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Mountaintop Removal 101: Congressional Research Service Updates Report
Every day, more Americans become concerned with the threat of mountaintop removal in Appalachia. Just yesterday, I was made aware of a website called “What About Mountains?” created by a fourth grade class at the Episcopal School of Knoxville. These students may just be learning about the issue, but they know that “mountaintop removal coal…
Read MoreKentucky’s Lab Certification- Is it strong enough?
Yesterday, Appalachian Voices submitted public comments on a proposed wastewater lab certification program in Kentucky. To discharge polluted water, coal companies must receive a permit under the Clean Water Act. This permit that requires companies to test wastewater and report the data to ensure it falls within the limits of the permit. In Kentucky, there…
Read MoreAdvancing Energy Efficiency in Virginia
When it comes to energy efficiency, Virginia’s policymakers could do more, a lot more. The commonwealth came in 37th place on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) most recent state scorecard, which ranks states by energy efficiency policies. The scorecard follows up on a report the group published in 2008, stating that Virginia…
Read MoreThe Dollars and Sense of Energy Savings
Using electricity wisely is vital for Appalachia, a region that has borne the burdens of our national appetite for cheap energy. Unlocking the Southeast’s vast energy savings potential could be the key to forging a cleaner, greener future. That’s the premise behind The Dollars and Sense of Energy Savings, our first-ever issue devoted to electricity…
Read MoreRushed Anti-Renewable Energy Bill Stalls in Committee
By Davis Wax Editorial assistant, Spring/Summer 2013 A bill in the N.C. House that would repeal the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) failed today in the House Committee on Public Utilities and Energy by a vote of 18-13. According to the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association talk of insufficient votes in the Environment Committee prompted…
Read MoreA Good Week for Mountains – Multiple Court Rulings Favor Science and Enforcement
We’re only two days into Earth Week — if we must limit it to one week out of the year — but it sure is getting off to a great start. In the past two days, two major court rulings have underscored the need for increased scrutiny from the federal agency responsible for evaluating environmental…
Read MoreCoal Ash Floods Congress and the Courts
On April 11, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment and Economy held a hearing in part to promote the Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2013, drafted legislation that would prevent the EPA from implementing federal regulation of coal ash, leaving regulation up to the states. Some witnesses, including the former director…
Read MoreSpring Brings Renewal to Appalachian Voices
Dear members, Nothing beats spring in the Appalachians. Redbuds paint the mountainsides, beautiful shades of green color the forests, refreshing rains swell the creeks and birds practice their repertoire in earnest after the long winter. Spring is a time of renewal, and here at Appalachian Voices we took the opportunity at a special staff meeting…
Read MoreRenewable Energy Standard Targeted by N.C. Legislature
By Davis Wax Editorial assistant, Spring/Summer 2013 Despite job creation directly linked to North Carolina’s burgeoning clean energy industry, the state’s modest renewable energy standard continues to be targeted by lawmakers. The “Affordable and Reliable Energy Act,” which narrowly passed the House Commerce Committee, would warp the state renewable energy portfolio standard into a shadow…
Read MoreMeet Your New Interior Secretary
Last week the U.S. Senate approved Sally Jewell, the chief executive of the outdoor retailer REI, as the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Jewell was confirmed after an 87-11 vote — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was the only Appalachian senator to vote against her confirmation. The day before her confirmation, President Obama…
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