Coal Mine Waste, A Long-Term Environmental Problem

On this West Virginia Morning, we bring you stories from the GOP retreat at the Greenbrier Resort and another installment of our week-long Appalachian Innovators series.

On the last day of the annual GOP retreat at the Greenbrier Resort last week, two West Virginia congressmen said combating the opioid epidemic is a top priority for federal legislators. Their press conference came a day after about 500 people gathered at the gates of the resort to advocate for programs like Medicaid and community health center funding. Appalachia Health News reporter Kara Lofton brings us this story.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

In Appalachian coal country, thousands of miles of streams run bright orange with pollution called acid mine drainage. But if some researchers have their way that and other coal waste could produce valuable products called rare earth elements. Glynis Board of the Ohio Valley ReSource has this next installment of our week-long Appalachian Innovators series.  

The Ohio Valley ReSource is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And the Appalachian Innovators series, with support from the Benedum Foundation and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Our producer is Glynis Board.