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The Appalachian States of Energy Efficiency

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 - posted by Jil

By Matt Grimley

Every year, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy releases rankings on individual state’s energy efficiency performance. And every year, Appalachia is middling at best in saving energy.

The ACEEE’s State Energy Efficiency Scorecard examines everything from building codes to utility programs and policies to determine who takes the top spot. 2012’s top three states were Massachusetts, California and New York; the bottom three were West Virginia, North Dakota and Mississippi. Below we indicate our regional rankings based on the ACEEE 2012 report, followed by the increase or decrease in ranking from the 2011.

Good news, locally: since 2011, the states in Central and Southern Appalachia improved by an average of 0.875 spots. Better news: there’s always next year!

Georgia

#33 (+3) — In 2012, Georgia ranked second in the nation in annual growth of electricity consumption. To help combat that, the state utilities must file an integrated resource plan every three years that accounts for, but does not require, efficiency measures. The state also does not require its utilities to meet annual energy savings targets. In other news, last year the Georgia Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the construction of two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle plant. Peachy!

Kentucky

#36 (+1) — With Gov. Steve Beshear’s seven-point strategic energy plan, Kentucky is calling for improving the efficiency of its homes, buildings, industries and transportation fleet to offset at least 18 percent of the state’s projected 2025 energy demand. Maybe the state could look at the nonprofit organization MACED and their How$Mart Kentucky program to see how on-bill financing (which helps residents pay for retrofits and save money on their electric bills) might expand?

North Carolina

Tied for #22 (+5) — The state’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard has saved an estimated $577 million for the government and electric utilities since 2007. Recent state legislation was introduced seeking to repeal these standards. North Carolina has been a leader in the Southeast in efficiency — would N.C. Rep. Mike Hager, a former Duke Energy employee championing the bill, really want to undo that legacy?

Ohio

Tied for #22 (+2) — The Buckeye State passed a strong standard back in 2008 for its utilities to meet energy savings targets. Recently, an Ohio Senate panel began its five-year checkup of those rules. State Sen. Bill Seitz, who is leading the review and supported the standard in 2008, said the policy reminded him of “Joseph Stalin’s five-year plan.” At least we know which way he’s “Lenin.”

South Carolina

#40 (+6) — Duke Energy Carolinas wants to increase their electric rates for residential customers by 16.3 percent in South Carolina, in part to help pay for two new power plants, in part to not promote more energy savings programs. Luckily, in January, a law became effective in the state that requires builders of all new homes to adopt more efficient measures such as getting a third party to conduct air duct tests on the new abode. It’s a start for this warm-weather state, which suffers from massive energy demand peaks.

Tennessee

#32 (-2) — The Tennessee Valley Authority is meeting its annual energy savings goals, but budgets for the efficiency programs are lower than anticipated. In March, Pathway Lending announced that it lowered the interest rate of the Tennessee Energy Efficiency Loan Program to two percent. The program partners include the state of Tennessee and the U.S. Department of Energy. It has provided nearly $10 million in funding to more than 50 Tennessee businesses since 2010 in an effort to help businesses reduce operating costs and spur economic growth.

Virginia

#37 (-3) — ACEEE in a report found that aggressively pursuing all cost-effective efficiency measures today would supply 31 percent of Virginia’s energy needs in 2025. The state currently has a goal of a 10 percent reduction in energy use by 2022, and if they choose to, utilities can voluntarily, maybe, help out. Dominion Virginia Power, thank everything, chose to help with their very own efficiency Blogspot: e-conserve.blogspot.com. It updates every two weeks, so get ready.

West Virginia

#49 (-5) — West Virginia’s residential electric rates have risen more than 50 percent in the past five years. FirstEnergy Corp. isn’t helping. The utility wants to sell the Harrison Power Station to a West Virginia subsidiary, and Mountain State customers would fund the purchase through increased electric bills. The state legislature, however, will soon look at House Bill 2803 to encourage greater investment in energy savings and House Bill 2210 to set definite demands for energy demand reduction by state electric utilities. At least that close there’s a lot to gain.

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Posted in 2013 — Issue 2 (April/May), The Appalachian Voice | No Comments »

Federal Grants for Troubled Appalachian Species | W.Va. Superfund Cleanup

Friday, October 19th, 2012 - posted by molly

Federal Grants To Assist Troubled Appalachian Species

PHOTO CREDIT Photo by Craig Stihler/WVDNR

A round of special funding by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded $33 million toward helping threatened and endangered species in 21 states, including several projects in the Central and Southern Appalachian region.

In Cumberland County, Tenn., more than $700,000 will protect aquatic resources and improve habitat for species such as the Indiana bat, gray bat, spotfin chub, and Cumberland rosemary. The service describes this grant as a proactive attempt to guard sensitive areas “experiencing increased development pressures and resource extraction issues.”

Federally-listed mussels are poised to benefit from nearly $200,000 in conservation funds in Georgia’s Lower Flint River Basin, an area impacted by drought and agricultural water demand. In Pennsylvania, $600,000 will support Indiana bat habitat on 3.8 million mostly-forested acres throughout the state.

In a joint project between the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and nonprofit conservation groups, $700,000 in Fish and Wildlife Service funds will go toward land acquisition in the Cheat River Gorge. The state agency is seeking matching funds to help protect the Indiana bat and a lesser-known creature, the flat-spired three-toothed land snail. Approximately 10,300 acres of the Cheat River Gorge encompass the rare snail’s entire range, where it gravitates toward sandstone outcroppings.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is not the only agency assisting portions of Appalachia. Also in August, the U.S. Forest Service announced $3.5 million in matching grants awarded to groups working on community forests.

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians will conserve 108 acres on Hall Mountain near Franklin, N.C., and build a trail system that exhibits uses of natural resources traditionally employed by the Cherokee. And in Pickens County, S.C., the Naturaland Trust will use Forest Service funds to secure 1,648 acres of the state’s Nine Times Community Forest to support habitats for black bear, ruffed grouse and peregrine falcons.

Companies to Cough Up Millions for W.Va. Superfund Cleanup

Exxon Mobil Corp., Vertellus Specialties Inc., and CBS Corps have agreed to pay $29.8 million for current and retroactive cleanup costs for the Big John’s Salvage-Hould Road Superfund Site in Marion County, W.Va.

The 38-acre site, located near the east bank of the Monongahela River in the town of Fairmont, became contaminated with hazardous wastes from decades of industrial activity. The cleanup, which has been ongoing since 2001, includes containing contaminated soil and removing 5,500 cubic yards of tar wastes from the bottom of the river.

Between 1932 and 1984, four separate heavy industry operations deposited waste products including lead dust, mercury-tainted waste oil and crude tar on the site. More than $11 million of the funds will reimburse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of West Virginia for previous cleanup efforts. Additional information on this and other superfund sites is available at:
cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites.

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Posted in 2012 - Issue 5 (Oct/Nov), Across Appalachia, All Posts, The Appalachian Voice | No Comments »

Hidden Treasures – South Carolina

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 - posted by meghan

Brasstown Falls

Photo by Jeff Hammond

Sumter National Forest in South Carolina is home to a collection of stunning waterfalls, four of which are accessible from the parking area off Forest Service Road 751. An easy quarter-mile trail leads you to the first breathtaking waterfall known as Brasstown Cascades, a humbling 50-foot drop. If you’re feeling adventurous, continue downstream and clamber down the narrow, steep, rocky trail to Brasstown Veil, a wide and steep waterfall that dramatically free-falls about 20 feet into a shallow pool.

Adventure a little farther on the trail to reach the Brasstown Sluice, a long chute of water pouring into another picturesque pool. Little Brasstown Falls can be accessed from the same parking area, but you’ll have to wade through Brasstown Creek to reach it. — JK

More Info: Located in Oconee County, S.C. Visit: sctrails.net

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Posted in 2012 - Issue 4 (August/September), All Posts, The Appalachian Voice | No Comments »

South Carolina – Hidden Treasures

Monday, June 11th, 2012 - posted by Anna

Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway

Photo by Nicholas T.

One way to start your exploration of the little-known mountains in South Carolina is by driving along S.C. Highway 11, also known as the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway. Curving through what is called Upstate South Carolina, the highway winds along the southernmost edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains past an interesting blend of Civil War history, scenic vistas and quaint mountain towns. The 112-mile byway — listed by motorcycleroads.com as “[one] of the best motorcycle roads east of the Mississippi” — follows what was once a trade route used by the Cherokee Indians and European fur traders. The route provides proximity to six state parks, dozens of waterfalls, three Civil War battlefields, and some excellent whitewater boating opportunities. Notable spots include Caesar’s Head State Park and Table Rock State Park. — JG

More Info: Northern terminus starts off I-85 in Gaffney, S.C. Visit: scenic11.com

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Posted in 2012 - Issue 3 (June/July), The Appalachian Voice | 1 Comment »

Protect Families: Stop Toxic Coal Ash From Polluting the Federal Transportation Bill

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 - posted by sandra

Keep Coal Ash Out of our Water and the Transportation Bill!

West Virginia Rep. David McKinley is a man on a mission — to save the coal industry from the bullies at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. McKinley’s afraid that the EPA may eventually require coal-fired utilities to contain their coal ash so it’s not allowed to continue to pollute our waterways. But McKinley is not alone — he had some help from the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, the organization currently under fire for providing industry the means to unduly influence our elected officials.

McKinley’s bill, H.R. 2273, would literally prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from protecting families from the water and air pollution associated with poor storage and disposal of coal ash, the toxic remnants of coal-burning.

Last Wednesday, McKinley attached the entire toxic bill as an amendment to the “must-pass” House version of the Transportation Bill. With the Senate version already passed a few weeks ago, there will now be a conference of House and Senate members to hammer out the final Transportation bill.

Please contact your Senators and ask them to reject any amendments that would gut federal coal ash protections.

The passage of this coal ash bill would have real consequences for real people. Just ask Steven Johnson, Gloria Dorsett, Robert Deveaux and Donna Keiser, whose lives have been forever changed by the toxic menace of coal ash. (more…)

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Posted in Front Porch Blog | No Comments »

SELC Releases Top Ten Endangered Places List, Shows Threats in Southeast

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 - posted by Jamie G. -- AV Communications Coordinator

The Southern Environmental Law Center recently released its fourth-annual Top 10 Endangered Places list for 2012, highlighting the ecologically and culturally rich areas throughout the Southeast that are threatened by development, water issues and the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal and hydraulic fracturing. Southeastern states bordering Appalachia, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, are each featured in the list.

The Catawba-Wateree River system, originating in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and providing drinking water for over a million people, has been negatively impacted by the presence of coal ash in leaky unlined ponds along major tributaries. In the Piedmont region, lawmakers are considering legalizing hydraulic fracturing, the controversial natural gas drilling method that has been linked to groundwater contamination and other environmental and health concerns.

In southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee, mountaintop removal and other destructive coal mining practices have already destroyed at least 500 mountains and damaged 1,700 miles of streams in Virginia, Tennessee and other Central Appalachian states, and pressure continues to mount. On the Virginia coast, decades of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay estuary has created dead zones incapable of supporting aquatic life.

Plans to construct and renovate highways have disrupted many distinguished recreation spots in Charlottesville, Va., and in Chilhowee Mountain, Tenn. Chilhowee Mountain is part of Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest and known as a destination for outdoor lovers around the country.

Southern states such as South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama are experiencing severe environmental threats as well. The Savannah River, which stretches from South Carolina to Georgia, could lose many aquatic habitats as the Army Corps of Engineers plan to deepen its shipping channel.

The Dawson Forest, located just north of Atlanta, is threatened by a proposed $650 million reservoir that would drain 100 million gallons of water from the Etowah River each day to support Atlanta’s increasing water supply needs. Alabama’s coastline is on SELC’s Top Ten list for a second year because of the potential recurrence of spills like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion — the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

SELC is the largest environmental organization focused exclusively on the South.Their major programs cover clean energy, transportation and land use, southern forests, the coast and wetlands, and preservation of rural countryside and community character.

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Posted in 2012 - Issue 1 (Feb/March), Across Appalachia, The Appalachian Voice | No Comments »

SELC’s Top 10 Endangered Places List Shows Threats in the Southeast

Friday, February 10th, 2012 - posted by Madison

The Southern Environmental Law Center recently released its fourth-annual Top 10 Endangered Places list of 2012, highlighting the scenic, ecologically and culturally rich areas throughout the Southeast that are being threatened by development, water issues and the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal and hydraulic fracturing.

The Catawba-Wateree River system originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina traveling into South Carolina and has been negatively impacted by the presence of coal ash in leaky unlined ponds along major tributaries.

The SELC works to protect its six-state region in the Southeast. Their programs include Global Warming, Clean Energy & Air, Land & Community, Coast & Wetlands, Clean Water and Southern Forests.

But that’s not all that is threatening this network of waterways. Water withdrawal used by power plants for steam production and cooling has had severe effects on the Southeast’s water supply.

Meanwhile, on the North Carolina Piedmont, a law that bans horizontal drilling throughout the region is being attacked by the gas drilling industry and their political allies.

Virginia may be the most threatened state in the Southeast. The Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee are being destroyed by mountaintop removal. These mountains are some of the oldest on earth and more than 500 have been destroyed by mountaintop removal.

Across the state, the Chesapeake Bay estuary has been polluted for decades. What some may not know is that this pollution creates dead zones incapable of supporting aquatic life.

Plans to construct and renovate highways have disrupted many distinguished recreation spots in Charlottesville, Va., and in Chilhowee Mountain, Tenn. Chilhowee Mountain is part of Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest and known as a destination for outdoor lovers around the country.

More southern states such as South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama are experiencing severe environmental threats as well. The Savannah River, which stretches from South Carolina to Georgia, may lose many aquatic habitats as the Army Corps of Engineers plan to deepen its shipping channel.

The Dawson Forest, located just north of Atlanta, is threatened by a proposed $650 million reservoir that would drain 100 million gallons of water from the Etowah River each day to support Atlanta’s increasing water supply needs. Alabama’s coastline is on SELC’s Top Ten list for a second year because of the potential reoccurrence of spills like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion — the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

The SELC has released its Top Ten list for fours years now, hoping to raise awareness among residents of these areas and others in the U.S. The environmental law organization has nearly 50 attorneys and is involved in more than 125 cases and projects in its six-state region to fight against these potentially irreversible threats.

For more information about SELC and what it does, visit: www.southernenvironment.org.

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Posted in Events, Front Porch Blog, News Alerts and Updates | 2 Comments »