Southwest Virginia

The controversial Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline has been under construction since the beginning of the year.  Most of the trees on its 300 mile path have been cut and sections of pipeline and were being installed when the project hit a snag last week and a court issued a suspension for construction through streams and waterways.

For many years, Southwest Virginia has struggled as the coal industry shrank and much of the manufacturing sector left the region.

But now, Southwest is making a comeback.

The solar energy industry is getting better and better at producing power at lower cost than ever before but storing that energy for a rainy day remains a major roadblock. Batteries have their limitations, but scientists at Virginia Tech are taking a cue from how nature’s plants store energy.    

At the beginning of World War Two, the Army began an unusual project. It surveyed its soldiers for their comments and ideas. Participation was voluntary and anonymity was promised. For nearly 80 years, those comments sat in drawers at the National Archive. Now, a nationwide effort to digitize them, and make them available to the public, is being led by Virginia Tech.  

The small town of Newport, Virginia is bracing itself for what's about to happen there; the recently approved, Mountain Valley Pipeline will cross through the heart of the village, carrying natural gas from the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania through Virginia.