Monthly Archives: December 2016

Groups blast FERC findings on fracked-gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline

To all media: America’s next big pipeline fight is emerging in the mountain towns and farming communities of West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. With federal regulators poised to rubber-stamp the proposed fracked-gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline, landowners, community leaders and

Happy Holidays from our family to yours

A special note from Executive Director Tom Cormons wishing you a happy holiday season and looking forward to 2017.

16,000+ citizens demand unbiased review of fracked-gas Mountain Valley Pipeline proposal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the past three months, more than 16,000 people have sent comments or signed petitions to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) demanding the agency do a thorough, accurate and unbiased review of the proposed Mountain Valley

Mountaintop removal limited — not stopped — in Tennessee

A former surface mining site in Tennessee. Photo taken October 2012, flight courtesy Southwings

The Obama administration has approved a petition from Tennessee to designate some 75,000 acres of mountain ridges off limits for surface coal mining. The move protects mountain streams, wildlife habitat, scenic views and eco-tourism assets of the iconic Cumberland Plateau. But other mountains in Tennessee are still threatened with mountaintop removal mining. Take action today.

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Final Stream Protection Rule released

On Monday, the U.S. Department of the Interior released the Stream Protection Rule, which aims to protect streams from the impacts of surface and longwall mining. The final rule offers only modest improvements to protections for public waterways, but it is well worth defending from congressional attack.

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Why is Dominion’s IRP important for Virginia’s future?

Peter outside his landlords' home in Charlottesville.

In Virginia, electric utilities providing public services are regulated to ensure that they balance reliability, sustainability, and affordability. That balancing act is what “integrated resource planning” is all about. In this blog, we dive into the recent plan from Dominion Virginia Power, the heavyweight in the state’s electric sector whose choices affect not only its customers, but virtually all of us, and our environment.

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Senate bill signals hope for economy in Appalachian coal communities

Contact: Adam Wells, Economic Diversification Program Manager, 804-240-4372, adam@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org NORTON, VA – A bill announced today by senators from four Appalachian states for $1 billion to repurpose abandoned coal strip mines for economic development

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Trouble is afoot in NC special session

North Carolina lawmakers have set about a brazen scheme to strip powers that McCrory enjoyed from the incoming Cooper administration.

After days of deflecting questions and refusing to explain their priorities for the “emergency session,” Republicans introduced a slew of bills that would make sweeping changes and dramatically shift the balance of power away from the governor. Take action to stop this blatant abuse of power.

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Following Cherokee Footpaths

Hundreds of years ago, before interstate highways drove through the mountains, a network of trails winding around the Southern Appalachians served as the arteries of the sovereign Cherokee nation.

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Public Pushback Against Appalachian Natural Gas Pipelines

Community members from across Appalachia are joining together to fight the construction of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines, but critics cite flaws with the ongoing environmental review process.

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