Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
Coal ash rule reaches White House for final review
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sent the long-awaited Coal Ash Rule to the White House for final review. But until the agency’s Dec. 19 deadline, we likely won’t know much about how far the final rule will go to protect communities from coal ash pollution. And that’s probably just how the White House wants it.
Appalachian Power’s solar customers rise and shine for clean energy
No one is more vocal about the need for Appalachian Power Company to invest in solar than those who already have: customers with their own solar arrays. But Virginians who produce their own energy are just part of a larger group of APCo customers demanding their utility expand its energy efficiency programs, encourage residential solar and take advantage of other opportunities to increase clean energy.
Upgrade to Save? Sounds like a good idea to us!
Through its brand new program, Upgrade to $ave, Roanoke Electric Cooperative is offering its members on-bill financing for home energy efficiency improvements. The program is made possible by a $6 million loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program.
The Chief lives on
Appalachian Voices executive director Tom Cormons offers a heartfelt sendoff to Lenny Kohm, who passed away unexpectedly in late September. Lenny was an activist who inspired countless people, from the Arctic to Appalachia, to stand up and exercise their right to protect the land and communities they love. He will be missed by all, but his legacy lives on.
A Washington Post editorial on mountaintop removal’s dirty consequences
The Washington Post published a strongly worded editorial condemning mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia that cites recent studies revealing the practice’s dirty consequences. With the mounting scientific evidence that mining pollution is decimating aquatic life, wiping out trees and mountains, and promoting a host of human health problems, there is no excuse to continue allowing mountaintop removal.
