RockingChair

Front Porch Blog

Updates from Appalachia

AV-mountainBorder-white-medium3

America’s biggest bank moves away from mountaintop removal

r-TOO-BIG-TO-FAIL-large570Pressuring large investment banks to stop financing mountaintop removal has been a strategy of the nationwide movement to end the practice for years. Judging by the progress made by Rainforest Action Network, and other grassroots groups targeting the infamous “too big to fails,” that strategy is working.

Read More

Central Appalachian-focused James River Coal Company enters bankruptcy

CAPPvulnerableThis week, James River Coal Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court. Like Patriot Coal, which reemerged from bankruptcy in December, the Richmond, Va.-based company’s operations are concentrated in Central Appalachia and are located in some of the counties most economically vulnerable to coal’s downturn.

Read More

Rural Electric Co-ops Can Renew Community Spirit

CFRAGuest Contributor Brian Depew: The cooperative spirit that brought electric service to rural America represents the community-driven values of small towns. Today, more than 900 rural electric co-ops serve 42 million people in 47 states. Co-ops remain democratically controlled, run by elected customer-members. But they have drifted from their community-oriented mission.

Read More

Virginia Power Shifters intend to organize and win on climate

13696548693_a845c28fac_z (1)Building community and standing up to polluters with grassroots strength: these were among the themes of Virginia Power Shift, which took place in Richmond last weekend. Students worked tirelessly to involve campuses from all over the state, and delegations traveled from across Virginia to join in the hard work that constitutes this amazing young leaders’ summit.

Read More

McAuliffe can pave the way for a cleaner future for Virginia

Terry_McAuliffe_on_June_4,_2011In almost every campaign speech, Terry McAuliffe told the story of how he started a driveway-paving business in his neighborhood when he was 14 to earn money to help pay for his college education. Now Virginia’s 47th governor, McAuliffe should apply these values to his gubernatorial agenda and there’s no better place to start than by investing in a strong clean energy sector for the commonwealth.

Read More