Right now, one of our best hopes for ending mountaintop removal mining lies in the EPA’s power to regulate water pollution. As it stands, Lisa Jackson (or another EPA executive) could, with a few strokes of her pen, take dramatic steps toward ending the cultural and environmental attack on Appalachia.
But a bill moving through the [...]

Interior Dept.’s plan could increase U.S. carbon emissions by one-half.
If you were worried that the U.S. might cease to be a world leader in climate pollution, the Obama Administration has just put your fears to rest. Last week, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a massive increase in Wyoming coal mining — 2.3 billion tons, to [...]

Documentary explores true social and environmental costs of coal power, exposes danger of “clean coal” hopes

The Center for Investigative Reporting has launched the screening of its new documentary, Dirty Business. Narrated by Jeff Goodell, author of Big Coal and contributing editor of Rolling Stone, the film investigates “clean coal and the battle for our energy [...]

I spent the last week of October in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, hiking, photographing the rivers and foliage, and taking in the stunning landscapes. While the trip made my RYSE post a bit late, it also deepened my understanding of the value of pristine mountains, specifically the Appalachians.
Because of their National Park status, [...]

Cross-posted from Gosztola Blog (http://open.salon.com/blog/kevin_gosztola)
By Kevin Gosztola
Over a thousand Appalachian residents and activists participated in a rally and march in Washington, D.C. on Monday, September 27th. The action was the culmination of a multi-day convergence that had been put together by a coalition known as Appalachia Rising, which organized the activity to advance the movement [...]