Welcome to AppalachAmerica

By: Louisville Public Media
  • Summary

  • As the U.S. confronts climate change with a move to a new, clean energy future, what happens to those places that gave us the old energy — the fossil fuels that powered the country for more than a century? In “Welcome to AppalachAmerica,” host Jeff Young and the reporters at the Ohio Valley ReSource dig into the big questions around this energy shift: How can we move forward on clean energy when so many people fear they’ll be left behind? Can coal country come out a winner as we tackle climate change? And just what would a “just transition” look like? You’ll hear from miners making a career shift, people trying to reimagine their communities, and some of Washington’s power players on climate policy. And you’ll learn why the path to solutions to some of America’s biggest challenges run right through Appalachia.
    © Louisville Public Media
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Episodes
  • Episode Eight: Imagining A New Appalachia
    Jun 14 2021
    Brian Anderson comes from a family that has a generations-long connection to West Virginia coal and fossil fuel development. Today he’s leading a Biden administration effort to make sure coal communities aren’t left behind in a transition to cleaner energy. Jeff Young talks with Anderson about the multi-agency federal working group he’s leading, and about his role as director of the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory. Also, what might a Green New Deal look like in Appalachia? Jeff talks with design professor Billy Fleming about a project to give form to Appalachian people’s ideas about a more sustainable future.
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    28 mins
  • Gas Pains
    May 27 2021
    Fracking for natural gas has already transformed parts of Appalachia and revolutionized American energy. Now, petrochemical plants in the region could be the next phase of energy production — using the products from fracking to make plastics. We’ll hear about the multi-billion-dollar petrochemical proposal, and how changes in the plastics industry could put an end to those plans. Also: An Appalachian resident describes life amid the fracking boom that forced her from her family land. And how satellite technology revealed Appalachia as the nation’s number one source of a powerful greenhouse gas.
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    27 mins
  • The Long Arc of the ARC
    May 20 2021
    Fifty-seven years ago President Lyndon Johnson visited Martin County, Kentucky, to launch his “War on Poverty.” He formed the Appalachian Regional Commission to help address the poverty and lack of basic services in the poorest parts of the area. Today, Martin County still has some of the country’s worst poverty and residents say they can’t rely on their water system. Host Jeff Young talks with renowned historian and author Ron Eller about the Appalachian Regional Commission and why it has fallen short of its goals. And reporter Curtis Tate tells us about the Commission’s newest leader, Gayle Manchin of West Virginia.
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    21 mins

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