NC DEQ’s blatant bid for control

Over the past few months, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has seemed determined to have complete environmental regulatory control with little regard for federal or public input. In this endeavor, DEQ has taken every chance to highlight how external forces, including citizens groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are simply getting in its way.

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Rallying Against Climate Change

In October, we worked with our community partners to organize a rally in downtown Charlottesville, Va. This demonstration was part of the National Day of Action in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference schedule to take place in Paris in December. More than 150 residents gathered to ask their representatives to stop the…

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Sizing up APCo’s plan, through customers’ eyes

Appalachian Power Company customers gathered in Roanoke recently to learn more about their electricity provider’s long-term resource plans and get involved in these critical decisions. Here’s a look at how APCo’s plan stands to impede Virginia from harnessing its full renewable energy potential.

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I heard it through the pipeline

From Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s perspective, it’s probably best to just keep a lid on what state officials say publicly about controversial natural gas pipelines proposed to cut through the state. But among opponents of the pipelines, the administration’s actions are only deepening skepticism of the governor and his relationship with the projects’ primary backers.

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30 Groups Demand Single FERC Study of Fracked-Gas Pipelines

Contacts: Joe Lovett, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, 304-645-9006, jlovett@appalmad.org Joanna Salidis, Friends of Nelson, 434-242-5859, josalidis@gmail.com Tammy Belinsky, Preserve Craig, 540-874-5798, tambel@hughes.net Kirk Bowers, Sierra Club, 434-296 8673, kirk.bowers@sierraclub.org Hannah Wiegard, Appalachian Voices, 434-293-6373, hannah@appvoices.org Monique Sullivan, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 202-440-4318, monique@chesapeakeclimate.org Thirty organizations in Virginia and West Virginia, including Appalachian Voices, have joined forces…

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Understanding the Stream Protection Rule

While the draft Stream Protection Rule is far from perfect, it is a long overdue update to protections for surface and groundwater from mountaintop removal coal mining. Not surprisingly, the coal industry had relied on “war on coal” talking points to fight against the rule, and claims these protections are unnecessary and will undermine an otherwise viable industry. Let’s examine those claims.

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Drivers of Pollution

By W. Spencer King Nearly ninety percent of Americans drive to work everyday, the commute bookending the workday with traffic, red lights and monotony. Greenhouse gases contribute to climate change and smog, which are detrimental to both the environment and human health. These gases come from many sources including industry and electricity generation, but nearly…

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