Understanding Appalachia requires coming to grips with the complexities and challenges of rural healthcare. It means understanding that addiction isn’t just an opioid issue, as methamphetamines make a comeback in our communities. It means understanding that health goals reflect a Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs chart from one community to the […]
Read MoreAppalachia
Distress Grows For Ohio Valley Farmers As Trade Deals Stall
This story was originally published by the Ohio Valley ReSource. West Kentucky Farmer Barry Alexander doesn’t have an answer on when the Trump administration will reach a trade deal with China, now a year into tariffs that have hamstrung some Ohio Valley industries. Alexander is optimistic these continued negotiations will be worth […]
Read MorePlastics: The New Coal in Appalachia?
With the natural gas fracking boom, plastics production is spreading in the Ohio River Valley. But at what cost to health and climate? MONACA, Pennsylvania — Along the banks of the Ohio River here, thousands of workers are assembling the region’s first ethane cracker plant. It’s a conspicuous symbol of […]
Read MoreRural Drivers Can Save the Most From Clean Vehicles
This post was written in collaboration with Maria Cecilia Pinto de Moura The transition to clean vehicle technologies such as electric vehicles will benefit consumers everywhere, promising lower operating and maintenance costs, along with less pollution and a cleaner environment. But the drivers with the greatest economic potential to gain by […]
Read MoreCoal Comeback? Coal At New Low After Two Years Under Trump
It’s been two years since President Donald Trump took office and began rolling back environmental regulations on the coal industry. At a November rally in Huntington, West Virginia, the president took credit for a coal comeback in front of a cheering crowd. “We’ve ended the war on beautiful, clean coal […]
Read MoreRural’s Connection to Environment Means Bigger Climate-Change Impact
Mainstays of rural American culture and economy – such as timber, agriculture, tourism, ranching, hunting, fishing, winter sports – could see major disruptions from climate change. The impact will be big enough to disrupt the national economy, a federal report says. Rural communities face clear economic and environmental risks from […]
Read More