Press Releases
Report calls for improvements to coal mine bonding in Central Appalachia
The Alliance for Appalachia, a coalition of 15 organizations, today released a report on the state of surface coal mine bonding in four Central Appalachian states. Bonds are used to ensure reclamation of mine sites should a company be unable to finish reclamation. The report details the bonding programs in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and…
Read MoreGroups urge Tenn. governor to veto coal mining bill
Nashville, Tenn. – Today, 20 environmental and community organizations delivered a letter to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam urging him to veto legislation approved by the state House that would significantly weaken protections relating to coal mining in Tennessee. The legislation would transfer authority to regulate coal mining from the federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation…
Read MoreStatement regarding Va. Governor Northam’s call for DEQ improvements
At today’s Environment Virginia Symposium in Lexington, Va., Governor Ralph Northam announced Executive Order VI, requiring a comprehensive review by the Secretary of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality of the agency’s permitting, monitoring, and enforcement activities. Further background is below. Statement from Peter Anderson, Virginia Program Manager with Appalachian Voices: “Governor Northam’s…
Read MoreThousands call on Gov. Northam to protect Virginia waters from fracked-gas pipelines
Richmond, Va. — Citizens representing Virginia landowners, the faith community, scientists, people of color, water protectors and clean energy advocates today called on Governor Ralph Northam to protect Virginia’s waters by taking immediate action on the proposed Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines. The action comes the morning after Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality approved…
Read MoreContest announced for home weatherization in the N.C. High Country
Contact: Rebecca Bauer, North Carolina Energy Savings Outreach Associate, 828-262-1500, becca@appvoices.org Boone, N.C. — High Country residents are invited to enter the “2018 High Country Home Energy Makeover Contest” for a chance to win up to $2,500 in home repairs that improve energy efficiency, make their home more comfortable and reduce monthly energy bills. The…
Read MoreCitizens, public interest group denounce TVA’s proposed new fee
Chattanooga, TN – Nearly 40 people attended today’s Tennessee Valley Authority Board meeting to speak out against TVA’s plans to change the way it charges local power companies for energy. Many speakers argued that the “New Pricing Paradigm,” as TVA has called it, would result in a disproportionate burden for shouldering TVA’s costs on low-income…
Read MoreDominion Energy-backed bill faces historic opposition in Va. House of Delegates
Statement from Tom Cormons, Appalachian Voices Executive Director, on passage today by the Virginia House of Delegates of electric rate bill HB 1558: This version has been updated as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 12. “The bill that passed today contains a blank check to Dominion to bury power lines using our money without regulatory…
Read MoreVirginia Delegates face a choice on Tuesday: Dominion Energy or Virginia families
CONTACT: Tom Cormons, Executive Director, tom@appvoices.org, (434) 981-6506 The Virginia House of Delegates this evening narrowly rejected a measure that would have protected Virginians from having to pay as much as $50 billion in the coming years to Dominion Energy to bury electric power lines. The measure was an amendment proposed by Delegate Sam Rasoul…
Read MoreVa. utility regulator finds fault with electric rate bill
CONTACT: Cat McCue, Communications Director, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 The State Corporation Commission today released its second analysis of legislation pending in Virginia’s General Assembly regarding electric rate restructuring. Today’s analysis was issued at the request of Sen. Chap Petersen on a substitute bill that passed the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee earlier this week. The SCC’s…
Read MoreVa. bill on electric rates a bad deal for consumers
CONTACT: Cat McCue, Communications Director, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 The Virginia Senate Commerce and Labor Committee is considerng legislation this afternoon regarding the proposed repeal of the 2015 “rate freeze” for electric utilities and overhauling the process for establishing customer rates going forward. The State Corporation Commission and Virginia Attorney General’s office — both charged with ensuring…
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