In Walnut Cove — a community whose history has been tainted by coal ash for decades — The Lilies Project has turned coal ash into art, and is expanding to encompass the town’s story beyond coal ash.
Blog Archives
Turning Coal Ash into Art
TAGS: Belews Creek Power Plant Coal Ash Duke Energy North Carolina stokes county the lilies project Walnut Cove
Community groups and A&G Coal Corporation reach settlement on coal mine reclamation
Today, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Appalachian Voices and the Sierra Club announced a settlement with A&G Coal Corporation, owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, to help ensure the reclamation of three large surface coal mines in Wise County, Virginia.
TAGS: a&g coal mine reclamation Sierra Club Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards Virginia Energy West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice
Rural communities won billions of dollars to fund renewable energy
Last year, rural advocates won big in the Inflation Reduction Act by securing billions of dollars for rural communities to implement clean energy. Now, the USDA Rural Utilities Service is asking for input on how to set up and roll out these funding programs.
TAGS: clean energy Inflation Reduction Act Rural Power Coalition rural utility services U.S. Department of Agriculture
Virginia legislators must take utility shutoff protections seriously this winter
Virginia is one of only seven states that doesn’t protect residents from getting their power or water shut off over unpaid bills during extreme weather. State legislators aim to change that in the 2023 General Assembly session.
TAGS: disconnection protections energy burden energy justice power bills utility disconnection utility shutoff Virginia General Assembly Water Justice
Guest blog: Electric co-ops need to remember the importance of affordability for their members
Blue Ridge Energy has a co-op principle on their website that states, “Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions.” I don’t know about you, but I have never been asked to help set policy or make decisions regarding my energy that I am paying for.
EPA proposes moderate improvements for public health; must do more
The proposal is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough. In Appalachia, our people are breathing fugitive mine dust and toxic emissions from numerous industries. Time and again, state regulatory practices have fallen short in curbing the impacts of these industries. Fugitive coal mine dust in particular has not been regulated in any meaningful way. EPA can and should do more to protect our health.
TAGS: Air Pollution EarthJustice NAAQS national ambient air quality standards particulate matter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Creating community-informed economies in the coalfields
The listening session process raises the exciting possibility of building new communal systems that support the workforce and create equitable opportunities for Southwest Virginians.
TAGS: Department of Housing and Community Development economic development Interagency Task Force listening sessions
For Appalachian communities, the 117th Congress brought significant victories, but work remains
As the new Congress begins, we at Appalachian Voices are taking stock of the many victories achieved in the 117th Congress that just came to a close.
TAGS: 117th Congress abandoned mine lands Acid Mine Drainage AMLER bipartisan infrastructure law black lung association Inflation Reduction Act mountain valley pipeline omnibus spending bill President Joe Biden RECOMPETE program Sen. Joe Manchin STREAM Act Tennessee Valley Authority White House Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization
Carbon Plan must account for affordability
Yesterday evening, the North Carolina Utilities Commission approved several measures to lower carbon emissions in North Carolina. The commission chose to focus on short term plans and therefore not pick any single portfolio or generation mix, the plan falls far short of what the law that started this process allowed and what could have been accomplished.
TAGS: affordable electricity carbon plan Duke Energy North Carolina Utilities Commission PSE Healthy Energy
Power outages and rolling blackouts hit Appalachia and the Southeast during winter storm
During this weekend’s unusually low temperatures, people whose power is produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority and Duke Energy have experienced coordinated, rolling electricity blackouts to reduce electricity demand and prevent major grid outages that could take days or weeks to restore.
