page 4! https://loom.ly/2KIbJnQ

Methane gas prices swing up and down. Tying our power system to unpredictable methane gas means higher ⚡ bills, more pollution & more risk when fuel prices spike. Virginia should invest in affordable clean energy that keeps costs steady. https://loom.ly/U5suCaw

Yesterday, nearly 40 organizations and nine bipartisan West Virginia state lawmakers sent a letter to Congress requesting $250 million in targeted funding to address water quality in the state. Congress must act to address West Virginia’s water quality issues! https://loom.ly/G8T32Ak

The 2026 print edition of The Appalachian Voice will be available on newsstands beginning this month! 🗞️ 🎉 Please sign up to get copies for yourself and to share with others. Use this form to order free copies of the newspaper for yourself or others: https://appvoices.org/voice/distribution-2026/

The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced an indefinite delay in enforcing its long delayed silica rule, with devastating consequences for miners. Read more in this commentary from Dr. Drew Harris. https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_e42e04b8-820a-4506-8836-3125ac6d1527.html

Last week, community members joined our team at a former mine site at Quarry Drive in Clinchco, Virginia, for a celebration and cookout where we came together to plant 250 native trees! Many thanks to all who were able to attend and help out! https://loom.ly/nsYLC74

Join residents & other org's on Tues, 5/12, in Durham for a rally before the state hearing on #DukeEnergy's proposed rate hikes, which would cause 💡 bills to skyrocket in #NorthCarolina. 🗓️ 5/12 ⏰ 530 pm: rally 7 pm: hearing 📍 Durham Co. Courthouse https://loom.ly/GoCbbYA

Join us for a fun volunteer night at our office in downtown Boone, North Carolina, on Tuesday, May 5, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.! 🗞️ We need your help packing up our 2026 annual print edition of our regional newspaper, The Appalachian Voice! RSVP to let us know you can make it! Food will be provided.

#NorthCarolina residents are protesting rising electric bills and dirty energy. At a recent state hearing, advocates called out #DukeEnergy’s proposed rate hikes and reliance on what they describe as “fossil fuels from hell.” https://loom.ly/xauMkfI

Residents of Pound, Virginia, are invited to attend an interest meeting on forming a community association in Pound! Swing by the Pound Town Hall at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, for more information! Stipends will be provided. https://loom.ly/G4i7zf8

🎉 It’s official! #Virginia is back in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate program that cuts power plant pollution and funds climate resilience efforts. Grateful to the many advocates who made this return possible! #RGGI Read the statement: https://loom.ly/63EVTxQ

This #MayDay, we honor the workers who power our communities — and their right to safe, healthy jobs. Rolling back coal ash protections risks toxic exposure for workers and neighbors. We can’t move backward. Tell the #EPA: No rollbacks on coal ash safeguards. https://loom.ly/chrYSeM

Methane gas plants are 💰 to build, & utility customers foot the bill thru higher electric rates. 🌞 & other renewables are often cheaper to develop, but bc utilities can pass unpredictable fuel costs onto customers, they keep doubling down on #FossilFuels. https://loom.ly/vcNdsQY

Some members of our team are heading to Nashville for the Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training this weekend! We’ll learn more ways to mobilize communities, counter disinformation, gather useful tools and help support the shift to affordable and abundant clean energy across the region.

Several environmental groups challenged @FERC's approval of the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project pipeline, saying FERC failed to adequately analyze its environmental impacts under #NEPA and ignored evidence showing SSEP is not in the public interest. https://loom.ly/KSqxh0I

The US House will soon vote on a #FarmBill that would make it harder for farmers & rural small businesses to access affordable 🌞 energy. It would restrict #CleanEnergy investments that ⬇️ costs, create income & keep family farms resilient. Tell Congress: Vote NO: https://loom.ly/f_W9ZQw

Join us for a fun volunteer night at our office in downtown Boone, North Carolina, on Tuesday, May 5, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.! 🗞️ We need your help packing up our 2026 annual print edition of our regional newspaper, The Appalachian Voice! RSVP to let us know you can make it! Food will be provided.

Come join us for an interest meeting on forming a community association in Pound! Swing by the Pound Town Hall at 5:30 on Tuesday, May 5 for more information! Stipends will be provided. https://loom.ly/G4i7zf8

#NorthCarolina residents are turning out to say NO to #DukeEnergy's rate hikes, which could raise residential customers' bills by up to $30 a month! Four more public hearings remain for people to speak out! Join your neighbors to oppose higher electric bills! RSVP ⬇️

We appreciate Sen. Shelley Capito’s work to keep #NIOSH open — it's essential to preventing and detecting #BlackLung. But miners need more. Capito and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should urge Trump to implement a strong silica dust standard now..