The 2014 session of the Virginia General Assembly is underway, and state lawmakers are wasting no time. Legislation this session falls into two categories: the bright ideas that bring Virginia closer to a future of safe and reliable clean energy, and the downright crazy bills that do the opposite and must be stopped. Here is the breakdown.
Blog Archives
Common Sense, Nonsense, and a Climate Fight in the Making in Richmond
TAGS: Appalachian Voices Climate change Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency EPA Renewable Energy Solar Energy Virginia
Hannah Wiegard: Binge-watching “Doctor Who” and Bettering Virginia’s Energy Options
I joined Appalachian Voices to help steer Appalachian Power and Dominion Virginia Power toward clean energy. Over the recent winter break, I got a jump on this massive undertaking in what may seem an unusual way: by becoming utterly engrossed in a “Doctor Who” marathon. I maintain that it was time well-spent in the fight for clean energy sources and efficiency for the Old Dominion.
TAGS: Appalachian Voices Climate change Coal Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency Mountaintop Removal Virginia
McAuliffe Lauds Carbon Capture Technology, But Coal’s Impacts Go Beyond CO2 Pollution
Virginia Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe claims that “we need to build on the assets we have” by using carbon capture technology. But carbon pollution isn’t the only measure of coal’s impact on Virginia. Continuing to mine and burn coal will still cause serious problems: more destructive mountaintop removal, toxic mining waste, air and water pollution from power plants, all while southwestern Virginia continues to feel the worst effects of deferring a cleaner energy future.
Mapping Forest Change in Mountaintop Removal
Researchers at the University of Maryland have just released the first high-resolution map of global forest change in the 21st century. University of Maryland Professor of Geographical Sciences Matthew Hansen and his team published “High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest…
Climate Action Plan has Major Implications for Coal
By Brian Sewell In late June, President Obama announced his administration’s climate action plan. The speech at Georgetown University signaled to Congress that the president was keeping his promise to come up with executive actions to address the threat of…
Stepping Toward Wind and Solar Energy in Virginia
The call for action on climate change has grown louder in the weeks following the announcement of the Obama administration’s climate action plan. As the president laid out in June, the plan that leads to a more sustainable energy policy,…
President Obama’s Address on Climate Protection Plan
Update: The speech covered a lot of ground and held a lot of promise – but was missing several critical points. Read Appalachian Voices’ press statement. Watch the President’s speech, with coverage beginning at 1:55 EST. Do you think this…
Adapting Farms to Face the Climate Challenge
By Brian Sewell Around the world, farmers are arguably the first to feel the impacts of climate change, and of all the systems put at risk, food may be the most fragile. Some of the largest grain and livestock producing…
TAGS: Climate change Diversity farms price volatility Southeast Climate Consortium U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA
First Annual Climate Convergence in Raleigh, NC
Citizens converged in Raleigh yesterday to demand that political leadership begin to address the challenge of climate change. North Carolina House Rep. Pricey Harrison reminds the crowd that the state legislature belongs to the people. She recently re-introduced the Appalachian…
A Clearcut Connection Between Mountaintop Removal and Climate Change
By Melanie Foley Legislative Policy and Research Assistant, Summer 2013 Scientists from the universities of Kentucky and California recently released a study detailing the climate implications of coal extraction by mountaintop removal. If coal mining continues at its current pace,…
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Voices Climate change Coal Environment Kentucky Mountaintop Removal Tennessee Virginia West Virginia
