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March 21 — Virtual Walk In The Woods Fundraiser with PVAS

February 26, 2021

2021 American Conservation Film Festival

February 26, 2021

Exhibit at Berkeley Art Works Celebrates Historic African-American Cemetery

February 26, 2021

Book Review: Pop

February 26, 2021

March 5 — Virtual Concert: A Celtic Celebration

February 26, 2021

Feeling The Heartbeat Of Spring Emerging

February 26, 2021

March 9 — Speak Stories Presents Chetter Galloway

February 26, 2021

Take An Online Art Class This March At Berkeley Art Works

February 26, 2021

Connecting Solar In Jefferson County

February 24, 2021

A Look At Rural Zoning In Jefferson County

February 24, 2021

Inkwells Tavern Reopens in Charles Town

February 24, 2021

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Park Celebrates 50 Years

February 1, 2021

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In Print

air pollution

Counting on the Well Water

December 1, 2020 Tagged With: air pollution, drinking water, groundwater, Jefferson County Foundation, karst, karst geology, rockwool, water pollution

A map of drinking water wells near the site of the Rockwool facility in Ranson.

After the WV Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a notice on November 5, 2020 that it was authorizing the Rockwool stone wool insulation manufacturing facility in Ranson to operate under a general water pollution control permit, the Jefferson County Foundation noted that the source water protection area map submitted as part of the facility’s application process marked only 4 drinking water wells within the one mile buffer zone. Read the Full Story >>

Country Roads Not Friendly to Rockwool

March 9, 2020 Tagged With: air pollution, Jefferson County Vision, Mountaineer Gas, rockwool, water pollution

Jefferson County Vision

The Rockwool factory in Ranson has been encountering some rocky roads as of late and the fight to keep them from their final destination continues. Read the Full Story >>

Rockwool: Point – Counterpoint

October 24, 2018 Tagged With: air pollution, drinking water, Jefferson County Vision, rockwool, zoning

Last month, The Observer attempted to tell the basic story behind the arrival of the Rockwool plant to Jefferson County. Now we’re taking the opportunity to allow one representative from each side to say their piece. Read the Full Story >>

American Conservation Film Festival Observes, Examines, and Confronts in 2018

October 8, 2018 Tagged With: air pollution, American Conservation Film Festival, climate change, film, water pollution

Polluted air and water, mass extinctions, depleted fisheries, shrinking forests, rising temperatures—humans are making a mess of the planet. But all is not lost (at least yet): “Solutions” is the theme of this year’s American Conservation Film Festival. Read the Full Story >>

He Said. She Said. They Said. We Said.

September 4, 2018 Tagged With: air pollution, Jefferson County Development Authority, rockwool, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, zoning

When all the posting, researching, explaining, presenting, disputing, articulating, organizing, mobilizing, etc., is stripped away, it looks like this: one group of people—Rockwool Group North America, the JCDA, and the City of Ranson—wants to bring what has been determined to be an economic opportunity to Jefferson County; another group—mostly Jefferson County citizens and larger groups therein—doesn’t want it here. They each have a story to tell; they each have been attempting to tell that story vigorously for the last month or more. Read the Full Story >>

Clean Energy: Saving Lives and Livelihoods

November 12, 2017 Tagged With: air pollution, climate change, coal, coal mining, drinking water, From the Ashes, renewable energy

Coal is the word on everyone’s lips right now, especially in West Virginia. What began as a thriving solution for powering America so many years ago has become an unsustainable industry that has been steadily declining for several decades. Read the Full Story >>

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