Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
What do Duke Energy and a messy teenager have in common?
Duke Energy has spent six months cleaning up its Dan River coal spill, the third worst in U.S. history, and got a whopping six percent removed. And now it says the job is done. North Carolinians should not accept this — no less than most parents accept their teenagers’ excuses to clean up their rooms.
Today, Congress has to learn about mountaintop removal
Congressional representatives have shown little interest over the past few years in talking about mountaintop removal coal mining. They’d rather lambast the EPA and the Obama Administration for any actions to protect Appalachia’s people and environment. But today, our program director, Matt Wasson, is testifying before Congress. That means members will hear about higher-than-average cancer rates and other impacts of this abominable coal mining practice.
Great News for Clean Water in Virginia!
Last week a federal judge upheld a previous decision requiring a Virginia coal company to get a permit for their discharges of toxic selenium.
Hey Duke Energy – Buy a Bigger Dump Truck!
Duke Energy and its army of lobbyists apparently have convinced N.C. lawmakers that it’s just too expensive to clean up all of its leaking coal ash dumps. The company’s argument is based on an assumption that it would take 30 years to remove the ash from JUST ONE SITE. “What??” I hear you ask incredulously. So let’s take a deeper look at that …
Activists gather at “Home of the Brave” on 4th of July
Appalachian Voices’ Amy Adams travels to W.Va. for an annual Independence Day event at Kayford Mountain, one of the areas hardest hit by mountaintop removal mining. She joins scores of others in mourning for the mountains lost, but also celebrating the spirit and resolve of those fighting to end the destructive practice.
