KINGSPORT, Tennessee, May 26 -- Appalachian Power, an American Electric Power company, issued the following news release: Appalachian Power is seeking proposals from developers to purchase up to 200 megawatts (MW) of completed solar and/or wind generation projects. Adding more clean energy options for customers is an ongoing priority for the company. The Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued today by Kingsport Power Company, which does business in northeast Tennessee as AEP Appalachian Power.  more

BOONE, North Carolina, May 25 (TNSreact) -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release on May 24, 2022: Yesterday, the Biden Administration released draft guidance regarding how states and tribes should administer the new $11.3 billion in Abandoned Mine Land (AML) funding authorized by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The administration is accepting comments on the guidance through June 13, 2022, and the first grant distributi  more

NEW YORK, May 26 (TNSjou) -- Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory issued the following news on May 25, 2022: * * * In a collaboration that included Columbia researchers, Belmont County residents set up a low-cost sensor network that is helping them fight for clean air. * * * Some residents of Belmont County in eastern Ohio have long suffered from headaches, fatigue, nausea and burning sensations in their throats and noses. They suspected these symptoms were the result of ai  more

BOONE, North Carolina, May 25 (TNSper) -- Appalachian State University issued the following news: Following a national search, Dr. Dan Layzell has been named vice chancellor of finance and operations at Appalachian State University, effective Aug. 15. Layzell is currently vice president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer/treasurer of Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. "Dan brings a career of nearly three decades in higher education and a decade of policy and legislative e  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, May 27 (TNSjou) -- Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health issued the following news release: In the United States, 2.3 to 3.5 million people experience homelessness every year. While homelessness is often considered an urban issue, it's a problem that is growing in rural areas, where substance use can serve as a catalyst for homelessness. New research led by Rollins investigators and published in PLOS Water highlights the substantial barriers to accessing water, sa  more

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the following statement by Commissioner James Danly on a decision (Docket No. CP21-6-000) involving Spire Storage West LLC, Houston, Texas: * * * I concur in part in today's order granting the requested Natural Gas Act (NGA) section 7 authorizations.[1] I dissent in part from the Commission's decision to stay the certificate. I write separately to make a handful of points. First, the Commission s  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, May 26 (TNSres) -- Ballad Health, a community health improvement organization, issued the following news release: Citing Ballad Health's strong financial planning and considerable credit resiliency, Fitch Ratings today announced it has affirmed Ballad Health's "A" credit rating with a Stable outlook. This credit rating affects Ballad Health's series of debt instruments, as well as Ballad Health's planned refunding of variable rate demand bonds expected to be issued thi  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, May 25 -- The North Carolina Department of Commerce issued the following news release: Nineteen rural communities from across the state have been selected to participate in a unique new program to increase their capacity to plan, implement, and manage economic development programs and opportunities. The Rural Community Capacity (RC2) program, a pilot initiative from the Commerce Department involving Appalachian State University's Walker College of Business, will welcome  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, May 27 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement on May 27, 2022: * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Natural Resources Committee, today introduced the Benton MacKaye Scenic Trail Act, linking Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina over 287 scenic miles of mountains, valleys, forests and waterfalls. The trail, on federal land for 95 percent of its length, would be administered by the National Forest Service. Congressman Cohen mad  more

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Kentucky, issued the following news release: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $5 million grant to the city of Hazard, Kentucky, for construction of a new water treatment plant and ancillary infrastructure. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA's $300 million Coal Communities Commitment. This project will construct a new water treatmen  more

BOONE, North Carolina, May 28 (TNSper) -- Appalachian State University issued the following news: Appalachian State University has named Sean Gaillard as the new principal of its Academy at Middle Fork lab school in Walkertown, effective July 1. Gaillard currently serves as principal of Moore Magnet Elementary School in Winston-Salem. He has more than 20 years of experience in education -- as both a teacher and school administrator. "App State has a strong legacy of preparing educators to lea  more

WASHINGTON, May 25 -- Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded a $1,000,000 grant to the Village of Bainbridge in Ross County for the installation of a new sewer line and the construction of a 150,000 gallon-per-day wastewater treatment plant. This new sanitation infrastructure is expected to help to provide service for 350 households and 40 businesses in the Village. "U  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, May 28 -- Ballad Health, a community health improvement organization, issued the following news release: Days after Fitch Ratings issued its "A" rating on Ballad Health's credit, Standard and Poor's issued its own report, concluding it affirms Ballad Health's "A-" credit rating with a stable outlook. S&P Global Ratings' report cites both pre-pandemic performance of Ballad Health in its execution of the merger between Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health   more

WASHINGTON, May 24 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release on May 24, 2022: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $5 million grant to the city of Hazard, Kentucky, for construction of a new water treatment plant and ancillary infrastructure. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA's $300 million Coal Communities Commitm  more

CAMBRIDGE, Maryland, May 26 (TNStalk) -- The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science issued the following news release: The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) held its annual Commencement on Tuesday, May 24, featuring the conferral of master's and doctorate degrees, distinguished speakers and university awards, and keynote speaker Dr. Deborah Bronk (MEES Ph.D. '92), oceanographer and President and CEO of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. "T  more

GREENSBORO, North Carolina, May 26 (TNSres) -- The University of North Carolina Greensboro campus issued the following news: Dr. Mitch Croatt has a theory about his lab group, and it fits right into that Spartan spirit at UNC Greensboro. "The relationships that develop in a lab are similar to those on a sports team, where everyone helps one another and a success for one is a success for all," he says. "They bond like a team and have healthy competitions to push one another to become better. I   more

HONESDALE, Pennsylvania, May 24 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued the following news on May 23, 2022: The Wolf Administration today announced that $967,672 in new grant funding was approved to assist projects aimed at expanding access to the Lackawaxen River in Wayne County. "I am pleased to join the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) today to announce this significant investment in outdoor recreation in a wonderful Pennsylvania community," D  more