RockingChair

Front Porch Blog

Updates from Appalachia

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Virginia electric co-ops fight to keep doors closed to members

Rural electric co-ops were set up as democratic institutions, but have increasingly become unresponsive to their customers, who are also owner-members. In Virginia, members of two co-ops are challenging the status quo.

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central appalachian coal production graph

Coal industry sees bankruptcies and exports in volatile 2018

Some coal companies appear to be banking on opportunities for short-term gain with metallurgical coal, but the metallurgical market can only prop up the industry for so long.

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Atlantic Coast Pipeline water crossing sign

Army Corps suspends stream crossing permit for entire Atlantic Coast Pipeline

An essential permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was suspended on Wednesday, effectively shutting down work at more than 1,500 stream and wetland crossings along the fracked gas line’s 600-mile route.

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woman testifies at air board meeting

Gov. Northam dismisses regulators who expressed concerns about pipelines

In shocking move, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam dismissed three regulators from state permitting boards who had expressed concerns about the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines.

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Blue Ridge Energy’s solar policies among the worst in Southeast

A new report shows that Blue Ride Energy has some of the worst solar policies in the Southeast. That’s why we created a petition calling on Blue Ridge to support solar access and increase the cooperative’s transparency with its member-owners.

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