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Successful Rally at the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Last week, Appalachian citizens and allies from across the country rallied at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Dana Kuhnline, media coordinator for The Alliance for Appalachia, writes that residents are tired of waiting for the administration to act on promises it made in 2009 and are ready for a just transition to an economy beyond mountaintop removal and other destructive coal practices.
Fracking Opponents Rally Prior to Cullowhee Public Hearing on Draft Oil and Gas Rules
Contacts: Katie Hicks, Clean Water for North Carolina, katie@cwfnc.org, 828-251-1291 Sarah Kellogg, Appalachian Voices, sarah@appvoices.org, 828-262-1500 Donna Dupree, Jackson County Coalition Against Fracking, donnadupree44@yahoo.com, 828-246-1186 Susan Leading Fox, Swain County Coalition Against Fracking, snooz62@frontier.com, 828-736-5529 Avram Friedman, The Canary Coalition, avram@canarycoalition.org Denise DerGarabedian, Coalition Against Fracking in WNC, nofrackwnc@gmail.com Julie Mayfield, Western North Carolina Alliance,…
Read MoreAdvocating for a fair Internet, for all
If you find yourself staring at spinning wheels on some of your favorite sites today, take a moment to imagine what an unfair internet would look like. Because if an open Internet is not maintained, the future could hold significant challenges for advocacy groups of all types, independent journalism, entrepreneurs and anyone who uses the web as a resource to learn or communicate about issues close to their heart.
Updates: Stopping the “Tax on the Sun” in Virginia
As the comment period concludes on Appalachian Power Company’s proposed solar “stand-by” charge and next week’s formal regulatory hearing nears, we’re at full swing in a major push for solar freedom in Virginia. There is still time to take action to protect affordable clean energy options for customers.
About gray matter: One artist’s experience with the health impacts of coal ash
Residents of the Belews Creek community of Stokes County, N.C., have been speaking out about the serious health threat from the nearby massive coal ash pit, which is the largest in the state. Artist Caroline Armijo, who has seen too many of her friends and neighbors die from cancer, is one of them.
Citizens Groups File Petition Demanding EPA Revoke Virginia’s Regulatory Authority
Formal Petition Alleges Commonwealth Systematically Fails to Comply with Clean Water Act Contact: Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices, (828) 262-1500, erin@appvoices.org Adam Beitman, Sierra Club, (202) 675-2385, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org WASHINGTON, D.C. – Citizens groups filed a formal petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this morning alleging that Virginia and its Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy…
Read MoreTo tell the truth
Last month, our director of programs, Matt Wasson, testified before Congress about the perils of mountaintop removal and coal ash pollution, and the failure of some state agencies to protect communities from pollution. While Matt had a rare opportunity to provide a reality check for elected leaders, it’s the people in coal-impacted communities who know this reality better than anyone.
Carl Shoupe: Seeing through the “War on Coal” smokescreen
“Instead of raging about a made-up war on coal and how to protect coal corporations, Congress should take a closer look at how to really support coal communities,” Kentuckians For The Commonwealth member and retired miner Carl Shoupe writes.
After last-minute compromise, N.C. legislature passes coal ash bill
However dysfunctional, the North Carolina General Assembly always seems to come together in the end — often in literally the final hours of the legislative session. After a last-minute compromise, the North Carolina legislature passed the coal ash bill on Wednesday, but fell short of promises to protect communities in the wake of the Dan River spill.
N.C. coal ash bill secures cleanup for only four of 14 sites
Appalachian Voices • Cape Fear River Watch • Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation • Earthjustice • French Broad Riverkeeper • Greenpeace • Haw River Assembly • NC Conservation Network • NC League of Conservation Voters • NC WARN • Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation • Waccamaw Riverkeeper • Waterkeeper Alliance • Winyah Rivers Foundation • Yadkin Riverkeeper Conferees broker…
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