Month: April 2025

American Rivers names Gauley River to America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025, due to toxic coal mining pollution

The threat of toxic pollution from coal strip mining in the headwaters of one of the Gauley’s primary tributaries — the Cherry River — has made it one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025. In Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties in West Virginia, South Fork Coal Company operates a network of strip mines, haul roads and a coal preparation plant spanning over 3,600 acres.

No Valid Existing Rights for South Fork Coal Company

ABRA—together with the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and Appalachian Voices—has been deeply involved in exposing and challenging an illegal coal haul road used by South Fork Coal Company in the Monongahela National Forest. After these groups filed formal complaints last

Andrew Young explains the South Fork Coal issue

The Cherry River uprising: A David vs. Goliath showdown to defend the Monongahela By Andrew Young, chair of the WVHC Extractive Industries Committee and staff attorney for the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance Since 2023, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, together with

ABRA CONSERVATION HUB

ABRA’s Conservation Hub program promotes responsible resource management by providing access to critical information needed for effective public involvement in environmental review and oversight.

Following the defeat of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2020, ABRA initiated the Conservation Hub to support informed public engagement with the broader range of environmental issues confronting the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Mountain region. The Conservation Hub builds on the analysis and information sharing capacity achieved through ABRA’s Pipeline CSI project during the years of ACP opposition.

The Conservation Hub is based on the use of GIS mapping to provide details and context for land development projects and management practices that involve risk of environmental harm, as well as for environmental preservation and restoration initiatives. The Conservation Hub also provides access to regulatory documents and assessments related to specific projects or issues.

Multiple Conservation Hub sites, focused on individual projects or issues, have been developed collaboratively with ABRA’s partners and allies. Going forward, we invite conservation groups, individuals, and communities to provide ideas for new Hub sites and GIS mapping that can contribute to informed public engagement on behalf of environmental integrity in the Allegheny-Blue Ridge region.