Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
A Small (but important) Step: Appalachian Power’s New Energy Efficiency Proposal
April began with bright news in Virginia: Appalachian Power plans to begin providing energy efficiency programs for its customers in the commonwealth. These initial steps are a sign the company could soon be ready to offer a wider range of efficiency programs.
A Moral Call to End Dangerous Coal Ash Storage
Last Monday, concerned citizens packed the pews of a local church in Eden, N.C. The crowd, which was a diverse mixture of age, race and background, assembled for a town hall meeting on coal ash, organized by the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP as a part of the Moral Monday movement.
Duke Energy Appeals Court Order to End Coal Ash Groundwater Pollution
Duke Energy has appealed the March 6 ruling by a Wake County judge that it must take immediate action to end groundwater pollution from its coal ash ponds at its coal-fired power plants in North Carolina. The company also asked the N.C. Court of Appeals to stay the order until an appeal can be heard to avoid losing “years of planning” to improve how it handles coal ash.
U.S. Supreme Court Rules on the “Sequel to Citizens United”
If you weren’t recently rescued from a deserted island, you’re probably aware that money in politics holds sway over every issue imaginable. So anyone passionate about, well, anything really, should take note of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling today on McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, a case that’s being called “the sequel to Citizens United.”
Heroes and Hyperbole: U.S. House Passes Pro-Mountaintop Removal Bill
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to roll back stream protections in an effort to make it easier to dump waste from mountaintop removal mines into Appalachian streams. Given the makeup of the House right now, this comes as no surprise. But there is a silver lining.
