Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
In memory of an inspirational leader and friend
Appalachian Voices lost a dear friend in late September with the passing of Annie Fulp Brown. Annie was a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother. She was also a champion for her community and one of the first people in her neighborhood to speak publicly about her experience living next to the largest coal-fired power plant in North Carolina.
Be cool and keep fighting
For the next couple of days, you’ll have a hard time looking at anything online or on TV that doesn’t try to break down the midterm elections. Most pundits will analyze what happened, and some will try to tell you what it all means. Whatever that is, the job before us has not changed, and our responsibilities to Appalachia are the same today as they were yesterday and will be tomorrow.
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.
