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  • Austyn Gaffney

    Austyn Gaffney is a writer based in Kentucky. 


    Clean Energy Jobs, and Unionization, Are Moving Into the South

    By Austyn Gaffney November 16, 2023
    The UAW’s recent strike could mark a turning point
    In this story: green jobs, labor
    Construction resumes on the 1.6 million-square-foot AESC gigafactory being built in the Kentucky Transpark in Bowling Green, Ky.

    Coal Dust Is Blowin’ in the Wind

    By Austyn Gaffney September 26, 2023
    That black stuff spilling off railcars is a threat to public health and waterways across the United States
    In this story: coal, coal ash, health, water, toxics
    Photo by Gene J. Puskar/AP

    As Some States Refuse IRA Money, Cities Search for Work-Arounds

    By Austyn Gaffney September 6, 2023
    After Kentucky failed to apply for funding, the state’s largest metro areas worked to create new climate goals anyway
    In this story: Inflation Reduction Act, climate change
    illustration of a large shoe stepping on a bill held by a small man

    “Please Pray for EP”: How East Palestine Village Is Coping Three Weeks After a Toxic Train Derailment

    By Austyn Gaffney February 25, 2023
    The Norfolk Southern train disaster is the latest example of a petrochemical boom threatening the safety of communities
    In this story: toxics
    East Palestine derailment

    TVA Reaches an Inflection Point

    By Austyn Gaffney February 18, 2023
    In the past three months, the company has issued rolling blackouts, invested in gas plants, and blown up three smokestacks without adequate public preparation
    In this story: utility rates, oil, fracked gas, clean energy
    TVA

    What the Flood Took, What It Left Behind

    By Austyn Gaffney December 15, 2022
    Last summer's flood in Kentucky upended a way of life
    In this story: climate change, water
    Aerial view shows the roofs of homes and buildings submerged in brown floodwaters in Jackson, Kentucky.

    TVA, Hooked on Dirty Energy

    By Austyn Gaffney September 14, 2022
    The mighty Tennessee Valley Authority isn't in any rush to pivot to clean energy
    In this story: climate change, methane, utility rates
    Illustration shows a group of prisoners wearing black-and-white uniforms trapped inside an electrical tower with power lines.

    Coal Miners Weren’t Happy When Joe Manchin Derailed Build Back Better

    By Austyn Gaffney January 19, 2022
    The United Mine Workers of America issued a statement criticizing the senator for withdrawing his support from the legislation
    In this story: coal
    filename

    West Virginians Are Disappointed in Joe Manchin

    By Austyn Gaffney October 21, 2021
    The Build Back Better plan could set West Virginia on the path to prosperity, but the senator stands in the way
    In this story: climate change, politics
    filename

    Can Harvesting Rare Earth Elements Solve the Coal Ash Crisis?

    By Austyn Gaffney February 23, 2021
    Over 3 billion tons of coal ash occupy more than 1,400 sites across the US
    In this story: coal ash, coal
    Aerial photo of black coal ash across a landscape in North Carolina.
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