The most recent issue of The Appalachian Voice includes a story about distributed energy generation, especially rooftop solar, and the ways communities, nonprofits and entrepreneurs are helping each other democratize the grid. But as they do, we’re seeing just how…
Monthly Archives: September 2013
Groups Gather to Address Southeast Coal Ash Problems
Advocates, experts and community leaders come together to protect the region’s waterways Contact: Jennifer Rennicks, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, 828-275-0564 Stephanie Schweikert, NC Conservation Network, 419-348-2340 Atlanta – This weekend over 80 concerned citizens, environmental and public health advocates,…
Local Citizens Speak Up about Nation’s Top Source of Toxic Water Pollution: Coal-Burning Waste
Last month, more than 150,000 people across the country submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, encouraging the agency to adopt strong regulations for the toxic waste water produced by coal-burning power plants. The comments were submitted to the…
The 5 Worst Political Lies in Support of Mountaintop Removal
Part 5 in a 5 part series Lie 5: Mountaintop removal mining is necessary for our nation’s energy security. While coal is in perpetual decline, more than one-third of America’s electricity still comes from the fossil fuel. It is on…
Tenn Tuesday! Spotlight on Shaheen-Portman Energy Savings Act
Making 120 Energy Efficiency Amendments SEXY… We’re going to do something a little different today by focusing on a specific piece of federal legislation currently before the U.S. Senate called the “Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act” (S 1392). This…
Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth Joins Influential Energy and Commerce Committee
Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth joined the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce this week, putting him in the middle of debates concerning environmental and energy policy. The committee will also oversee the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Yarmuth…
The 5 Worst Political Lies in Support of Mountaintop Removal
Part 4 in a 5 part series Lie 4: More mountaintop removal coal mining will provide much needed flat, reclaimed land for economic development. Central Appalachia has been mired in a mono-economy for the greater part of a century. In…
Wielding New Power for Virginia
I want my three children to grow up in a world where the water is safe to drink, the air is safe to breathe, and the beauty of our natural heritage remains intact. We can achieve this only through making…
The 5 Worst Political Lies in Support of Mountaintop Removal
Part 3 in a 5 part series 3. A candidate opposed to mountaintop removal cannot win a U.S. Senate race in Kentucky or West Virginia. Despite what political supporters of the coal industry would have us believe, a candidate opposed…
Mountaintop Removal in a Nutshell: Tremendous Environmental Capital Spent for Modest Energy Gains
We talk a lot about the external costs of mountaintop removal. And by understanding the true costs that coal puts off on the landscapes, water and communities of Central Appalachia, it’s abundantly clear that the costs far outweigh the benefits…
