Virginia approves draft rule to cut carbon pollution from power plants

Contact: Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Kelley Galownia, Virginia Conservation Network, 571-403-4625, Kelley@vcnva.org RICHMOND – The State Air Pollution Control Board today unanimously approved the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)’s proposed draft regulations under Executive Directive 11 to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants. These draft regulations serve as a critical first…

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A power play for Virginia’s power plan

Citizens signal their support for clean energy at a recent meeting of the Dept. of Environmental Quality's Clean Power Plan stakeholders group,

The shift to a clean energy economy in Virginia faces many obstacles — extreme mining, extreme drilling, and apparently extreme legislating. The General Assembly, after failing during session to wrest authority from the governor over the state’s compliance with the Clean Power Plan, used a budgetary ploy after session that handicaps the administration’s efforts.

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North Carolina’s reckless approach to the Clean Power Plan: Part 3

By 2020, and without making any changes, North Carolina will likely be 80 percent of the way toward meeting the federal goal for cutting carbon pollution. But it would miss out on a momentous opportunity to leverage the Clean Power Plan for job growth and helping lower-income families. Rather than resist the EPA, our state leaders should step up and position the Tar Heel state as a clean energy leader.

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Action on climate heating up

President Obama’s announcement that day of first-ever regulations to limit carbon pollution from power plants in America — which has one of the largest carbon footprints in the world — marks an unprecedented milestone. Yet, as important as it is, it’s anything but certain how the story unfolds from here.

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Pope’s message on climate brings hope for change

Encyclical-PF-10“…for human beings to degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are sins.” Thus spake Pope Francis today in his “Laudato Si'” letter, the Vatican’s first encyclical on the environment. And it’s a doozy.

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Yes, Virginia, there was a silver lining to the General Assembly

1506880_545692232232755_7519825862257630233_nFor Appalachian Voices and our partners, it was a mostly defensive game this year in the Virginia legislature as we fought a slew of bad bills by industry-backed and climate-denying politicians. We succeeded in squelching the worst of them, but a lot of policy that could have moved the commonwealth toward cleaner energy and a stronger economy fell by the wayside. There’s always next year….

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Survey says: Virginians want clean energy

rtd2 A bi-partisan poll released today shows solid support among Virginia voters for the state to develop a plan to cut carbon pollution and shift to cleaner sources of energy. Meanwhile, in Richmond, the General Assembly is heading in the opposite direction, casting votes in favor of dirty fossil fuels.

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