The Front Porch Blog, with Updates from AppalachiaThe Front Porch Blog, with Updates from Appalachia

BLOGGER INDEX

Don Blankenship sentence “historic,” but not enough

Friday, April 8th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments

The coverage of Blankenship’s sentence should shift the public’s focus to the leniency and lacking enforcement of our mine safety laws. Since few observers outside of Blankenship’s defense team and the “Dark Lord of Coal Country” himself would argue the punishment fits his crime, the question then becomes: what punishment would? [ Read More ]


DEQ’s “Do Not Drink” reversal elevates coal ash concerns

Tuesday, March 8th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 3 Comments

State officials in North Carolina owe citizens an apology and an explanation. The state Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Health and Human Services are walking back their own recommendations that families living near coal ash ponds not drink or cook using well water containing levels of toxic substances that exceed their own standards. [ Read More ]


Responding to “Appalachia’s Distress”

Tuesday, March 1st, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 2 Comments

Over the weekend, a letter by our Executive Director Tom Cormons to the editors of The New York Times appeared on the newspaper’s website. It was penned in part to stress the importance of the Stream Protection Rule and to urge federal regulators to stand firm in the face of industry opposition, and finalize it. [ Read More ]


SCOTUS pauses the Clean Power Plan, for now

Wednesday, February 10th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments

After a setback dealt by the U.S. Supreme Court, it’s imperative that decision makers in our region understand the opportunities presented by the Clean Power Plan rather than falsely attacking it as the cause of the coal industry’s hard times. [ Read More ]


POWER+ Plan has a place in Obama’s final budget

Tuesday, February 9th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 1 Comment

This morning, President Obama sent his plan for the federal government’s expenses during fiscal year 2017 to Congress. It lays out the president’s vision for spending on everything from clean energy to cancer research. We’re happy to announce that the POWER+ Plan is included. [ Read More ]


Va. leaders urge Gov. McAuliffe to reject Dominion’s climate-polluting plan

Thursday, January 28th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments

From Appalachian Voices' Press Room: Earlier this week, a wide array of Virginia leaders released a letter asking Governor Terry McAuliffe to reject efforts by Dominion Power that would increase carbon pollution in the Commonwealth. [ Read More ]


Do bankrupt coal company executives really deserve bonuses?

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 1 Comment

Witnessing the one-sidedness of coal bankruptcies in Appalachia and their aftershocks goes to show who has a voice and whose voices the system values. Take Alpha Natural Resources, which recently received approval to pay its executives millions in bonuses despite not having made a profit since 2011. [ Read More ]


Bleak outlook for coal in 2016

Friday, January 8th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments

After the dismal year coal had in 2015, more hard times for the industry are ahead. Nowhere is the struggle more real than in Central Appalachia. A new white paper from Downstream Strategies tells the story of Appalachian coal over the past few decades in five simple charts. [ Read More ]


Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship guilty

Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments

After a six-week-long trial that included 27 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, followed by a week and a half of dramatic deliberations, Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship has been found guilty of conspiring to violate federal mine safety laws. [ Read More ]


Student leaders support the POWER+ Plan

Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 1 Comment

Yesterday, a group of student leaders in eastern Kentucky took a commendable step in support of Central Appalachia's youth and economic future. By a unanimous vote, the Appalachian Renaissance Initiative Student Senate passed a resolution of support for the Obama administration's POWER+ Plan. [ Read More ]


I heard it through the pipeline

Friday, November 6th, 2015 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments

From Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s perspective, it’s probably best to just keep a lid on what state officials say publicly about controversial natural gas pipelines proposed to cut through the state. But among opponents of the pipelines, the administration’s actions are only deepening skepticism of the governor and his relationship with the projects' primary backers. [ Read More ]


Pro-solar group gets on Duke Energy’s bad side

Monday, November 2nd, 2015 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments

Duke Energy wants to smack down NC WARN for setting up a experimental solar project on the rooftop of a Greensboro church and testing a law prohibiting third-party electricity sales in North Carolina. The company is not helping its reputation for quashing clean energy efforts that aren't its own. [ Read More ]



 

 


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