By Kimber Ray For Patrick Ironwood, the point where the Sweet Gum Gateway home ends and the wild lands of the Cumberland Plateau begin is blurred, with the sweeping porch and edible landscape of Sweet Gum elegantly blending with the…
Monthly Archives: October 2013
Major Efficiency Bill Stalled in the Senate
By Brian Sewell Since being introduced to the Senate in July, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, also known as Shaheen-Portman (S. 1392), promised to be the first major energy bill passed by the Senate in more than six…
Solar and Wind Projects Take Off Across Appalachia
First Utility-Scale Solar Projects Proposed in West Virginia By Brian Sewell Solar Thin Films Inc., a New York-based company, recently announced a contract to develop up to 35 megawatts of solar capacity in West Virginia. Through an agreement with property…
TAGS: Dominion energy Renewable Energy Solar Energy Virginia energy policy West Virginia wind energy Wind Power
New Research and Lawsuits Keep Mountaintop Removal in the Spotlight
By Brian Sewell While battles over mountaintop removal permits reach their boiling point and lawsuits are filed and settled, new research revealing the environmental costs continues to pile up. In September, a study by Duke University, Kent State University and…
TAGS: Alpha Natural Resources Clean Water Act energy Kentuckians for the Commonwealth Mountaintop Removal Sierra Club U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Regional Mountain Photography Contest Seeks Entries for 2014
By Kimber Ray The 11th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is now open for registration. competition invites both amateur and professional photographers to “showcase their interpretation of the unique character, people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.” Competition…
TAGS: Across Appalachia Appalachian Culture Appalachian Voices Environment North Carolina Renewable Energy
N.C. Citizens Speak Up About Power Plant Water Pollution
By Sarah Kellogg Four out of five power plants currently have no limits on the levels of heavy metals they can dump into rivers and lakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, however, is preparing to change that, and in the…
TAGS: Across Appalachia Appalachian Voices Clean Water Act Duke Energy EPA North Carolina Red White and Water Water Water Pollution
Workers Exposed to Toxins at Kingston Ash Spill Cleanup
By Kimber Ray A federal lawsuit alleges that Jacobs Engineering Group knowingly exposed workers to toxic substances during cleanup of the 2008 coal fly ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tenn. The lawsuit, filed…
Progress on Black Lung Prevention
By Kimber Ray After over three years of delay, a proposal for stricter coal dust standards appears to be moving forward. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has submitted a final draft of its rules to the Office of…
TAGS: Across Appalachia appalachia Appalachian Voices Black Lung Environment North Carolina Regulatory Reform Act U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration
Tenn Tuesday: SEJ, CAPP Coal Decline, Record Hydro!
Now, with even *more* Chattanooga! Happy Tuesday! A whole mess of Appalachian Voices’ staff spent most of last week and the weekend at the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in one of the greatest cities in America — Chattanooga, Tenn.…
Court to EPA: Get Moving on Coal Ash!
Last week, a federal judge agreed with environmental and public health groups that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs to set federal regulations for the safe and proper disposal of toxic coal ash. The court order is a step forward…
