Appalachian Voices

06/06/2026

The term “community resilience hubs” is becoming more common lately, especially in Appalachia, following extreme flooding from Hurricane Helene. But what are resilience hubs, and why are people talking about them?

At its core, a resilience hub is a trusted, community space that connects people with resources and services — in good times and bad. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, either, and each hub reflects the specific area it serves. Here are a few projects from around the region:

🔹 A $5 million community resilience hub initiative in Western North Carolina
🔹 A resilience hub in Dungannon, Virginia’s historic depot
🔹 Firestorm Books adds on-site battery storage in Asheville, NC
🔹 West Marion Resilience Hub closer to a reality in McDowell County, NC
🔹 Grassroots group Clean Water Expected in East Tennessee bootstraps resilience hub

✍️: Abby Hassler for The Appalachian Voice

Many community resilience hub projects are underway around the region. Here are just a few in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

06/06/2026

On Wednesday night, North Carolina residents and grassroots advocates spoke out at a rally and public hearing in Durham against Duke Energy’s request to raise electric rates. At least 275 people attended the rally beforehand, with speakers including Rania Masri of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network and Darrion Smith of UE150 NC Public Service Workers Union.

Numerous speakers noted that Duke Energy made nearly $5 billion in profits in 2025 and expressed frustrations about being asked to pay up to 18% more when they are already struggling to make ends meet, given already high electric bills and the rising cost of living.

06/05/2026

Members of our team were proud to join Earthjustice, Jessica Waller-Downs and Betty Johnson at a recent congressional briefing on coal ash regulations.

After the deadly 2008 Kingston coal ash disaster, community advocates like Jessica Waller-Downs and Betty Johnson fought hard for years to win federal protections from coal ash — the toxic waste left after burning coal for energy. Now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering changes that would weaken these regulations. This rollback would directly threaten the health and safety of communities living near and downstream of coal ash sites.

“When people talk about coal ash regulations, they often talk about cost,” says Waller-Downs, daughter of the late Ernest Hickman, a 2008 Kingston coal ash spill cleanup worker, and the late Patsy Hickman. “I want to talk about cost: the cost of watching my father lose his health; the cost of watching my mother get sick.”

“We cannot let this [rollback of coal ash regulations] go on ... I'm standing ground because I believe — not only I believe, I know — because I live it every day,” says Johnson, widow of late Kingston coal ash cleanup worker Tommy Johnson. “I miss my husband, so much.”

📸: Gabrielle Lichtenstein

06/05/2026

🌞 New federal legislation passed in July 2025 shortened the timeline for organizations that want to use the 30% federal solar Investment Tax Credit. Nonprofits, government agencies and businesses planning solar projects should be aware that the next deadline is coming soon. Organizations that delay planning could lose access to this major federal incentive.

👉 To qualify for a longer construction timeline, projects must secure “safe harbor” status by July 4, 2026.

For commercial businesses, nonprofits, schools, libraries, municipalities, counties, and other public-serving organizations, the clock is now ticking on one of the most valuable federal clean energy…

06/05/2026

While Western North Carolina has made remarkable progress since Hurricane Helene, the resources available for recovery still fall far short of what’s needed.

To help communities access clean energy and to better prepare for future storms, we're partnering with NC Sustainable Energy Association for AMPlify Appalachia on Thursday, June 11, in Mills River, North Carolina!

Anders Osborne and Duck will headline the evening with musical performances at Sierra Nevada's High Gravity Room. Proceeds from the event will benefit Footprint Project and Land of Sky Regional Council! Join us to learn about the work we’re doing to support disaster preparedness and long-term resilience in the region!

Learn more ⬇️

Join us for an evening of music at Sierra Nevada’s High Gravity Room to enjoy local artists and support regional recovery through clean energy solutions. Proceeds from this event to benefit Footprint Project and Land of Sky Regional Council of Governments and their efforts to serve western North C...

06/04/2026

Jeff Eisenbeiss lives on a 168-acre farm in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. The property borders the Monongahela National Forest and features several native trout streams. Biologists assessed one of the streams in October 2021.

“It was a model trout stream; the pH was perfect,” Eisenbeiss says. But that changed later that year.

Eisenbeiss discovered that a new coal mine was operating above his property. He also found out that South Fork Coal Company was using a haul road through the national forest to transport coal to a railroad facility about 20 miles away.

“We figured out that what they were doing wasn’t legal,” says Andrew Young of Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance. “We realized that we couldn’t do this ourselves. Once we realized we had something, it became about getting the right crew together.”

Read about the Don’t Mine the Mon coalition’s fight to stop the coal company in The Appalachian Voice!

✍️: Dan Radmacher

A coalition banded together to stop a coal company from using a haul road through the Monongahela National Forest to transport coal to a railroad facility about 20 miles away in Rupert, West Virginia.

06/04/2026

A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office has concluded that miners seeking federal disability benefits for black lung disease face multiple barriers — including lengthy waiting periods when seeking benefits, inadequate medical coverage and disability stipends that are not keeping pace with inflation.

The miners who've powered America for generations deserve better!

A new federal report lists numerous problems miners face in receiving benefits. A former coal miner and advocate on the Navajo Nation says the issues it raises aren't new to him.

06/02/2026

Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia is seeking individuals and groups to participate in free Commemorate Workshops to prepare for the upcoming 2027 grant funding cycle. Workshops will be held across Central Appalachia and online between April and September 2026.

The next workshop will be held on June 27 at the Cleveland Community Center in Russell County, Virginia. To attend, please register by this Friday, June 5!

Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia (MAAV) is funding the creation of 6 to 10 new monuments across Appalachian Virginia. MAAV collected proposals from community members, community groups, educators, activists, and regional artists for publicly engaged projects.

06/02/2026

A coalition of groups is urging the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to withdraw "advanced approval" for mining operations near the Monongahela National Forest, citing missing permits, endangered species protections and concerns over impacts to public lands and waterways.

📢 “We have a permitting program for coal mines in this country for a reason. Before mining companies were required to obtain permits, the industry could freely pillage natural resources with no regard for local impacts. By giving Clearco and Aurevo the greenlight to mine and haul coal — impacting our public lands, no less — without any of the permits it needs and despite clear evidence that approval of permit transfer is not currently possible, the DEP has discarded the lawful process," said Willie Dodson, Coal Impacts Program Manager at Appalachian Voices.

Today, a coalition of conservation groups submitted a complaint and public comment objecting to a decision by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to grant “advanced approval” to two mining companies that want to take over South Fork Coal Company’s permits for operations ne...

06/02/2026

Do you want to be better prepared for the next extreme weather event? You’re not alone. Each home has its own risks based on its structure, who lives there, where it is and the local climate. Still, there are steps you can take to feel more ready.

We can’t stop the next storm from coming. But use this household preparedness guide to help make your home safer and stronger, no matter what comes your way.

✍️: Abby Hassler for The Appalachian Voice

Follow these simple tips to make your home safer and more resilient in the face of natural disasters or emergencies.