Press Releases
Iron Works Cycling, Appalachian Voices receive $25,000 grant for solar installation
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, New Economy Program Manager, (276) 207-9636, chelsea@appvoices.org BIG STONE GAP, Va. — Iron Works Cycling and Appalachian Voices have received a grant from the Solar Moonshot Program to install a 16-kilowatt solar energy system on the Big Stone Gap bicycle shop. The project will be constructed today, and is the first to…
Read More5th annual “Hands Across the AT” draws supporters from Georgia to Maine
CONTACT: Jessica Sims, Virginia Field Coordinator, 434-293-6373, jessica@appvoices.org Community members, environmental groups and others who value the Appalachian Trail gathered online today to celebrate the fifth annual “Hands Across the Appalachian Trail.” The event featured residents of Pearisburg, in Giles County, Va., near where the AT is threatened by construction of the fracked-gas Mountain Valley…
Read MoreSouthwest Virginia schools, local governments urge fair access to solar
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, New Economy Program Manager Appalachian Voices chelsea@appvoices.org 276-207-9636 NORTON, VA. – Several school boards and counties in Southwest Virginia are calling on local leaders and Appalachian Power Company to allow fair access to solar energy for their public facilities in the utility’s Southwest Virginia territory. The Wise County and Tazewell County school…
Read MoreGroups take legal action to support North Carolina denial of Southgate pipeline
CONTACT: Ridge Graham, Appalachian Voices, (828) 994-7444, ridge@appvoices.org Perrin de Jong, Center for Biological Diversity, (828) 595-1862, perrin@biologicaldiversity.org Doug Jackson, Sierra Club, (202) 495-3045, doug.jackson@sierraclub.org RICHMOND, Va.— The Center for Biological Diversity, Appalachian Voices and Sierra Club filed a motion Tuesday with the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to defend the North Carolina Department…
Read MoreAppalachian Voices denounces FERC’s greenlight for Mountain Valley Pipeline to resume
CONTACT: Cat McCue, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Jessica Sims, jessica@appvoices.org, 804-356-1228 In a snub to thousands of Appalachian landowners and others seeking to stop the unneeded, dangerous Mountain Valley Pipeline, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission late today voted 2-1 to extend its certificate for the project by two years, and simultaneously lifted its stop-work order for construction…
Read MoreSolar Workgroup of Southwest Va hosts info session for businesses, nonprofits and government
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, New Economy Program Manager chelsea@appvoices.org 276-207-9636 Norton, VA — The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia will host a virtual information session on September 30 at 10:30am for non-residential building owners interested in pursuing cost-effective solar projects. The event is part of the workgroup’s recently announced Securing Solar For Southwest Virginia program, which…
Read More43,000 demand FERC reject extended permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline
CONTACT: Doug Jackson, 202-495-3045, doug.jackson@sierraclub.org Cat McCue, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Washington, D.C. – Water and climate advocacy organizations submitted comments and signatures from more than 43,000 people demanding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) deny the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline more time to construct the pipeline. Developers of the controversial project, which is billions of…
Read MoreUnique partnership will bring 10 megawatts of solar, new jobs to Virginia coalfields
CONTACT: Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 Erik Curren, Secure Futures, erik@securefutures.solar, 540-466-6128 **Photos, graphics and a recording of this press tele-conference are available in this Google folder.** Norton, Va. — The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia today announced an innovative partnership with Secure Futures to provide commercial-scale solar installations in the coalfield region that…
Read MoreOne million N.C. households at risk of losing electricity and water during pandemic
CONTACT: Rory McIlmoil, Sr. Energy Analyst, Appalachian Voices, rory@appvoices.org, (423) 433-9415 Al Ripley, Director, Consumer, Housing and Energy Project, NC Justice Center, al@ncjustice.org, (919) 274-8245 William Barber, III, Environmental Justice Committee Co-Chair, NC Poor People’s Campaign, william.barber.iii@gmail.com, (202) 567-6800 Maria Michalos, Eastern Regional Communications Manager, Natural Resources Defense Council, mmichalos@nrdc.org, (631) 848-1588 Raleigh, N.C. —…
Read MoreGroups challenge TVA’s plan to lock local power companies into perpetual contracts
Contacts: Scott Smallwood | SELC | ssmallwood@selcga.org | 770-598-0111 Ward Archer| Protect Our Aquifer | ward@protectouraquifer.org | 901-355-0515 Brianna Knisley | Appalachian Voices | brianna@appvoices.org | 937-725-0645 Daniel Tait | Energy Alabama | dtait@alcse.org | 256-812-1431 MEMPHIS – The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), on behalf of Protect Our Aquifer, Energy Alabama and Appalachian Voices,…
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