We Need to Talk: Coal, Appalachia, and Our Future

A conversation.  That is what this site, and the Appalachian Transition Initiative, is fundamentally about.  Two pieces caught our attention recently, reinforcing the need to have the conversation and underscoring how very hard it is to do.  Nick Mullins asks readers of Out of the Coal Mines and Into the Fire to visualize the future for graduates of the Class of 2026 across the region.  He implies that visualizing their lives will help us make decisions today that affect their future.  Mary Ann Hitt writes for Grist about the reaction from West Virginia's elected officials to comments Rep. John Conyers of Michigan made questioning the viability of 'clean coal' projects, and the persistent poverty of the coal fields–laying out an argument that coal has failed to lift the communities it comes from out of economic distress.  To hear it from West Virginia's elected officials, Rep. Conyers couldn't have been more offensive for daring to speak about West Virginia in this way. It is that kind of emotional reaction, rather than engagement in a rational conversation, that makes this transition conversation so important and so hard.  Read what Mullins and Hitt have to say: A Challenge to Coal Communities (originally posted on Out of the Coal Mines 8/29/11) by Nick Mullins Stop and take five minutes to imagine your town in ten more years. What jobs will there be for the graduates of 2026? Will the coal mines still be open then or will every last bit of the easy coal...

Don’t Miss Today’s Economic Transition Call-in Series: 1pm Eastern...

The Alliance for Appalachia Economic Transition Call-in Series Topic: State-level Mineral Trust Funds Time: 1pm, August 29th Toll-free Call-in Number: 1-, 765402 The Alliance for Appalachia is pleased to announce the second call of our New Economic Transition Call-in Series for citizens, activists, and experts alike, throughout the Central Appalachian Region. This quarterly call-in series provides space for a regional conversation around key topics in the economic transition effort in the region. This collaboration is not intended to initially foster a regional strategy—but rather to share success stories and useful, replicable models for local economic transition, as well as to provide a place for those working on these efforts locally to trouble-shoot with one another. Our call is scheduled for 1pm, August 29th. This call’s topic is State-level Mineral Trust Funds. The call will consist of a 20 minute presentation by Ted Boettner, Executive Director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, to be followed with 40 minutes of information and questions from those working on economic transition policy in Central Appalachia. We hope to host in informal dialog, but please prepare with questions and updates relevant to the work happening in your area.   In his presentation, Boettner will discuss lessons learned from other states that have established mineral trust funds for economic diversification and his own perspective on the possibilities of increasing the coal severance tax to create an economic diversification trust fund in West Virginia and other Appalachian states. Anyone is welcome to join!...

Happy 30th KFTC!!!

Appalachian Transition wishes KFTC a very happy 30th birthday.  It is a major milestone for an organization that has done three decades (and counting!) of phenomenal work, aimed at improving the lives of Kentuckians, Appalachians and people everywhere. In their own words: KFTC is stirring things up. This is an organization that lets you have your voice and helps you learn how to make an impact. We know that we are powerful when we stay together.  It is reassuring to discover that there are a whole lot of people in Kentucky who care. A lot of people are fed up with the way things are going in Frankfort and in Washington and in the corporate boardrooms. People want to be part of an organization that gets things done and makes a difference.  More and more people see that KFTC is that kind of organization. We believe in what we are doing.  And, we won’t give up. We couldn't agree more and we're proud to partner with you!  For information on joining in the anniversary festivities tomorrow in Irvine, KY, see KFTC's 30th Birthday Party details here. About Kristin TraczKristin Tracz served MACED’s Research and Policy team from 2009-2012 working on clean energy policy, energy efficiency programs and the Appalachian Transition Initiative. She joined MACED after finishing her Master of Environmental Management degree at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. She now lives and works in Washington,...

Daily Yonder Asks — What Does Rural Mean?

In  today’s post Betty Dotson-Lewis uses the Daily Yonder’s tagline “Keep It Rural” to ask what a rural identity means in today’s context.  It is a fundamental question for Transition conversations – especially the point Dotson-Lewis makes about rural communities as a resource: “Rural America is an important source of raw materials — food, fiber, energy, lumber and minerals. In the 21st century, our need for both traditional and renewable energy will rise dramatically.” You’re invited to comment here on ATI, or on the Daily Yonder Facebook page about what you think it means to ‘keep it rural’ – and how we go about doing just that. Keep It Rural — What's That Mean? 8/26/11 It says "Keep It Rural" there in the Yonder logo. But what the heck does that mean? I need your help, readers. By Betty Dotson-Lewis Carolina Music Ways A buck-fifty for a hot dog (all the way) and Bluegrass music at the Nunn Brothers festival. Now, that's keeping it rural. Oh the pleasures and pains of rural life. But what is rural? Has the definition and concept changed from 20, 30, 50 or even 100 years ago to the modern day rural life in 21st century?  Is there a rural heaven and hell? What if we lived our life entirely rural and then transplanted to city life; will St. Pete hold that against us at the Golden Gate?  Will he know we remained rural in our heart to the end?  And what-in-the-world is The...

WV Couple Built Organic Farm from Scratch

West Virginia Public Radio offers this lovely video report of a Preston County, WV couple who started their own organic farm from scratch, and which now sells at Farmers' Markets, runs a CSA and supplies local restaurants.  ...

WV Growers’ Association Seeing Success

In the beautiful Tygart Valley of north-central West Virginia, several small producers of fruits and vegetables have joined together to market and sell their produce. The Tygart Valley Growers' Association is one of a growing number of cooperatives in the US, a business model that shares risk and reward among a group of owners. And the group is seeing success. Local news station WBOY in Clarksburg recently did a news story on the group and its relationship with a high-end resort. (Visit the link to watch the video clip.) Growers Association Sells to Stonewall Resort VALLEY FURNACE — A movement is growing in Barbour County. Mark Hollen of Alder Creek Enterprises Farm said he gets half his food from his farm. And the extras are staying local. He said he always wanted to own a farm. “After eight years of looking, we found our little piece of heaven here in West Virginia,” Hollen said. Heaven it is, with a bounty of fruits and vegetables including zucchini, potatoes, strawberries, corn, tomatoes, squash and more, and Hollen’s farm is only one of many in the Tygart Valley Growers Association. “We're working with farmers to help them produce more food or access more markets that rural people can access, especially those using food stamps or other types of assistance,” said Ben Nemeth of WesMonTy Resource Conservation and Development, the group that works with the Association. But that’s not the only market the farmers hit. The Association also caught the eye of Stonewall Resort’s head...

The Dangerous Dichotomy: Us vs. Them in CNN’s Battle for Blair Mountain...

Much has been written in the last few days about national journalist Soledad O'Brien's "Battle for Blair Mountain" hour-long special that aired Sunday evening on CNN.  Matt Wasson of Appalachian Voices was one of the first to point out a serious challenge in O'Brien's telling of the Blair Mountain story.  Wasson writes: "While O’Brien and her crew were able to tell both sides of the debate in compelling and emotionally powerful ways, the documentary suffered from the same flaw that just about every environmental story CNN has ever done suffers from: it is presented in a “jobs vs environment” frame that is devoid of any actual analysis of whether that frame is appropriate. Following is a brief fact-check of statements made by by mountaintop removal supporters and opponents in O’Brien’s documentary." Author Jeff Biggers articulated the perspectives of several community activists and leaders who are regularly affected by the operations O'Brien examined in her piece.  Biggers notes that Battle for Blair Mountain "arguably reached more Americans during prime time than any other film documentary in the past decade," which makes the concerns about the frame — us vs. them, jobs vs. environment — as well as the perspectives included (and those left out) in the piece all the more challenging to supporting a meaningful, informed dialogue about the choices we are making as a country that impact the Appalachian region.  When the issues surrounding Blair Mountain in particular, but many other communities throughout the region as well, are pitched...

Small, Locally-Owned Businesses Create Higher Economic Growth Rates than Big, Outside Firms...

A new report from Pennsylvania State University finds that counties with more small (between 10 and 99 employees), locally-owned businesses have higher rates of economic growth than those without. At the same time, counties with large, out-of-state-owned businesses have slower growth. This is a very interesting report for places like Appalachia, where governments have historically spent more effort and resources on courting outside industries than nurturing entrepreneurship. And it rings especially true on the heels of the news that a call center in Perry County, KY is laying off 150 employees. The Daily Yonder has the details: Small, Local Businesses Speed Income Growth It does matter whether a business is locally owned. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have found that counties with more small, locally owned businesses have stronger economic growth than communities with larger businesses owned by outsiders. "Local ownership matters in important ways," said economist Stephan Goetz who was co-author of the study with David Fleming, a Penn State graduate student. "Smaller, locally owned businesses, it turns out, provide higher, long-term economic growth." Larger firms owned by people outside a county depress growth, the researchers found. Goetz and Fleming looked to see if per capita income growth in counties was affected by the size and ownership of local businesses. The two studied U.S. counties during the period from 2000 to 2007. The effect of having locally-owned, small firms (with between 10 and 99 employees) on a county's economy was significant. There was a strong, positive relationship between...