North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's poorly planned coal ash proposal is catching flak from environmental groups and legislators in his own party who already planned to push for reform during the upcoming legislative session.
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Surprised? McCrory’s Coal Ash Proposal Falls Short
Saturday, April 19th, 2014 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 1 Comment
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's poorly planned coal ash proposal is catching flak from environmental groups and legislators in his own party who already planned to push for reform during the upcoming legislative session.
[ Read More ]Counteracting Coal’s Dirty Tricks
Friday, April 18th, 2014 | Posted by Tom Cormons | 4 Comments
Last month, we acted quickly to undermine H.R. 2824, a pro-mountaintop removal bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. While we never expected to prevent the bill from passing the anti-environmental House, our efforts helped to make the perils of mountaintop removal the message of the day. [ Read More ]The Voice: Toxic Warnings, Trilliums and More
Friday, April 18th, 2014 | Posted by Kimber Ray | No Comments
This latest issue of The Appalachian Voice explores some of the pressing economic and environmental hardships faced by the region today. Read about the ongoing water crises in West Virginia and along the Dan River of North Carolina and Virginia, the continued challenges in the War on Poverty, and the people who are dedicated to achieving solutions. [ Read More ]Spring Happenings for Clean Water in N.C.
Friday, April 18th, 2014 | Posted by Amy Adams | No Comments
This spring, many North Carolinians are feeling renewed concern about the threat coal ash poses to our water resources. During the next month, concerned citizens are gathering across the state to make their voices heard and create a cleaner way forward. Find a festival, rally, picnic or community meeting near you!
[ Read More ]The Power of Energy Efficiency — Building a Stronger Economy for Appalachia (Part 1)
Thursday, April 17th, 2014 | Posted by Rory McIlmoil | No Comments
When you think of poverty, what words do you associate with it? Many of us might think of words like “low-income,” “unemployment” or “homelessness.” Unfortunately, it is not often that we associate poverty with electricity costs, because for many across the United States, especially those living in the South and Appalachia, electricity costs play a significant role in worsening the impacts of poverty.
[ Read More ]North Carolina sides with Duke Energy by appealing coal ash ruling
Wednesday, April 16th, 2014 | Posted by Sarah Kellogg | 4 Comments
Duke Energy recently appealed a ruling that gave North Carolina authority to force the company to immediately clean up its coal ash pollution across the state. But why would the N.C. Environmental Management Commission join Duke and also appeal the decision? The answer likely has to do with who sits on the commission and how they were appointed. [ Read More ]America’s biggest bank moves away from mountaintop removal
Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 3 Comments
Pressuring large investment banks to stop financing mountaintop removal has been a strategy of the nationwide movement to end the practice for years. Judging by the progress made by Rainforest Action Network, and other grassroots groups targeting the infamous “too big to fails,” that strategy is working. [ Read More ]Central Appalachian-focused James River Coal Company enters bankruptcy
Friday, April 11th, 2014 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 1 Comment
This week, James River Coal Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court. Like Patriot Coal, which reemerged from bankruptcy in December, the Richmond, Va.-based company’s operations are concentrated in Central Appalachia and are located in some of the counties most economically vulnerable to coal’s downturn.
[ Read More ]Rural Electric Co-ops Can Renew Community Spirit
Thursday, April 10th, 2014 | Posted by Guest Contributor | 2 Comments
Guest Contributor Brian Depew: The cooperative spirit that brought electric service to rural America represents the community-driven values of small towns. Today, more than 900 rural electric co-ops serve 42 million people in 47 states. Co-ops remain democratically controlled, run by elected customer-members. But they have drifted from their community-oriented mission. [ Read More ]Virginia Power Shifters intend to organize and win on climate
Thursday, April 10th, 2014 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
Building community and standing up to polluters with grassroots strength: these were among the themes of Virginia Power Shift, which took place in Richmond last weekend. Students worked tirelessly to involve campuses from all over the state, and delegations traveled from across Virginia to join in the hard work that constitutes this amazing young leaders’ summit. [ Read More ]McAuliffe can pave the way for a cleaner future for Virginia
Thursday, April 10th, 2014 | Posted by Cat McCue | No Comments
In almost every campaign speech, Terry McAuliffe told the story of how he started a driveway-paving business in his neighborhood when he was 14 to earn money to help pay for his college education. Now Virginia’s 47th governor, McAuliffe should apply these values to his gubernatorial agenda and there’s no better place to start than by investing in a strong clean energy sector for the commonwealth. [ Read More ]A Small (but important) Step: Appalachian Power’s New Energy Efficiency Proposal
Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
April began with bright news in Virginia: Appalachian Power plans to begin providing energy efficiency programs for its customers in the commonwealth. These initial steps are a sign the company could soon be ready to offer a wider range of efficiency programs.
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