FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2026
Media Contact:
Parson Brown
The Alliance for Appalachia
ParsonBrownPro@gmail.com
540.671.1057
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Community leaders, organizers, and advocates from across Appalachia gathered in Washington June 7–10 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Alliance for Appalachia and continue the coalition’s longstanding Week in Washington tradition.
Representatives from the Alliance’s 24 member organizations participated in more than 20 meetings, including meetings with congressional staff of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senators, federal agencies and national advocacy partners to discuss issues affecting Appalachian communities.
As Trump’s executive orders and Congress’s push for permitting reform threaten to limit public input on projects in our communities, participating in our democracy has never been more important. The people most affected deserve a voice in the decisions that shape their future.
Throughout the week, delegates met with officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Congressional committees to discuss environmental justice and the impacts of fossil fuel extraction across our region. Meeting topics included abandoned mine lands, flooding, legacy pollution, the dire need for drinking water infrastructure in southern West Virginia, economic transition, energy development and impacts of data center development and related infrastructure across Appalachia.
On June 9, Alliance members joined the Sierra Club’s Move Your Ash: Rally Against Rolling Back Coal Ash Regulations outside EPA headquarters.
“We call for transparency, accountability, and protections that put people’s health first,” said Scott Shoupe of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth during the rally.
Participants also discussed environmental justice priorities, including opposition to a proposed federal prison on a former mountaintop removal site and support for reintroducing the Environmental Justice for All Act.
Founded in 2006, The Alliance for Appalachia is a regional coalition of 24 organizations working across Appalachia from Pennsylvania to Alabama. The annual Week in Washington brings Appalachian residents directly into conversations with federal policymakers on issues affecting their communities.
For more information, visit www.TheAllianceForAppalachia.org
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