Duke Energy Raises Rates in NC

On Jan. 27, the North Carolina Utilities Commission approved a 7.2 percent rate increase for North Carolina ratepayers. The North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper and a coalition of state public-interest groups filed legal briefs detailing their opposition to the rate hike. The 7.2 percent increase is the result of an agreement between Duke Energy…

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MSHA’s “Rules to Live By” Remind Us of Real Risks

On Jan. 31, the head of U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, Joe Main, announced the next phase of the “Rules to Live By” training, a program with a catchy title that aims to reduce mining fatalities and injuries. The 14 targeted safety standards in the “Rules to Live By III: Preventing Common Mining Deaths”…

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Sewanee Coal Seam Prohibition Bill Introduced in TN

Tennessee State Senator Berke and Representative McDonald Introduce Legislation That Will Protect Tennessee’s Mountains, Waters, and Public Health. Appalachian Voices Urges TN Legislature to Support This Bill. Appalachian Voices and other allies across Tennessee, including “Statewide Organizing For Community eMpowerment” (i.e. “SOCM“) were successful in working with the Tennessee Legislature to file a bill that…

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TN Governor Can Lead Tennessee Away from Mountaintop Removal

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam opposed mountaintop removal during his gubernatorial campaign. Now is the time for him to put action to those words Appalachian Voices is working around the clock to pass the Tennessee Scenic Vistas legislation. This bill would make Tennessee the first state to ban mountaintop removal by ending surface mining over 2,000…

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Kentucky Arrow Darter Threatened by Mountaintop Removal

By Madison Hinshaw, Communications Editorial Intern in Spring 2012. We’ve known for a long time that mountaintop removal is affecting Appalachian creatures. This time it’s a fish found in the Appalachian streams and rivers — the Kentucky arrow darter. This fish, found only in Kentucky, is one of the top 10 U.S. species most threatened…

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Delayed Coal Ash Regulations Put Public Health at Risk

Appalachian Voices issued the following press release to news outlets in North Carolina. A similar version was released nationally by the eleven environmental and public health groups involved in this litigation. Delayed Coal Ash Regulations Put Public Health at Risk Groups head to court to force issuance of important national safeguards Washington, D.C. – Environmental…

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Delayed Coal Ash Regulations Put Public Health at Risk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTAINS TARGETED NORTH CAROLINA INFORMATION Contact: Sandra Diaz, Appalachian Voices, (828) 262-1500; sandra@appvoices.org Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper, (828) 817-5358; hartwell@wnca.org Delayed Coal Ash Regulations Put Public Health at Risk Groups head to court to force issuance of important national safeguards Washington, D.C. – Environmental and public health groups announced their intent…

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Scenic Vistas Efforts Becoming Headline News

Tennessee Coal Industry Front Group Falsifies Information In Attacking Church-goers Motives As the Tennessee General Assembly kicked off yesterday, 100s of supporters of our Appalachian Mountains gathered in congregations, gymnasiums, and homes across the state to complete 40 Days of Prayer for the Mountains. The efforts of LEAF, SOCM, Tennessee Conservation Voters and many others…

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Storage of TVA Coal Ash Waste Leads to Civil Rights Lawsuit

December 22 marked the three-year anniversary of the disastrous coal ash spill at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant. Residents of the damaged Swan Pond community are still struggling with the impacts of relocation and pollution. But the toxic effects of the more than 1 billion gallons of coal ash that flooded the Clinch and…

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