RockingChair

Front Porch Blog

Updates from Appalachia

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Boone community comes together to tackle energy waste

At the first-ever Boone Energy Stakeholder Meeting, Appalachian Voices and other stakeholders took an important first step toward identifying solutions that could help tackle the problem of energy waste for the Town of Boone.

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More than a million tons of coal ash at Duke Energy's H.F. Lee plant along the Neuse River were submerged by flood waters after Hurricane Matthew. Photo on Flickr by Waterkeeper Alliance

Hurricane Matthew flooding elevates coal ash concerns

Earlier this month, North Carolina was devastated by the impacts of Hurricane Matthew. Flooding occurred across much of the state, with the hardest impacts felt in the east and among communities that are least able to bounce back from such a catastrophic event. While the flood waters are still receding, we are learning about the impacts left in their wake.

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Members of the Buckingham County Planning Commission look over a packed room of people speaking out against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station.

Environmental justice in Buckingham County

A proposed compressor station along the Atlantic Coast Pipeline route would pose public health risks and increase noise pollution in a rural, historically black community. Citizens are fervently urging local officials to reject the project, which would severely impact the viability of the pipeline overall.

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Solar and energy efficiency…like peanut butter and jelly

While energy efficiency is just as clean as solar when it comes to emissions, efficiency by itself can’t produce energy for customers looking for a clean energy option, and solar without energy efficiency can’t reach the full extent of its potential. Both are valuable and can, and should, work together as an integrated solution to create cleaner and cheaper energy.

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Kentucky arrow darter photo by Dr. Matthew R. Thomas, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Protecting a unique Kentucky fish from mountaintop removal coal mining

The eye-catching Kentucky arrow darter was just listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, largely due to water pollution from activities like surface coal mining. Increased protection for this rare fish will lead to healthier ecosystems and communities.

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