Appalachian Mountain Advocates

12/05/2025

Coverage of our efforts this week to protect the wildness of Tucker County from the intrusion of a massive proposed data center.

Proceedings wrapped Thursday for a hearing regarding a requested appeal of the DEP’s Air Quality Board’s decision to grant a permit for the construction of a power plant in Tucker County.

11/01/2024

Coverage of a motion filed yesterday by Appalmad lawyers to stop violations of a court order.

The Sierra Club, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Appalachian Voices say A&G Coal Company has violated an agreement to reclaim three coal mines in Southwest Virginia.

10/15/2024

Lawyers from Appalmad and the Southern Environmental Law Center teamed up in court last week and put construction of an unnecessary gas pipeline on hold.

A federal appeals panel has temporarily halted two permits needed to begin construction on a pipeline that will supply a natural gas plant planned in Tennessee

08/12/2024

“Getting these new, cheaper forms of electricity, more broadly distributed and able to be taken advantage of by West Virginia is going to stem the flow of cost increases or, in the long-term, lower electricity rates for the state,” said Mike Becher, an attorney for Appalachian Mountain Advocates.

Last month, the West Virginia PSC denounced a federal transmission rule that would mitigate rising electricity costs and increase grid reliability.

05/14/2024

A sign stands outside the Jackson’s Chapel Community Center in Charlotte, Tenn., where a community meeting was held to voice concerns over a proposed methane pipeline in August 2022. Photo by Angie Mummaw

05/02/2024

The total project cost of the Mountain Valley Pipeline has ballooned to nearly $8 billion as project opponents urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject a May 23 in-service date requested by the joint venture behind the pipeline. The opponents cited filings showing persistent erosion i...

05/01/2024

Eight organizations say that plans for the project, an extension of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, have changed so much that federal regulators’ previous approval no longer applies.

04/11/2024

Va. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative members who initially to increase transparency among the electricity provider’s board.

03/31/2024

We represented several of our favorite partner groups in reaching an agreement with the EPA to address the longstanding issue of ionic toxicity pollution in West Virginia streams caused by coal mining. Learn more at the link.

In a landmark victory, the Sierra Club, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy have reached an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address the longstanding issue of ionic toxicity pollution in West Virginia streams caused by coal mining...

02/20/2024

Read more about the new federal policy platform that serves as a road map to address and prevent unreclaimed “zombie mines” — idled modern-era mines that have not been cleaned up by the responsible coal companies.

Today, advocates from across coal-mining communities released a new federal policy platform that serves as a road map to address and prevent unreclaimed “zombie mines” — idled modern-era mines that have not been cleaned up by the responsible coal companies.

01/22/2024

CHARLESTON, W.Va.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to decide whether the yellow-spotted woodland salamander could warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.

10/27/2023

Representatives of the coalition behind a proposed West Virginia-centered hydrogen production network revealed some new information while holding back on other project specifics during a virtual community briefing Tuesday evening.