Stop Pipelines & Fracked Gas
Photo By Sierra Shamer / Fractracker
Two decades ago, so-called natural gas exploded on the American energy market, pushed by the industry as a supposedly clean “bridge” fuel to transition the economy from dirty coal to renewable sources of electricity generation like solar and wind.
But this gas is far from clean. From the time that it is extracted using a destructive drilling method called fracking, its transport through pipelines, train cars and trucks, to the power plants where it is burned, the dire environmental and human costs of this fossil fuel are now abundantly clear. In particular, this polluting infrastructure is often sited in communities of color, lower-income areas and other environmental justice communities.
Studies show that investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency are on par with, or sometimes more affordable than, building new gas infrastructure. Many states are enacting policies to tap into the rising solar and wind sector. Yet the fossil fuel industry is rushing to build gas pipelines and power plants to squeeze as much profit as possible out of the waning fuel, putting most of the financial risk on customers.
Appalachian Voices is tackling the spread of fracked gas head-on by legally challenging fossil fuel proposals and pushing back against the antiquated policies and rubber-stamping agencies that govern the development of gas infrastructure. We are also partnering with communities in the fight against new fossil fuel infrastructure, providing resources and training to bolster local opposition. And we are pressuring decision-makers to force them to consider the environmental justice impacts to communities threatened by energy development.
And the tide is starting to turn. In July 2020, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy canceled the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The massive fossil fuel project was riddled with problems, starting with the fundamental fact it was not needed to meet energy demand. Standing beside the many communities and organizations that made this historic victory possible, we’re taking this momentum and applying it toward the fight against other climate-harming boondoggles like the Mountain Valley Pipeline and MVP Southgate.
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something.”
Edward Hale, 19th century American author
Become A Voice for Clean Water
From coal ash pollution to runoff from coal mining to fracking and pipelines, the health of our region’s waterways are threatened.
Latest News
Appalachian Voices statement on passage of Fiscal Responsibility Act
Kaine filed the amendment to remove a provision included in the debt ceiling deal that attempts to force executive agencies to issue permits for the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline and prohibit judicial review of those permits.
Advocates to rally Sen. Warner to remove Mountain Valley Pipeline from debt ceiling bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 31, 2023 CONTACT Jessica…
What is the debt ceiling, and how could it be used to try to ram through MVP?
What is the debt ceiling, and why can it be used to gain leverage to pass unpopular legislation that otherwise wouldn’t have the necessary votes?
U.S. Forest Service ignores responsibility to protect Jefferson National Forest
Today, for the third time, the U.S. Forest Service has revised the rules of the Jefferson National Forest Plan to allow the harmful Mountain Valley Pipeline to be constructed through national forest in Giles and Montgomery counties, Virginia, and Monroe County, West Virginia.
Hydrogen gas — what’s all the hype about?
Hydrogen gas as an energy source in Central Appalachia is a real possibility, so we’re unpacking this technology and exploring its potential impact on the health of communities and ecosystems in our region.