Thursday, January 14th, 2016 | Posted by Rory McIlmoil | No Comments
By 2020, and without making any changes, North Carolina will likely be 80 percent of the way toward meeting the federal goal for cutting carbon pollution. But it would miss out on a momentous opportunity to leverage the Clean Power Plan for job growth and helping lower-income families. Rather than resist the EPA, our state leaders should step up and position the Tar Heel state as a clean energy leader. [
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Wednesday, January 13th, 2016 | Posted by Amy Adams | No Comments
The deadline for comment on North Carolina’s Clean Power Plan is just two days away and you may be wondering — why is providing input so important? It's simple, because the Plan will will chart our state’s role in becoming a clean power state and will either lift citizens away from the contamination and impacts of fossil fuel use, or will commit us to more of the same destructive power sources.
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Monday, January 11th, 2016 | Posted by Rory McIlmoil | 2 Comments
North Carolina’s elected leaders and agency officials, with little say from the citizens they represent, have placed us on a reckless course in regard to our future energy mix and our ability as a state to determine that future. But together we can change that. [
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Monday, January 11th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | 1 Comment
It’s amazing how much work goes into stretching the truth. It’s even more amazing when media outlets and political leaders latch onto that “truth” and peddle it without scrutiny. A recent and relevant example: an economic impact analysis of the Stream Protection Rule, commissioned by the National Mining Association. [
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Friday, January 8th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments
After the dismal year coal had in 2015, more hard times for the industry are ahead. Nowhere is the struggle more real than in Central Appalachia. A new white paper from Downstream Strategies tells the story of Appalachian coal over the past few decades in five simple charts. [
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Monday, January 4th, 2016 | Posted by Tarence Ray | No Comments
The final months of 2015 may prove to be a historic moment for Kentucky’s politics and the state’s struggling coal industry. But it remains to be seen how the industry will maintain its political power in the Bluegrass State. [
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Monday, December 28th, 2015 | Posted by Tarence Ray | No Comments
From The Appalachian Voice: West Virginia communities are still dealing with problems related to mountaintop removal coal mining. Toxic coal slurry impoundments, increased blasting and diminished water quality are among the challenges facing such communities at risk. [
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Wednesday, December 23rd, 2015 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
Jill Averitt lives in Central Virginia with her extended family on a patch of land where collectively they are raising seven children, lots of vegetables--and in the past year, a ruckus over Dominion's plans to run a massive fracked gas pipeline right through that land. She created the "Prayers Not Pipelines" project as a powerful way to connect with her neighbors, and to protect her home and community. [
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Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015 | Posted by Cat McCue | No Comments
From The Appalachian Voice: As coal production continues to decline, many citizens and groups in central Appalachia are working hard to find new avenues for economic diversification. [
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Friday, December 18th, 2015 | Posted by Thom Kay | 1 Comment
Today the U.S. Congress passed a spending bill that covers expenditures for agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Department of Labor, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. The spending bill is a big deal for Appalachian Voices and our work. And honestly, it looks pretty darn good.
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Friday, December 18th, 2015 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
Around this time of year, we usually offer a legislative preview, looking ahead at the issues that will arise in the upcoming session of the Virginia General Assembly. Recent events relate to some of those possible energy policy changes, thickening the plot and making this session one worth engaging in — especially for customers of Appalachian Power Company. [
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Monday, December 14th, 2015 | Posted by Matt Wasson | No Comments
More than 50 years after the Wilderness Act was signed into law, less than one third of one percent of North Carolina's land area has been protected as wilderness. The U.S. Forest Service is revising its plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala Forests, and is seeking public comment to help determine the future of some beloved places in the state. [
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