CHARLESTON, West Virginia, Jan. 19 -- Appalachian Power issued the following news release: Appalachian Power, along with Wheeling Power, requested and received Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) approval of a plan to reduce restrictions on the company's Fresh Start Fund in order to help West Virginia residential customers experiencing difficulty paying their electric bills on Friday, Jan. 15. Approximately $13 million in Fresh Start funds will be automatically applied to the acco  more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, Jan. 19 -- Appalachian Power issued the following news release: Appalachian Power lake crews removed a record 10,417 tons of debris from the Smith Mountain Project in 2020. The more than 10,000 tons, or 20 million pounds, shattered the previous mark set in 2019 of 5,731 tons. "This is just an unbelievable amount of debris that these guys were able to remove in 2020," said David Bailey, Appalachian Power manager in charge of debris removal. "This team worked under ext  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Jan. 23 -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release on Jan. 22: A coalition of environmental and community groups today brought a challenge to a Trump Administration rule designed to make it harder for communities impacted by coal mining to hold state regulators and mining companies accountable for violating environmental protections. The groups -- Citizens Coal Council, Appalachian Voices, and Sierra Club -- filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Dist  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Jan. 22 -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release: As all eyes turn toward economic relief proposals on the first full day of the Biden Administration, Appalachian Voices and 12 partner organizations working in coal-impacted communities from Navajo Nation to Appalachia are urging the new President to take several immediate actions to support the people and places hit hardest by the decline of the coal industry -- a decline accelerated by Covid-19. In a lett  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, Jan. 22 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: Olivia Ares, a senior at University School, is the winner of the Good Citizens Scholarship Contest hosted by the John Sevier-Sarah Hawkins Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. In addition to being the chapter winner, Ares is also the Appalachian District winner and will be part of the state competition. For the competition, Ares prepared an essay on a topic related t  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Jan. 20 -- The Environmental Law and Policy Center issued the following news release on Jan. 19: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today overturned the Trump Administration's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. It replaced the Obama-era Clean Power Plan with a plan that fails to comply with the Clean Air Act and urgent need to reduce carbon pollution from coal plants. The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) in 2019 joined a coalition of publ  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- The Appalachian Regional Commission issued the following news release on Jan. 19: The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announced five finalists for the Advanced Welding Workforce Initiative (AWWI), a partnership to invest approximately $1 million in education and training for advanced technical workers in Appalachia. Selected projects were part of a highly competitive applicant po  more

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia, Jan. 20 -- Marshall University issued the following news release: Marshall University history professor Dr. Chris White has kicked off a new podcast discussing the COVID-19 pandemic. "COVID in West Virginia Podcast with Chris White," is available on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts. Episodes will be posted as they are made, with two episodes already available. Access "COVID in West Virginia Podcast with Chris White" at https://covidwv.buzzsprout.com. The first i  more

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia, Jan. 20 -- Marshall University issued the following news release: Six recipients were honored with Power of Performance Awards and one was awarded the Small Communities, BIG Solutions advocate recently to recognize their efforts to change lives, put people to work and revitalize their communities. The awards were presented as part of the Third Annual Small Communities, BIG Solutions Conference, which showcased West Virginia successes and highlighted what is working ac  more

WILMINGTON, North Carolina, Jan. 21 -- The University of North Carolina Wilmington campus issued the following news release on Jan. 20: Michael Eric Dyson, one of the nation's greatest thinkers, distinguished writers and renowned orators, is the keynote speaker for UNCW's virtual 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration slated for Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. The event, "An Evening with Michael Eric Dyson," is presented by the N.C. Cultural Center Consortium consisting of Appalachian State Univer  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service issued the following news release on Jan. 19: Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt this week designated three new sites as national natural landmarks. The sites in West Virginia, Colorado and California bring the number of national natural landmarks in the U.S. to 602, heralding an important milestone for the National Park Service's National Natural Landmarks Program. "The Trump Administration has priori  more

GLEN JEAN, West Virginia, Jan. 21 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service issued the following news release on Jan. 20: Congress has redesignated New River Gorge National River as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. This new name highlights the park's spectacular features and other national park qualities as well as its traditional recreational opportunities. The new law also allows for the expansion of this natural and recreational treasure. "I am thrilled that   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks issued the following news release: For more than a century, our national parks have remained America's favorite places, important pieces of our natural and cultural heritage set aside for future generations to explore and enjoy. In 2019, 328 million park visitors spent an estimated $21 billion in local gateway communities while visiting National Park Service (NPS) sites across the country. These expenditures supported a to  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release on Jan. 22: A coalition of environmental and community groups brought a challenge to a Trump Administration rule designed to make it harder for communities impacted by coal mining to hold state regulators and mining companies accountable for violating environmental protections. The groups -- Citizens Coal Council, Appalachian Voices, and Sierra Club -- filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia chal  more