Posts Tagged ‘Congress’
An Uphill Climb Gets Steeper
Sequestration Comes to Appalachia By Melanie Foley Legislative Policy and Research Assistant, Summer 2013 In August 2011, Congress and President Obama made a pact. They agreed to $1.2 trillion worth of cuts over 10 years if another deficit reduction compromise could not be reached. Efforts to avoid the severe and widespread cuts failed, and as…
Read MoreNo Longer Hidden in Plain Sight, Thanks to SoutheastCoalAsh.org!
For how large coal ash impoundments can be, they are sure hard to spot. For example, there are two large earthen dams full of coal ash just north of Charlotte near Mountain Island Lake. Can you spot them? (Answer: They’re on that long ridgetop to the left of the plant.) Since Duke Energy is probably…
Read MoreA Physician’s Take on Coal Pollution
A few weeks after releasing our report, The Human Cost of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, and helping launch the No More Excuses campaign through iLoveMountains.org, I was turned on to a interview about the impacts to human health during various stages of the coal use cycle. On Earthjustice’s Down to Earth podcast, Jessica Knoblauch spoke…
Read MoreElectoral Math for “All You Climate People”
During a campaign season in which climate change featured most prominently as a laugh line at the Republican National Convention, the low point was when CNN’s Candy Crowley addressed “all you climate people” in her explanation of why climate didn’t come up during the presidential debates. Who knew that human disruption of the global climate…
Read MoreWorried about Water? The EPA’s New Tool Can Help
Maps provide a valuable perspective of the lay of the land, the ability to identify local waterways, their length and proximity to urban or agricultural areas, and their connectivity as they wrap around hills or snake through open plains. But there was always something you couldn’t learn about rivers and streams near your community by…
Read MoreUpdate: House Passes Dirty Coal Package
UPDATE: Last Friday, the House passed the Dirty Coal package, H.R. 3409, by a vote of 233-175. Thirteen Republicans, led by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8), crossed party lines to oppose the bill and stand up for Appalachian communities and public health. The three parts of the bill not related to mountaintop removal mining had received…
Read MoreSpeaking Truth to Power: Appalachian Voices at the DNC
From the halls of Congress to small churches and community centers, Appalachian Voices has worked for years to make mountaintop removal an issue of national importance and awareness. Our members, volunteers and staff understand the importance of speaking truth to power with one strong collective voice. This is why next week we will travel to…
Read MoreHalf-Baked Coal Ash Bill: A Dangerous Proposition for Our Air and Water
Air and Water Protections are as American As Apple Pie — and they are under attack. Most people talk about creating legislation in terms of sausage-making. It can be downright dirty work. But I prefer to think of it as pie-baking, requiring the combination of concentrated efforts while keeping the final product in mind. Though…
Read MorePolls, Politics, and the Power of Your Voice
With the elections coming up in only a few months, public opinion polls are starting to become more common. There are bound to be thousands of horse race polls (Obama vs. Romney), but politicians are often more interested in issue polls, such as the one released by the Washington Post recently, which asked people if…
Read MoreDid A Steamed Bun Ask the White House To Label Coal Ash As Non-Hazardous?
Last week, we escaped another harrowing attempt by Rep. David McKinley (WV) and company to allow coal-fired utilities to keep getting away with polluting our water (and sometimes air) with coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal for electricity. While a rider to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from issuing federal standards on…
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