RockingChair

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Updates from Appalachia

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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.

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A Small (but important) Step: Appalachian Power’s New Energy Efficiency Proposal

EENPODApril 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.

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A Moral Call to End Dangerous Coal Ash Storage

MMtownhallLast 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.

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Duke Energy Appeals Court Order to End Coal Ash Groundwater Pollution

9068479979_3023eb4546_zDuke 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.

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U.S. Supreme Court Rules on the “Sequel to Citizens United”

Us_supreme_court_sealIf 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.”

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