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Communities Pursue Revitalization Plans
By Carvan Craft Convenient access to local food can be a rare commodity in rural communities. Thanks to the Appalachian Livable Communities grant program, founded in 2012, five Appalachian communities will receive a shared total of $375,000 to help make local food projects a reality. The grant will fund a new agricultural education facility for…
Read MoreAcrobats of the Forest: The Eastern Gray Treefrog
By Meredith Warfield It’s mating season in Appalachia, and the region’s deciduous forests are humming with life. Birdsongs may be heard by day, but by night the Eastern gray treefrogs have hopped out of the branches and flocked to nearby ponds, where they can be heard singing their melodic love songs in hopes of attracting…
Read MorePreserving the “Heart of Appalachia”
By Kimber Ray Tracking the Trails of a Reinspired History Clinch Water Revival: Ecotourism on the River | River Access: A Community Effort Hiking the Highlands: Streamside Technology in the Clinch River Valley When a developer from New York told Charlie McConnell, the founder of a music venue in Coeburn, Va., that the best asset…
Read MoreActing on Climate: EPA unveils carbon rule for existing power plants
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy unveiled a plan to regulate carbon pollution from existing power plants this morning. In a rousing speech that covered the host of risks, and opportunities, that come with a changing climate, McCarthy called the plan “part of the ongoing story of energy progress in America.”
Announcing the new and improved ACE Project website
The Appalachian Water Watch team is proud to announce the new and improved ace-project.org the website of the Appalachian Citizens Enforcement Project. Upgrades to the website help the efforts of citizen scientists and provide transparency for water quality monitoring processes.
Get Ready: Confronting Carbon Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to reduce climate-changing carbon dioxide emissions from the nation’s existing power plants are expected to be unveiled on Monday, June 2. For environmental news junkies like us, this is the equivalent of the Super Bowl pre-game show. See what the buzz is about, and read our coverage of the rules in The Appalachian Voice.
High Courts Support Air Pollution Standards
By Brian Sewell A series of recent court rulings have supported air pollution standards proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, adding to the challenges facing utilities that rely heavily on coal. In April, a federal appeals court upheld the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, a rule finalized in 2011 targeting emissions of mercury…
Read MoreConfronting Carbon Pollution
By Molly Moore Six months after declaring “climate change is a fact,” in his State of the Union address, President Obama prepared to unveil what The New Yorker calls “the policy centerpiece of his second term.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines that he was poised to announce at press time will put in motion…
Read MoreThe Power of Energy Efficiency — Building a Stronger Economy for Appalachia (Part 3)
Energy efficiency is merely one strategy that local governments, economic development agencies working with the rural electric co-op or municipal utilities might employ with the goal of diversifying the local economy. But the proven benefits of energy efficiency investments suggest it should be a key focus in any plan for local economic diversification.
Appalachian Power wants higher bills for homeowners who go solar
Guest post by Virginia writer and lawyer Ivy Main:
Appalachian Power Company is seeking permission from utility regulators to impose new “standby” charges on residential customers who install solar systems larger than 10 kilowatts. The fee is included in the company’s latest rate proposal, now before the State Corporation Commission.