Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
What’s a public utility without public control?
TVA, the nation’s largest public utility, used the opportunity of a global pandemic to cancel public listening sessions entirely and to withhold written public input from the media and public. The utility explained the move by claiming that it lacked the technological capabilities to host a virtual public input meeting.
Legal victories against Mountain Valley Pipeline make completion unlikely
Prospects for the future of the Mountain Valley Pipeline are grim for the company and its investors after recent decisions by judges at the federal leval and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
What it takes to reenergize Southwest Virginia
Economic development in Southwest Virginia could get a long overdue jumpstart with the suggestions Virginia Energy outlined in its Reenergize Southwest Final Report. The report, which was released in December 2021, makes recommendations for the General Assembly to support the economic transition in the coalfields after eliminating the state’s coal tax credits in 2021.
Gov. Jim Justice’s Straight Fork Surface Mine again facing possible permit revocation
Updated Jan. 20, 2022: On Jan. 13, Virginia Energy sent a letter to A&G Coal Corporation suspending the permit for the Straight Fork Surface Mine after the corporation failed to respond to the Dec. 8, 2021 show cause order. The permit suspension gives the Justice company until Feb. 14 to deal with the ongoing violations. Failure to do so will then trigger permit revocation and a determination of bond forfeiture.
Can’t stop, won’t stop! Fighting to protect you and the environment at Virginia’s General Assembly
Virginia’s 2022 General Assembly gaveled in on January 12 for two months of legislative wrangling in the crowded halls of the state capitol! We expect to play defense on protecting pivotal laws that tackle the climate crisis, while pushing for progress in key areas. Don’t sit this one out — we need all Virginia hands on deck!
