Southwest Va. group plans for more solar energy in coal region

CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes New Economy Program Manager Appalachian Voices chelsea@appvoices.org (276) 207-9636 The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia is seeking bids for 12 solar projects totalling 2.73 megawatts of energy generation as part of its Commercial-Scale Group Purchase Program. The projects to be developed on businesses, nonprofits and local government properties across Lee, Scott, Tazewell,…

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Moving Appalachia forward

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President Obama recently proposed more than $1 billion in funding to restore lands and waters in coal-impacted communities and boost efforts to grow sustainable local economies. It’s a sound idea, and a long time coming, although Congress may not approve it. Meanwhile, Appalachian Voices and others continue working to move the region forward.

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President Obama Focuses on Energy Jobs

Climate, Energy, Efficiency Feature as Key Pieces of SOTU The first “State of the Union” address of President Obama’s second term had a little something for everybody. The President was aggressive about the need to tackle the problem of climate change, while using broad economic language to describe the potential benefits of growth in solar,…

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A Double-Edged Sword

By Jesse Wood The expansion of global markets and its effect on Appalachia has been a lopsided, double-edged sword, particularly for the furniture and lumber industries. While exposure to foreign markets has checked inflation and opened the door to an array of new customers, it has crippled the Appalachian furniture manufacturing workforce because of cheaper…

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