Written by Kevin Ridder
Kevin Ridder
Born in Arizona and raised in Tennessee, Kevin’s love of the mountains drove him to move even further east to Boone, N.C., where he serves as The Appalachian Voice's Associate Editor and a communications associate for the organization.
N.C. Slashes Duke Energy Carolinas Rate Hike
North Carolina regulators denied Duke Energy Carolinas’ request to enact a 13.6 percent overall rate hike, instead approving a 0.3 percent increase for residential customers for four years before rates rise.
Endangered Species Act Threatened
New guidelines from the Trump Administration alongside a congressional package of nine bills would bring massive changes to the Endangered Species Act.
House Version of Farm Bill Guts Environmental Protections
The U.S. House of Representative’s version of the 2018 Omnibus Farm Bill would roll back protections for endangered species, water and public lands.
MVP Southgate open houses held for three counties
What Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, had to say at three open houses on their proposed Southgate extension into North Carolina, plus a quick look at the latest developments on the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines.
Pipeline Resistance Grows on Multiple Fronts
Tree-sits, legal battles and more have sprung up in response to the natural gas pipelines being proposed and built across the region.
Coal Mining Under Trump
While Central Appalachian coal jobs saw a slight bump in President Donald Trump’s first year in office, not much has changed on the national level.
Cost of Coal Mine Cleanup
Despite problems with the current system, coal companies are being granted more leeway in paying for mine reclamation.
Environmental Protection Agency Aims to Deregulate Coal Ash
The Trump administration’s proposal to roll back federal coal ash safeguards gives more leeway to states — and advocates worry that would put drinking water at risk.
Tennessee legislature weakens coal mining oversight
If Gov. Haslam allows the Primacy and Reclamation Act of Tennessee to become law, it will erode community protections and become an unnecessary burden on Tennessee taxpayers.
Sparking Petrochemical Valley?
Plans for cracker plants and a gas liquids storage hub could lead to a toxic plastics industry in Appalachia.
