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.
Blog Archives
Rural Electric Co-ops Can Renew Community Spirit
Virginia Power Shifters intend to organize and win on climate
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.
TAGS: Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency Mountaintop Removal Renewable Energy Solar Energy Virginia
McAuliffe can pave the way for a cleaner future for Virginia
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.
A Small (but important) Step: Appalachian Power’s New Energy Efficiency Proposal
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.
Citizens Deliver Coal Ash Petition to Duke Energy
Tuesday afternoon, more than 150 concerned citizens gathered at Duke Energy’s headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., to demand that the company take action to clean up its toxic coal ash. The event was the result of an amazing collaboration between a variety of environmental and social justice groups from the states affected by the Dan River spill — North Carolina and Virginia — as well as national interest groups.
TAGS: Appalachian Voices Coal Ash Dan River spill Duke Energy Electric Utilities North Carolina Water Pollution
Preventable Spills Yield Predictable Apologies
As the cornerstone of crisis P.R., apologies are to be expected after the West Virginia chemical spill and the coal ash spill in North Carolina. But without action, apologies aren’t meaningful — they’re a reflex, a stalling tactic and a reminder of past offenses. In the weeks and months ahead, we should hold polluters responsible by remembering all the acceptances of accountability and the promises to do better that came after the spills.
Powering Our Communities as an Olympic Event and Utilities as the Competitors
Our plans and achievements are be measured against our past performance and our potential. Take Olympic figure skating: the judges might remark, “That’s the best she’s ever skated!” or “He would have to beat his personal best by twelve points to medal.” But what about assessing how an electrical utility performs?
Second Ruptured Pipe Spills Arsenic into Dan River
Contaminated water continued to flow into the Dan River from Duke Energy’s coal ash pond in Eden, N.C., this week. On Tuesday, state officials reported that a second pipe running beneath the coal ash pond is leaking water containing arsenic at levels 14 times higher than human health standards. Officials do not know how long the pipe has been leaking, but video footage from inside the pipe shows stains around the leaky seams, indicating that the leak is not new.
TAGS: Coal Ash Dan River spill Electric Utilities North Carolina Red White and Water Water Pollution
With Important Energy Efficiency Programs Intact, Farm Bill Awaits Obama’s Signature
The U.S. Senate sent the Farm Bill sent to President Obama for his signature this week, ending a 17-month standstill on the nearly $1 trillion bill. In addition to designating funding for farm subsidies, crop insurance, and nutritional programs, the bill contains exceedingly important programs to expand energy efficiency in rural communities across the country.
Common Sense, Nonsense, and a Climate Fight in the Making in Richmond
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.
TAGS: Appalachian Voices Climate change Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency EPA Renewable Energy Solar Energy Virginia
