Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
North Carolinians speak out against fracking: Are elected officials listening?
More than two dozen environmental and social justice groups came together in Raleigh last week to hand deliver 59,500 petition signatures to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, calling on elected officials to reinstate the ban on fracking in the state. Clearly, thousands of North Carolinians don’t want to see fracking in North Carolina, the question is: are our elected officials listening to us?
Mountaintop removal promotes lung cancer
The body of research linking mountaintop removal mining to lung cancer just got a whole lot stronger. Using dust samples collected in communities near mountaintop removal mines, a new study conducted by West Virginia University researchers found a direct link between air pollution and tumor growth.
Corporate windfall lets N.C. utilities charge customers under outdated tax rate
The North Carolina Utilities Commission (somehow) decided that even though the legislature cut North Carolina’s corporate income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 5 percent last year, Duke Energy and other public utilities can continue charging customers at 6.9 percent and pocket the difference. Meanwhile, for three consecutive quarters, Duke has received a larger rate of return than authorized by state regulators, or in this case, the utilities commission.
Community members gather for Blue Ridge energy efficiency kick-off
Did you miss the party? Last Thursday, Energy Savings for Appalachia hosted a launch party for our new campaign focusing on Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corp. Energy efficiency advocates and residents facing high energy costs gathered in our downtown Boone office to hear about the campaign and how they can get involved in our outreach efforts.
The reclamation myth, it’s still happening too
Companies are still using mountaintop removal, blowing up mountains in Appalachia to mine coal. But despite what some say, they are not putting them back together again. Until the Obama administration and Congress take serious action, no amount of reclamation is going to fix the problems the mining is leaving behind.
