Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

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Browsing Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost by Author "Boardman, Gregory D."

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    ARIES Executive Summary
    Jong, Edmund C.; Boardman, Gregory D.; Karmis, Michael E. (Virginia Tech. Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, 2019-07-30)
    The following document contains an executive summary of key findings from the Appalachian Research Initiative for Environmental Science (ARIES). Further details for these findings may be found in the referenced peer-reviewed publications and project reports. The ARIES body of work was developed from 2011 to 2016. Thus, published ARIES results will not reflect any evolutions in policy and research that occurred after this timeframe. Although some issues may be different today, the breakthrough research conducted by the ARIES community continues to provide invaluable insights into these areas of interest.
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    ARIES Research Summary
    Jong, Edmund C.; Boardman, Gregory D.; Karmis, Michael E. (Virginia Tech. Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, 2019-01-03)
    In the mid-2000s, concerns were raised about the impact of Appalachian coal mining and especially mountaintop mining. These concerns were prompted by various research studies that alleged a direct link between coal mining and various negatively trending aspects of community health. Some studies related coal mining to higher rates of cancer and infant mortality. Other investigations claimed that coal mining perpetuated poverty and harms community character. These alarming reports prompted a significant public outcry that resulted in litigation and regulatory attention toward the coal industry. In response, a number of meetings and strategic sessions were held in 2009 and 2010 to address these concerns. Major Appalachian coal producers, coal associations, and essential coal infrastructure companies participated in these conferences. After rigorous debate, the participants decided to form an independent research program designed to address community concerns through objective, focused research. This program was designated the Appalachian Research Initiative for Environmental Science (ARIES). ARIES would be a research consortium designed to elicit the participation of major research universities across the U.S. The primary objective of this research collaboration would be to investigate the impacts of coal mining and energy production on Appalachian communities. To support this goal, ARIES adopted a research paradigm that delivered objective, robust, and transparent results though the support of industry. This paradigm was composed of four core principles: 1. Independent research conducted at universities 2. Wide dissemination of results through peer-reviewed publications 3. Realistic timeframes for research and reporting 4. Applying sound scientific principles