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New Report Explores the Frontiers of Energy Efficiency
After combing through the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s far-reaching report, Frontiers of Energy Efficiency: Next Generation Programs Reach for High Energy Savings, it would be hard not to have high hopes for a more efficient future. Surveying 22 residential, commercial and industrial energy savings programs, the Frontiers of Energy Efficiency report estimates that…
Read MoreMore Southeastern Coal Units Scheduled to Retire
Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Atlanta, Ga.-based Southern Co., announced it is seeking to retire 15 coal- and oil-fired units at four plants across the state. The utility cited several contributing factors, including current and future economic conditions, low natural gas prices and the cost of compliance with future environmental regulations, for its decision…
Read MoreA New Year, New Plants for Duke Energy
As we ring in the New Year, Duke Energy is touting three facilities that came online at the end of 2012 with a combined capacity of 2,365 megawatts of new generation. The newly operational units include the Cliffside Power Station Unit 6, and natural gas-fired units at the Dan River Power Station and the H.F.…
Read MoreWATCH: Appalachian Kids Give Science Lesson to President Obama
Children in Appalachian coal mining communities are 42% more likely to be born with birth defects and have a life expectancy that is almost 5 years lower than the national average. As this short video shows, they understand why: Dozens of scientific studies have linked mountaintop removal coal mining to high rates of cancer and…
Read MoreOl’ Dan River (Despite Coal Ash) Just Keeps Rollin’
Appalachian Voices recently submitted their comments to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Dan River Steam Station’s new permit to discharge coal ash. As we all know, coal ash isn’t a pretty thing. The harmful leftovers from burning coal contain toxic contaminants like chromium and arsenic, and seep into our waterways, threatening…
Read MoreInvasive Species Recipes
Remember: you can eat invasives, too! One of our readers, Amy, was gracious enough to provide a stirfry recipe for Japanese knotweed. She writes, “I first foraged for this invasive in its native country of Japan, where it was growing wild next to streams in the high mountains of the Japanese Alps, as myself and…
Read MoreAppalachia & the World
The Appalachian Voice typically looks inward, exploring the intricacies of our region. This time, however, we looked out at the rest of the world to see what Appalachia’s global ties could tell us about the life, history and struggles that take place within these mountains. Take a moment to flip through the print version or…
Read MoreTime to End Corporate Welfare for King Coal in Virginia
Virginia taxpayers have been boosting profits for the coal industry with tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks every year. That’s not big news – but what’s astounding is that, due to the structure of the subsidies, the Commonwealth is not only foregoing revenue, it is actually paying cash to the industry. According to…
Read MoreAnswer Me These Post-Coal Questions Three
A new blog for YES! Magazine asks, “How do we get over coal?” That’s the question many are asking in Appalachia, where coal’s contribution to the economy is wearing thin. Already, coal is less and less abundant and more and more expensive to extract. And because it harms the environment and destroys local communities, “How…
Read MoreCoal Industry Costs Virginians Millions of Dollars Every Year
New report suggests shifting money to diversify coalfield economies Contact: Rory McIlmoil, Downstream Strategies, 304-445-7200, mcilmoil@downstreamstrategies.com Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Glen Besa, Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, 804-225-9113 x 104, glen.besa@sierraclub.org Resources Full Report Executive Summary Blog Post Time To End Corporate Welfare For King Coal In Virginia Photos Richmond, VA –…
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