Posts Tagged ‘Congress’
The 5 Worst Political Lies in Support of Mountaintop Removal
Part 2 in a 5 part series LIE 2: ECONOMY Proponents of mountaintop removal mining use a very simple and straightforward logic to justify the practice: jobs are good for the economy, and mountaintop removal mining provides jobs, therefore mountaintop removal mining is good for the economy. The argument is logical, but only if you…
Read MoreHow Far Can Touting “Sustainable Coal” Get You?
A few weeks ago, we heard of a new coal lobbying group (I know, just the thing the world needs) that aims to support something we have not heard of, something called “sustainable coal.” Formed by current and former Democratic members of the U.S House of Representatives, along with several coal lobbyists, CoalBlue aims to…
Read MoreThe 5 Worst Political Lies in Support of Mountaintop Removal
Part 1 in a 5 part series LIE 1: BALANCE After spending a month back in their home states, Congress is back in session. Between the budget, the debt ceiling, Syria, energy efficiency bills, and the farm bill, they have plenty of work to do in a short period of time but rest assured the…
Read MoreEnergy Efficiency’s Role in Growing Rural Economies
Over the summer we watched closely and shared our take on the importance of energy programs in the 2013 Farm Bill. You may remember that the Senate ultimately passed a version that included budget cuts but was in line with previous bills and budget constraints. Not one to be outdone, the House went on to…
Read MoreAppalachia’s Environmental Vote Tracker: Aug/Sept 2013 issue
See how Appalachia’s congressional delegation voted on environmental issues.
Read MoreTenn. Tuesday – Compromise is Not a Condition
We’ll kick off this Tennessee Tuesday post with what seemed like a small story in the big world of Tennessee politics. Last week, the New York Times editorial page blog offered some extra thoughts on a Tea Party letter to Tenn. Senator Lamar Alexander, in which the Tea Party compelled Alexander to retire from office…
Read MoreTenn. Tuesday – A Bright Day, Welcoming The Newest Tennessean
Appalachian Voices’ resident Tennessean, and a proud one at that, is celebrating the birth of his second daughter, who for at least a little while yesterday morning was the newest resident of the great state of Tennessee. Congratulations JW, Elizabeth and Emma, we know Isla James will be as proud of her home as y’all…
Read MoreVirginia votes are key to protecting America’s waters from coal ash pollution
There’s a move afoot in Congress to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from passing the first-ever national rule for power plants to properly dispose of coal ash–all 125 million tons of it produced every single year. U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, of my home state of Virginia, are key votes on this…
Read MoreHouse Republicans fight for mountaintop removal mining
A lopsided legislative hearing held by the House Natural Resources committee last Friday is further proof that fans of mountaintop removal mining aren’t giving up without a fight. The hearing focused on legislation recently introduced by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), a proud coal industry advocate, and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), a pro-coal congressman in his…
Read MoreCommittee to Vote on Mountaintop Removal Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., the U.S. House Appropriations Committee will vote on a bill that is an egregious attack on the environment. The Appropriations bill before them would sharply cut funding for the Department of the Interior and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, and prevent the agencies from improving the regulation of mountaintop removal…
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