NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 31 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board of Directors has announced the 2024 recipients of its annual alumni awards. The honorees will be celebrated during Reunion and Homecoming Weekend Nov. 7-10. Robert Hatcher Robert D. Hatcher Jr., BA'61, MS'62, is the 2024 recipient of the Alumni Professional Achievement Award, recognizing Vanderbilt alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional accomplishmen  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNScapv) -- American Rivers issued the following news release: American Rivers joined more than 500 organizations, businesses, growers, irrigators, and landowners representing a diverse range of Farm Bill stakeholders from across the country in submitting a letter urging Congress to pass a Farm Bill before the end of the year. The Farm Bill expires in September, which was extended by Congress in November 2023 to September 30, 2024, and will likely need another extension. A  more

FRONT ROYAL, Virginia, July 30 -- Christendom College issued the following news: On July 1, 2024, Dr. George Harne took over as Christendom College's fourth president. With an impressive academic background and a strong commitment to the liberal arts, Dr. Harne has demonstrated exemplary leadership and vision throughout his career. As the college embarks on this exciting new chapter with Dr. Harne, we are eager to learn more about him, his aspirations for the college, his insights into the evol  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Aug. 2 -- Appalachian Voices issued the following statement on Aug. 1, 2024: * * * Today, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., introduced the Pipeline Accountability, Safety and Environmental Standards Act of 2024, which will make several improvements to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's authority and capacity to regulate pipelines and ensure public safety. Key provisions in the bill include establishing an Office of Public Engagement tasked with coordinat  more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate on Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), as well as Governor Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), and former U.S. Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) announced the initial $30 million of the total $925 million award was released from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to officially launch the Appal  more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (both D-Md) and Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), announced the inclusion of $10,360,000 in key Senate Committee legislation providing direct federal funding for community-led projects throughout Maryland. These community projects, funded at the Senators' req  more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and its Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure (both D-Md.), and Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD), announced the inclusion of $34,378,000 in key Senate Committee legi  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Aug. 3 -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2024: HENDERSON, N.C. -- On Thursday, Aug. 1, community members and advocates expressed their opposition to the Moriah Energy Center, a proposed liquefied methane gas storage facility proposed to be built in Rougemont, North Carolina. The Division of Air Quality held a public hearing on Dominion Energy's air permit application for the project. About 100 people attended the hearing, and 39 people del  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-New York, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Nick Langworthy announced a federal grant of $1 million for the Tanglewood Community Nature Center in Elmira, NY. The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has approved this significant grant construction of the Tanglewood Canopy Walkway, a project that aims to enhance tourism and boost the local economy in the Finger Lakes region. "Tanglewood Nature Center is a pillar in our community  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, July 29 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Mackenzie Rose doesn't know how she is still alive. Shortly after turning 28, an attack at her home led to an eight-day stay in the hospital and required her to use a feeding tube. Because her vocal cords and esophagus were damaged, her ability to speak was limited. She developed post-traumatic stress disorder. But even when Rose couldn't speak, she said poetry gave her a voice. As a survivor of domestic abuse, Rose, w  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, July 31 -- The Southern Environmental Law Center issued the following news release on July 30, 2024: * * * State Corporation Commission ruling narrows approval pathway for Chesterfield gas plant * * * Yesterday, the State Corporation Commission (SCC) ruled that Virginia Electric and Power Company (Dominion) failed to comply with the energy efficiency standards established by the Virginia Clean Economy Act. This year's case was the first year in which the SCC determ  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, July 30 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: East Tennessee State University's Quillen College of Medicine capped off its new student orientation program on Friday with a White Coat Ceremony officially welcoming the 78 members of the Class of 2028. This year's class was selected from a pool of more than 3,000 applicants, and represents 35 undergraduate institutions, with ETSU sending the most graduates to Quillen. Of the 78, all but four hail   more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the following dissent on July 30, 2024, by Commissioner Mark C. Christie on a decision (Docket No. ER24-2144-000) involving PPL Electric Utilities Corp. and PJM Interconnection LLC: * * * I dissent from today's order granting the Abandoned Plant Incentive to PPL Electric Utilities Corporation (PPL) for certain transmission projects (collectively known as the Chanceford Project) which were approve  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, Aug. 1 -- Gov. Ned Lamont, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 31, 2024: Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is awarding $14.5 million in state grants to aid in the purchase and protection of more than 2,626 acres of open space through 17 projects in 18 municipalities across Connecticut. Additionally, $343,015 in state grants are being awarded to create two new urban community green spaces in Stratford and Thomaston. These fun  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, issued the following news release: Hyde-Smith Joins Committee in Approving FY25 Energy & Water Development Appropriations Bill Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today reported committee passage of a Senate bill that provides more than $127.2 million for 28 authorized U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects and activities in Mississippi, including $9.24 million for repairs and operation of the troubled Arkabutla Lake dam. Hyde-Smith an  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 -- Rep. Carol Miller, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Miller (R-WV) and Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner on how President Biden's policies have harmed economic opportunity and energy production in Appalachia. Washington Examiner: Biden's war on Appalachia(link is external) "After years of progress made under former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden has devastated economic growth and e  more

FRANKFORT, Kentucky, Aug. 2 -- The Kentucky Public Service Commission issued the following order (Case No. 2024-00115) on Aug. 1, 2024: * * * In the Matter of: Electronic Application Of Kentucky Power Company For: (1) Approval To Expand Its Targeted Energy Efficiency Program; (2) Approval Of A Home Energy Improvement Program And A Commercial Energy Solutions Program; (3) Authority To Recover Costs And Net Lost Revenues, And To Receive Incentives Associated With The Implementation Of Its Demand  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, issued the following news release: Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured a number of West Virginia priorities in the markup of four bipartisan appropriations bills, which included the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Services and General Government; Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Defense; and Energy & Water Development funding bills. The Senate Appropriations Committ  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Aug. 2 -- The Oak Ridge Associated Universities issued the following news release: Kristin Mattson has always had a desire to help people. Mattson, ORAU senior health communication and marketing specialist, grew up wanting to be a doctor for as far back as she could remember, but during college fell in love with the concept of preventing illnesses instead of treating them. "It made so much more sense, and I could help many more people by focusing on prevention as opposed  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Glenn "GT" Thompson announced the Dickinson Center Building Project in St. Marys as the recipient of a $750,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). This funding will consolidate several community and health services in Elk and Cameron counties into one new downtown facility that will provide thousands of residents with access to efficient care and services. "Hav  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 -- Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: The Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act provides $61.467 billion in total funding for the Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and independent agencies. "This bipartisan bill delivers new investments to advance cutting-edge scientific research happening at labs across the country, to support cr  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following news release on July 31, 2024: Today, Senators Joe Manchin III (I-WV), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Governor Jim Justice (R-WV), and former U.S. Representative David McKinley (R-WV) announced the initial $30 million   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: Builds on Senator Markey's Leonel Rondon Pipeline Safety Act, which strengthened emergency response and safety standards for gas distribution pipelines in wake of deadly Merrimack Valley gas explosion in 2018 Bill Text (PDF) | One Pager (PDF) Washington (August 1, 2024) Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today introduced the Pipelin  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, July 30 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Water is abundantly present in our lives drinking fountains and showers, garden sprinklers, swimming pools, reservoirs and streams that it can become invisible, always in sight but often out of mind. Yet, contamination risks can endanger that abundance. August is National Water Quality Month, a time to contemplate conserving natural water sources and consider what households and communities can do to ensure and preserve a  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, July 31 -- The Trust for Public Land issued the following news release: * * * Land Acquisition Safeguards Wildlife Habitat, Guarantees Public Access, and Provides Larger Buffer to Appalachian Trail Corridor Supports New York's '30X30' Initiative to Conserve 30 Percent of State's Lands and Waters by 2030 * * * Beekman, NY - Trust for Public Land [TPL], New York Department of Environmental Conservation [DEC] today announced the permanent protection of 505 acres in D  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, July 31 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: For six years, Uzezi Orivri was a petroleum engineer, focused on extracting oil and gas from the ground. Now, as a part of a U.S. Department of Energy-funded project, the former petroleum engineer is helping revolutionize efforts to keep harmful amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere by putting it in the ground. "Carbon sequestration was something I really wanted to do my Ph.D. research on," said Orivri,   more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: Van Hollen, Cardin submitted funding requests on behalf of Maryland non-profit organizations, local governments Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), and Senator Ben Cardin (both D-Md) announced the inclusion of $10,360,000 in key Senate Committee legislation providing direct fede  more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, issued the following news release: Today, Senators Joe Manchin III (I-WV), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Governor Jim Justice (R-WV), and former U.S. Representative David McKinley (R-WV) announced the initial $30 million of the total $925 million award was released from the Department of Energy (DOE  more

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky, July 30 (TNSres) -- Western Kentucky University issued the following news: In the aftermath of J.D. Vance's nomination for the Republican Party Vice Presidential candidate, longtime WKU History professor Anthony Harkins has been sought out to discuss Vance's connections to Appalachia and issues with his representation of the region in Vance's book Hillbilly Elegy. Harkins is co-editor, with Meredith McCarroll, of Appalachian Reckoning- A Region Responds to Hillbilly El  more