By Olivia Miller, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, and Friends of the 500th have condemned the Trump administration’s decision to terminate thousands [...]
Register Now for E-Day on March 17!
Change happens when we show up! For 35 years, Environmental Day (E-Day) has united advocates to demand stronger environmental protections for West Virginians. Attending isn’t just about networking or displays—it’s [...]
Dear friends and fellow lovers of the Highlands, Over many years as a member of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, I’ve seen many battles come and go. But I have [...]
Environmental groups sue to challenge mountaintop removal mine on Coal River Mountain
The Plaintiffs Seek a Court Order Vacating a Previously Approved Clean Water Act Permit On Feb. 19, 2025, Coal River Mountain Watch, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Appalachian Voices, and Sierra Club filed a lawsuit [...]
West Virginia legislative session report
By Luanne McGovern The 87th West Virginia Legislature got underway on February 12 with a new Governor, new Senate leadership and new committee processes in the West Virginia House of Representatives. [...]
Coal company’s bankruptcy filing reflects growing pressure to end reckless mining in West Virginia
On Feb. 7, 2025, South Fork Coal Company and its parent entities Xinergy and White Forest Resources, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware. The move follows the company’s well-documented pattern [...]
“Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet” by Ben Goldfarb
Reviewed by John McFerrin This is a book about roadkill. Three hundred pages about roadkill may not sound enticing but it really is an entertaining and informative book. The subject is [...]
By Olivia Miller, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy In a whirlwind of conflicting decisions, the U.S. Department of the Interior has quietly allowed South Fork Coal Company to resume hauling coal through [...]
Trump’s energy emergency declaration of war on America
By Tyson Slocum, Public Citizen President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional blitzkrieg on congressionally-mandated agencies has been slightly stymied, for now, in part by Public Citizen’s litigation challenges to the dissolution of USAID and the Consumer [...]
Abandoned mine land cleanup disrupted by federal funding freeze
By Dan Radmacher, Appalachian Voices As the Appalachian region is experiencing intense rainfall this week, the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is not processing state requests seeking [...]
Take action to protect community air monitoring
By Morgan King, WV CAG Climate and Energy Program Manager A new bill threatens to silence citizen science. SB 575 would limit community air monitoring by invalidating data collected by [...]
Remembering George E. Beetham, Jr.
By Cynthia Ellis We were saddened to learn, in late January, of the death of George E. Beetham, Jr., Director Emeritus of our Board of Directors. That designation, “emeritus”, is [...]
Wildfire control in West Virginia: past, present and future
By Robert Beanblossom, Cradle of Forestry in America West Virginia faces many serious environmental issues. Water pollution, strip mining, threats to public lands, air pollution, forever chemicals and many others [...]
Coal River Mountain Watch seeks “good running vehicle”
Coal River Mountain Watch (CRMW), based in the heart of the West Virginia coalfields - Whitesville, West Virginia in Boone County - is a very lean, boot-strap organization that has [...]
