west virginia

Chemours Chemical Plant Still Polluting West Virginia Water With Toxic PFAS After Almost 25 Years, Lawsuit Claims

Chemours Chemical Plant Still Polluting West Virginia Water With Toxic PFAS After Almost 25 Years, Lawsuit Claims

A Chemours chemical plant in West Virginia is polluting nearby waters with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals,” according to a new lawsuit brought by the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. The complaint is the most recent in a fight that has been ongoing since 2001 over pollution from the Washington Works plant, reported The Guardian. The PFAS-contaminated […]

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    The New River Gorge: Ancient River, Old Mines, New National Park

    The New River Gorge: Ancient River, Old Mines, New National Park

    By Mary Caperton Morton The only thing “new” about West Virginia’s New River Gorge is its national park status: In 2021, the New River Gorge became our latest national park, but in geologic terms, the New River is anything but new. Dating back to the days of the supercontinent Pangaea, it is one of the […]

    America’s Newest National Park Is Also the First in West Virginia

    America’s Newest National Park Is Also the First in West Virginia

    The U.S. is beginning the new year with a new national park. The nation’s 63rd national park is also the first to be designated as such in the state of West Virginia, Veranda reported. New River Gorge, in Fayetteville, was officially changed from a national river to a national park as part of the COVID-19 […]

    Coal Miners With Black Lung Brace for COVID-19

    Coal Miners With Black Lung Brace for COVID-19

    In some states like West Virginia, coal mines have been classified as essential services and are staying open during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though the close quarters miners work in and the known risks to respiratory health put miners in harm’s way during the spread of the coronavirus. In Appalachia, miners with pneumoconiosis, or black […]

    Coal-Friendly Manchin Named Top Dem on Senate Energy Panel

    Coal-Friendly Manchin Named Top Dem on Senate Energy Panel

    After weeks of discord over the potential appointment, Sen. Joe Manchin, the pro-coal Democrat of West Virginia, was named the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday. Many Democrats and environmental groups were adamantly opposed to Manchin serving as the top Democrat on the committee that […]

    Why Plans to Turn America’s Rust Belt Into a New Plastics Belt Are Bad News for the Climate

    Why Plans to Turn America’s Rust Belt Into a New Plastics Belt Are Bad News for the Climate

    By Sharon Kelly The petrochemical industry anticipates spending a total of over $200 billion on factories, pipelines, and other infrastructure in the U.S. that will rely on shale gas, the American Chemistry Council announced in September. Construction is already underway at many sites. This building spree would dramatically expand the Gulf Coast’s petrochemical corridor (known […]

    Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Permit Revoked by Federal Court

    Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Permit Revoked by Federal Court

    By Courtney Lindwall Communities along the 300-mile proposed route for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) heard some good news this week. On Tuesday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously voted to vacate a permit required by the Clean Water Act, which was previously issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The ruling stated […]