Appalachian Citizens' Law Center

06/17/2026

Check out ACLC's June newsletter, where we break down our report on energy disconnections in Kentucky. Also this month: zombie mine legislation, a new documentary on black lung, and energy equity meetings.

Want to get our monthly newsletters straight to your inbox? Sign up here: https://aclc.org/sign-up-for-our-newsletter-2/

New report finds punitive water shutoff policies When a household budget is stretched thin, the loss of a basic utility can quickly turn financial strain into a crisis. A water disconnection means losing the ability to cook, bathe, wash clothes, care for children, or remain safe at home.  Last mont...

06/17/2026

Today at 9am ET, President Trump's nominee to lead FEMA, Cameron Hamilton, will face a series of questions from the Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee. The Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition has included a list of questions for senators to ask nominee Hamilton about what he believes the role of disaster resilience and recovery should be for the federal government moving forward.

Want to learn more? Check out our recent blog (appfloodpolicy.org/news) and make sure to watch the hearing today. https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/nominations-14/

06/16/2026

We're two weeks out from our next First Tuesday Conversation on Energy Affordability.

This month, H.O.M.E.S. Inc. will help us answer a question many folks are asking right now: Is solar right for your home? As heat and energy bills climb this summer, we'll talk about the real costs and savings, as well as the installation process. This workshop is geared toward homeowners and business owners.

Join us for dinner at 5:30 on July 7th at the Letcher County Extension Office!

Learn more at our event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1276435917406728/1276440124072974/?active_tab=about

06/10/2026

The Trump Administration has cancelled a DOJ investigation of Senator Justice's Coal Companies for repeated environmental violations. Justice's attorney admits what advocates have been talking about for decades -- that violating the law is common throughout the industry: "The Justice companies — because Sen. Justice has been governor and because he’s now a senator — are singled out and put under a microscope, and there’s news coverage of violations and consent decrees and compliance actions...But the fact of the matter is that those kinds of issues exist throughout the industry."

Read the full article here: https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-jim-justice-doj-southern-coal-investigation-west-virginia

Read a report we published in 2024 on unabated violations at coal mines in Kentucky:https://aclc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Problem-of-Unabated-Violations-on-Kentuckys-Coal-Mine-Sites-1.pdf

EPA and Justice Department officials were looking into potential criminal violations by the vast coal empire owned by Sen. Jim Justice. Then the Office of the Deputy Attorney General told them “pencils down.”

06/10/2026

"The bill never comes due for the industry, but it does for their miners." - ACLC Executive Director, Wes Addington, in an interview about the coal industry’s long record of avoiding accountability in a new Al Jazeera documentary on black lung disease.

The film also profiles miners living with severe black lung disease, including Mackie Branham Jr., a second-generation miner diagnosed with progressive massive fibrosis at just 38 years old. As coal seams have become thinner, miners are cutting through more rock, exposing themselves to dangerous levels of silica dust and driving more severe cases of black lung at younger ages. Black lung is preventable, and ACLC continues to advocate for strong enforcement of the federal silica dust rule and protection of regulations that ensure a safe workplace.

Watch the documentary here:

Black lung was once thought to be under control in the United State...

06/05/2026

Thank you to Chris Woolery from Mountain Association for presenting at our second First Tuesday Conversation this week, and thank you to the Stewart-Hindman Fund at Blue Grass Community Foundation for funding the DIY energy kits that all participants received this month.

Mark your calendar for July 7 to join us for our next First Tuesday Conversation!

Stay tuned to our event page to learn more https://www.facebook.com/events/1276435917406728/1276440124072974/?active_tab=about

06/04/2026

"If your customers aren’t able to pay for water, you’re just going to lose revenue streams, and so there definitely is a component of customer affordability that affects the system sustainability,” Shelton said. “This isn’t working. Our rates are going up, fewer people are able to pay; this is not a sustainable spiral for the system.”

Read more at Kentucky.com:
https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article315990003.html =cpy

Read our new report on water disconnections at:https://aclc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Drinking-Water-Disconnections-in-KY-Final.pdf

Analysis of 114 Kentucky utilities shows most charge reconnection or late fees, and nearly two-thirds of shutoffs were for $50 or less.

06/02/2026

DIY Energy Efficiency Workshop!

06/02/2026

Join us TONIGHT for dinner and to learn from our partners at Mountain Association about DIY improvements that could help lower your power bill.

See you at 5:30!

We're grateful to the Stewart-Hindman Fund at the Blue Grass Community Foundation for supporting the Energy Equity workshops and free energy kits.

06/01/2026

NEW REPORT: Today ACLC published a report on drinking water disconnections across Kentucky. We found that tens of thousands of families are disconnected from drinking water each year. We also find that utility policies around late fees, disconnect and reconnect fees, and thresholds for cutting families off from service are harmful, further penalizing those who are struggling to pay their bills.

Learn more through this piece in the Kentucky Lantern: https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/05/29/some-kentucky-drinking-water-utilities-have-punitive-disconnection-policies-report-finds/

Or read the full report here:https://aclc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Drinking-Water-Disconnections-in-KY-Final.pdf