Press Releases
Duke-DEQ coal ash settlement not such a great deal for citizens
CONTACT: Amy Adams, N.C. Campaign Coordinator; (cell) 252-944-6459; amy@appvoices.org Duke Energy and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (formerly the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources) today announced an estimated $20 million settlement over groundwater contamination from leaking coal ash pits at the utility’s facilities in North Carolina. The following is a statement from Amy…
Read MoreNC Residents Impacted by Coal Ash Launch Alliance
CONTACT: Sarah Kellogg, Appalachian Voices, (919) 616-0830, sarah@appvoices.org Nick Wood, NCWARN, (919) 616-0889, ncwarnnick@gmail.com Katie Hicks, Clean Water for NC, (828) 251-1291, Katie@cwfnc.org Raleigh, N.C. – Residents from across the state gathered in Raleigh today to announce a new alliance of North Carolinians directly impacted by coal ash and to call on Duke Energy, the…
Read MoreWise County Board of Supervisors joins growing list of localities supporting POWER+ Plan
CONTACT: Adam Wells, Economic Diversification Campaign Coordinator, 276-679-1691, adam -at- appvoices.org Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat -at- appvoices.org Wise, Va. — The Wise County Board of Supervisors joined a growing number of Appalachian communities voicing support for the White House’s POWER+ Plan last night in a unanimous vote supporting the federal proposal, which would…
Read MoreObama Administration’s Clean Power Plan a boon for Appalachia
CONTACT: Kate Rooth, Campaign Director, kate@appvoices.org. 828-262-1500 Jamie Goodman, Senior Communications Coordinator, jamie@appvoices.org, 828-262-1500 Boone, N.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released the final version of the Clean Power Plan, the first-ever national rule limiting carbon pollution from existing power plants to safeguard public health and help address climate disruption. Essential to this…
Read MoreCommunity Rallies Around Need for Energy Efficiency in the High Country
Over 1,000 residents support greater energy efficiency investments to grow economy, lower energy costs CONTACT: Rory McIlmoil, Energy Policy Director, rory@appvoices.org Sarah Kellogg, North Carolina Field Organizer, sarah@appvoices.org (828) 262-1500 Blue Ridge Electric fact sheet (PDF) Photos by Amy Adams, Appalachian Voices Boone, N.C. — More than thirty local residents, service organizations and local government…
Read MoreVa. City First Locality Nationwide to Support POWER+
Contact: Adam Wells, Economic Diversification Campaign Coordinator, Appalachian Voices, 276-679-1691, adam@appvoices.org Norton City Council voted unanimously yesterday evening in favor of a resolution supporting a federal budget proposal to steer billions of dollars for economic development and diversification to Appalachia’s coal-impacted communities, including those in Virginia. It’s the first such local resolution of support in…
Read MoreInterior Department Issues Draft Stream Protection Rule
Contact: Cat McCue, Communications Director, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a long-awaited draft of the Stream Protection Rule, which the agency has been working on since 2010. The purpose of the rule is to prevent or minimize the impacts of surface coal mining on surface water and groundwater. The agency’s…
Read MoreGroups Call on Va Utilities to Expand Clean Energy in Long-Range Plans
Contacts: Cale Jaffe, 434-977-4090, cjaffe@selcva.org, Southern Environmental Law Center Hannah Wiegard, 434-293-6473, hannah@appvoices.org, Appalachian Voices Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org, Chesapeake Climate Action Network Kate Addleson, 703-963-5800, kate.addleson@sierraclub.org, Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club Today, Dominion Virginia Power and Appalachian Power will file their 2015 Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) with the Virginia State Corporation Commission. These…
Read MoreKy coal company violating federal water law, again
CONTACTS Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500, erin@appvoices.org Ted Withrow, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, 606-784-6885 (h) or 606-782-0998 (c), tfwithrow@windstream.net Pat Banks, Kentucky Riverkeeper, 859-200-7442, kyriverkeeper@eku.edu Pete Harrison, Waterkeeper Alliance, 828-582-0422, pharrison@waterkeeper.org Sean Sarah, Sierra Club, 330 338-3740,sean.sarah@sierraclub.org For the fourth time in the last five years, several citizens groups have put Frasure Creek Mining on…
Read MoreVideo Shows Rare View of Mountaintop Removal Mining
CONTACT: Cat McCue, Communications Director, (434) 293-6373; cat@appvoices.org A short video released today by Appalachian Voices with stunningly detailed drone footage provides a rare view of mountaintop removal coal mining and the increasing proximity of this destructive form of mining to people living in Appalachia. The video also includes interviews with local citizens who want…
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