Tuesday, July 26th, 2016 | Posted by Lara Mack | No Comments
Lara Mack, our Virginia Field Organizer, helped organize last Saturday's "March on the Mansion" in Richmond to call for clean energy solutions over fracked-gas pipelines, toxic coal ash and climate impacts. She reflects on the legacy, captured in the timeless song, "If I had a hammer," on the power of citizens coming together to fight for social justice. [
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Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
Daile Boulis, a resident of Loudondale, W.Va., lives just a few thousand feet from the KD#2 mountaintop removal mine in Kanawha County, W.Va. At a recent gathering of The Alliance for Appalachia, Daile shared the story of how she became involved in the fight against mountaintop removal coal mining. [
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Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
Last summer, when Appalachian Voices' friend Caroline Armijo was pondering how to address the problem of coal ash pollution, she came across a few words of wisdom on the bottom of a coffee bag: “A good idea is right under your nose.” In this post that first appeared on her website, Caroline writes about a new technology that may offer a solution. [
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Monday, July 11th, 2016 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | No Comments
Energy use and costs are higher in Appalachia than the national average, so when a high proportion of family income goes towards paying the utility bill, something needs to be done in order to reduce people’s electricity bills through improved home energy efficiency. [
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Wednesday, July 6th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | 1 Comment
In this guest post, West Virginia resident and former coordinator of The Alliance for Appalachia Katey Lauer shares her perspective on the aftermath of the storms and the humanity she witnessed as communities come together and begin to rebuild. [
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Wednesday, June 29th, 2016 | Posted by Willie Dodson | Comments Off on West Virginia files Clean Water Act suit against Kanawha County mine
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has brought a lawsuit against Keystone Industries over Clean Water Act violations at the KD #2 surface mine in southern Kanawha County, W.Va., adjacent to the Kanawha State Forest.
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Monday, June 27th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments
In an open letter addressed to North Carolina lawmakers by the Alliance of Carolinians Together (ACT) Against Coal Ash, citizens threatened by coal ash pollution call on decision makers to take urgent action to ensure coal ash is cleaned up and impacted communities have access to clean water. [
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Tuesday, June 21st, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
A story on We Own It, a national network to help electric cooperative members rediscover their role as owners of a democratically-controlled enterprise, recounts the efforts of Appalachian Voices’ Energy Savings for the High Country campaign — and how we helped members of Blue Ridge Electric get their co-op’s attention on energy efficiency. [
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Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | No Comments
In May, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality released risk rankings for Duke Energy’s coal ash impoundments across the state following 15 public hearings. But those rankings could still change and a newly revived legislative battle is a sign that the controversy over coal ash cleanup in North Carolina will continue. [
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Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
The shift to a clean energy economy in Virginia faces many obstacles -- extreme mining, extreme drilling, and apparently extreme legislating. The General Assembly, after failing during session to wrest authority from the governor over the state's compliance with the Clean Power Plan, used a budgetary ploy after session that handicaps the administration's efforts. [
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Monday, June 13th, 2016 | Posted by Amber Moodie-Dyer | 1 Comment
Appalachian Voices recently conducted a Facebook survey in western North Carolina served by rural electric co-ops. Almost 90% of the respondents survey said they had trouble paying their electric bill. Tens of thousands of homes in this region are older and drafty, losing energy through windows, doors and roofs. Yet almost half the population is below the poverty line. A new financing mechanism for energy efficiency improvements could work wonders. [
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Friday, June 10th, 2016 | Posted by Lou Murrey | No Comments
“We do everything we can to keep energy,” Barbara Taylor says as she heads down the stairs to the basement of the home she has shared with her husband, Paul, in New Tazewell, Tennessee since 1980. Outside it’s a humid 78 degrees, but in the narrow basement room that houses the Taylors’ heat pump it’s cool and dry.
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