SAN FRANCISCO, California, Aug. 3 (TNSreact) -- Earthjustice issued the following news release and an Aug. 1, 2022, joint letter: Two hundred conservation, environmental justice, and Indigenous groups have sent a letter to all U.S. Senators urging them to oppose S.J. Res 55. The resolution introduced by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) would undermine core provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations that were recently restored by the Biden administration. The most recent r  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Aug. 3 (TNSreact) -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2022: Based on details released yesterday, a proposed permitting reform bill would severely weaken the governmental safeguards in place to prevent community and environmental harm from many types of projects. Appalachian Voices believes that this would be an unacceptable sacrifice of the communities and environment of our region. The summary document released by Manchin's office would in  more

DICKSON, Tennessee, Aug. 1 -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sent a notice announcing Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company's application to build a 32-mile fracked-gas pipeline that would cross three counties and more than 130 wetlands and streams in Middle Tennessee. The pipeline is associated with TVA's proposal to replace the retiring Cumberland Fossil Plant with a fracked gas power plant, which has been met with criticism for the fi  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (TNSreact) -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release: On Friday, July 29, the public comment period closed for Mountain Valley Pipeline's (MVP) request to extend the project certificate granted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by an additional four years. Submissions asking for denial include a letter from 27 Virginia state legislators, a sign-on letter with 270 participating organizations, and thousands of individual comments. Commenters cited  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, Aug. 5 -- Ballad Health, a community health improvement organization, issued the following news release on Aug. 4, 2022: A successful joint effort between Ballad Health and Southern Appalachian Medical Management has resulted in strong outcomes for local patients - as well as a $50,000 donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee. The effort began a year ago, when Ballad Health partnered with local orthopedic surgeons to improve patient care for all orth  more

BEREA, Kentucky, Aug. 3 (TNSawa) -- Berea College issued the following news release: Berea College Director of Digital Storytelling Justin Skeens won three Emmy Awards during last week's 58th Annual Ohio Valley Regional ceremony in Columbus, Ohio. Skeens won in all three categories for which he was nominated. Two of those Emmys were for his video titled "A Craft Story: Emerson," which won in both the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion-Short Form or Long Form Content category and for photography in the  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (TNSreact) -- Earthjustice issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2022: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture announced an initiative providing technical assistance and funding for much-needed wastewater sanitation infrastructure projects. The funding is targeted for 11 southern and Appalachian communities that have for years faced wastewater, sanitation, and septic issues. Failing septic systems and lack of any wastewater disposal  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Earthjustice issued the following news release: Last week, Senate Democratic leadership announced the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act, that if passed, would be the largest U.S. investment in climate and clean energy. The bill, though imperfect, would lower barriers to solar access, create good paying jobs, invest in underserved and overburdened communities, and put the country closer to achieving our climate targets. The deal is indeed a compromise that includ  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (TNStalk) -- Clean Water Action issued the following statement on Aug. 2, 2022, with 10 organizations: * * * A group of land conservation and environmental organizations advocating on behalf of An Act preserving open space in the Commonwealth, also known as the Public Lands Preservation Act (or PLPA) issued the following statement upon conclusion of the formal 2021-2022 legislative session. We are disappointed that the Conference Committee did not resolve differences betwee  more

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, Aug. 3 -- Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Maryland, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2022: Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the State of Maryland will host the annual conference of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) at Rocky Gap Resort in Flintstone, Maryland from October 17-19, 2022. After being unanimously nominated last fall, Governor Hogan was officially selected in January to serve as the ARC states' co-chair for 2022. The theme of this year's conferen  more

NEWBERRY, South Carolina, Aug. 5 (TNSper) -- Newberry College issued the following news: Newberry College has selected Barry McClanahan to be the next vice president for student affairs, effective Aug. 30. McClanahan replaces Dr. Sandra Rouse, who recently accepted a similar position at Wofford College. Most recently, McClanahan was the chief student affairs officer at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. He served Shippensburg for 30 years, rising through the ranks. He also served as asso  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release on July 30, 2022: Last night, the U.S. House voted to pass bipartisan, bicameral legislation led in the House by Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08) that addresses acid mine drainage -- one of the most visible, costly and hazardous remnants of the area's coal mining history. The Safeguarding Treatment for the Restoration of Ecosystems from Abandoned Mines (STREAM) Act was first introduced in March by   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 -- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee issued the following statement by Chad Zamarin, senior vice president for corporate strategic development at the the Williams Companies, involving a hearing on July 19, 2022, entitled "Federal Hydrogen Pipeline Regulatory Authorities": * * * Chairman Manchin, Ranking Member Barrasso, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the development of hydrogen infrastructure, with an emphasis   more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Aug. 5 (TNSpol) -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release on Aug. 4, 2022: Today the Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit in Charlottesville Circuit Court on behalf of Appalachian Voices to obtain the release of an opinion from the attorney general's office advising that the Youngkin administration's efforts to withdraw Virginia from the emissions reduction program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) would be unlawful. A membe  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Aug. 5 -- The Southern Environmental Law Center issued the following news release on Aug. 4, 2022: Today the Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit in Charlottesville Circuit Court on behalf of Appalachian Voices to obtain the release of an opinion from the Attorney General's office advising that the Youngkin administration's efforts to withdraw Virginia from the emissions reduction program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) would be unlawful  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- The Appalachian Regional Commission issued the following news release: The State of Maryland will co-host the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)'s Annual Conference in Flintstone, Maryland at the Rocky Gap Resort, October 17-19, 2022. The official theme of this year's conference is "One Appalachia: Connection & Collaboration" to highlight how ARC's 13 states and 423 counties are collaborating to bring each of its strategic investments to life. The conference will feat  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Aug. 2 (TNSper) -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release: Governor Glenn Youngkin announced he has chosen additional key administration appointments. "I'm proud to appoint these dedicated individuals," said Governor Glenn Youngkin. "Their work will move our Commonwealth into the future and help create a best-in-class government." BOARD APPOINTMENTS ADMINISTRATION ART AND ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD * Lynden Garland of Midlothian, Architect, Bas  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Aug. 4 (TNStalk) -- Virginia Tech issued the following news on Aug. 3, 2022: Virginia Tech has a team of experts available for interview to discuss the devastating floods in Kentucky. Researchers can provide insight about emergency response and recovery, community resiliency, and economic hardships facing Appalachian communities. Emily Satterwhite is an associate professor and the director of Appalachian Studies at Virginia Tech. With a focus on Appalachian studies and cl  more

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia, Aug. 2 (TNSres) -- West Virginia University issued the following news: Driven by a shared passion for scientific discovery, four promising researchers pursuing doctoral degrees at West Virginia University are receiving funding from the Ruby Scholars Graduate Fellows Program to support their studies. This year's Ruby Fellows are Cameron Wilson, Ashley Martsen, Courtney Glenn and Quinn Hopen. Each student will receive a $34,000 stipend, a $2,000 travel grant and tuiti  more

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia, Aug. 4 (TNSjou) -- West Virginia University issued the following news on Aug. 3, 2022: Clearcutting and wildfires decimated the red spruce, once the dominant, high-elevation tree species in West Virginia, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Nowadays, only 10% of the state's historic red spruce coverage remains and it faces a new threat in climate change. West Virginia University researchers Donald Brown and James Thompson with the Davis College of Agriculture, Natura  more

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia, Aug. 3 (TNSres) -- West Virginia University issued the following news: West Virginia University researchers are exploring the potential for carbon-hungry grasses planted on reclaimed mine land to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. A $35,000 grant from the Appalachian Stewardship Foundation supports the two-year study by the National Mine Land Reclamation Center at WVU's West Virginia Water Research Institute. Jason Fillhart, WVWRI watershed project manager, s  more