The EPA is closing a loophole that exempted half of all coal ash dump sites from regulatory oversight. But for some communities, it's too little, too late.
Innovation is not always about new technologies. It is also about finding better ways to utilize the things that are available. A company believes its found a way to use coal ash to help reduce the intermittency of solar and wind technologies.
After last year’s flooding in Eastern Kentucky, some people had trouble getting insurance reimbursement. But it wasn’t just flood waters that destroyed homes. The rains also brought landslides. We also visit with scientists in North Carolina, who explain how the language we use can lead to misunderstandings about climate change. And, in Appalachia, farmers have long planted their gardens by celestial signs. Berea College professor Sarah Hall has a new book about how that knowledge is still in use today.
Kentucky reporter Austyn Gaffney recently covered the topic for a comics journalism piece that was illustrated by Tennessee artist Martha Park. It was co-published by Grist, Bitter Southerner and the Economic Hardship Reporting project, and is titled, “Washed Away.”