Blog Archives

Residents Across Five States Benefit From Local Air Quality Monitoring

Through the Upper South and Appalachia Citizen Air Monitoring Project, community members and organizations are collecting data about local air quality.

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Landfill Remediation Raises New Concerns

An older woman and man stand at a podium, with people seated on either side. Photo is taken from the perspective of an audience member several rows from the stage

As remediation of the troubled Bristol landfill begins, community advocates are petitioning for an alert system, increased air quality monitoring and relief measures for residents who experience strong airborne pollution at home.

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Clearing the Air on How Wood Pellet Factories Affect Their Neighbors and the Climate

aerial view of the Sampson wood pellet plant

The wood pellet industry is growing in the American South, but communities near wood pellet plants are seeing damages to air and water quality. As new facility proposals from wood pellet companies like Enviva continue, local residents and regional climate activists are speaking out.

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EPA proposes moderate improvements for public health; must do more

The proposal is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough. In Appalachia, our people are breathing fugitive mine dust and toxic emissions from numerous industries. Time and again, state regulatory practices have fallen short in curbing the impacts of these industries. Fugitive coal mine dust in particular has not been regulated in any meaningful way. EPA can and should do more to protect our health.

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As EPA Prepares to Update Federal Air Quality Limits, Coal Dust Looms Large in Eunice

gray dust hovers between two trees

Frustrated with constant coal dust, residents of Eunice, West Virginia, asked the state to install an air quality monitoring device in their community. The request was denied.

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The Beast of Bristol: The Landfill Haunting Residents of the Twin Cities

two people in front of a large guitar statue hold signs about the landfill problems

Terrible, persistent smells from the Bristol landfill have put a damper on quality of life for residents of the Twin Cities. Officials acknowledge the problem, but there’s no clear path forward.

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Biden Administration Proposes Restoration of Mercury Pollution Rules

smoke and steam rise from a power plant

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed reinstating a legal finding that supports restrictions on the amount of mercury that may be discharged by power plants.

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Align RNG Settlement Spotlights Biogas Plant Regulation

After the first settlement of its kind in North Carolina capping limits on emissions from a biogas plant in Sampson County, environmental advocates hope the agreement sets the stage for stricter statewide regulation of the processing of animal waste from concentrated feeding operations into fuel or biogas.

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Potential Federal Action Would Address Common and Harmful “Forever Chemicals”

wide blue river flanked by autumn trees

Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could soon take steps to protect communities from an incredibly common but little-known family of man-made chemicals that have been accumulating in waterways and in people’s blood for decades.

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North Carolina Seeks Public Comment on Regional Haze Plan

view of a mountain is partially obscured by white haze

As North Carolina develops its 10-year plan to reduce haze in national parks and wilderness areas, conservation and health groups allege that North Carolina and other Southeast states are missing key sources of emissions in their analysis.

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