[4] The coalition built a grassroots base of more than 45,000 Virginians who signed a “Mile-Long Petition” in opposition to the plant.

[6] On January 11, 2010, Appalachian Voices and allies filed against the plant's air quality permits, citing the large amount of carbon dioxide released by the facility.

Although the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center was ultimately approved, the public pressure generated by the coalition temporarily led to dramatic reductions in permitted pollutant limits, including: In 2016, Appalachian Voices partnered with Duke University and SkyTruth to study the longterm environmental footprint of surface mining and mountaintop removal in Appalachia.

[9] The study was published in July 2018 and mainly focused on the effects of mountaintop removal coal mining with valley fills (MTMVF).

[10] In order to map the full extent of mining impact, the study employed Google Earth Engine.