Written by Dan Radmacher
Dan Radmacher
Dan is Appalachian Voice's Media Specialist. Previously, he worked as an opinion journalist for newspapers in Illinois, West Virginia, Florida and Virginia, and then as a communications consultant for a number of environmental nonprofit organizations.
Final budget bill includes unprecedented AMLER investment and STREAM Act, but neglects critically needed black lung benefits improvements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 22, 2022 Contact: Trey…
Remember Kingston: Communities set up billboards and newspaper ad to honor cleanup workers on the 14th anniversary of the Kingston Coal Ash Spill
Four “Remember Kingston” billboards have been set up on major highways surrounding Knoxville to honor the hundreds of workers who cleaned up the Kingston Coal Ash Spill along with a full page ad in the Roane County News.
Community advocates urge Congress to include key coal community investments in forthcoming budget legislation
Congressional appropriations leaders are preparing to release omnibus spending legislation for FY2023 today, and community advocates from across coal country are urging them to ensure several long-standing priority investments are included. Advocates argue that the omnibus legislation is an important opportunity to get three key provisions over the finish line.
Senate passes amended STREAM Act and sends it back to House
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 16, 2022 CONTACT Chelsea…
Advocates to rally against ongoing attempt to withdraw Virginia from RGGI
On Wednesday, December 7, advocates in Henrico will rally in advance of the meeting of the State Air Pollution Control Board that morning. The citizen board will discuss the regulatory process currently underway to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Appalachian Voices receives EPA grant for community air monitoring project
Appalachian Voices has received $118,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fund the Upper South and Appalachia Citizen Air Monitoring Project.
Scorecards rate rural electric cooperatives in Virginia
A scorecard released today by Appalachian Voices reveals that rural electric cooperatives in the Southeast need critical reform to ensure they are operating according to good governance standards and providing clean energy programs to their members. The new scorecards build on a previous project, and find that while Virginia’s electric co-ops have made some reforms and are leading the region, there is still room for improvement.
Scorecards rate rural electric cooperatives in Tennessee
Today, advocacy organizations across seven southeastern states released scorecards that examine the policies and programs of the region’s rural electric cooperatives across a number of areas, including governance, transparency, energy efficiency, member access to renewable energy and other factors. Though no co-op across seven states scored more than 65 out of 100 total points, co-ops in Tennessee achieved an average score of 28 points.
Scorecards rate rural electric cooperatives in North Carolina
Today, Appalachian Voices released scorecards examining how electric cooperatives in North Carolina measured up across a number of areas, including governance, transparency, energy efficiency, member access to clean energy and other factors. The results showed that the majority of the 26 co-ops in North Carolina impose significant barriers for customer-members to participate in the democratic governance of their co-ops, while only a few offer services or supportive policies to help members lower their electric bills.
Research reveals gaps in Virginia’s utility shutoff policies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 14, 2022 CONTACT Emily…
