N.C. Environmental Commissions Under Attack by Senate Bill 10

By AV's Intern Team | February 6, 2013 |

By Davis Wax Editorial assistant, Spring/Summer 2013 Update: In about 48 hours, with almost no chance for public input, the North Carolina state Senate passed a poorly designed bill to fire all current members from several N.C. advisory boards and commissions, including the Utilities Commission and Environmental Management Commission. Give your state Rep. a call…

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Despite Positive PR for Duke Energy, Our Water is Still at Risk

By Sandra Diaz | February 1, 2013 |

Don’t like what people are saying about you? Change the conversation! Duke Energy has gotten a ton of mileage for their decision to retire or convert some of their older, more inefficient power plants in the Tarheel State. It’s environmentally-friendly after all – recycling news stories! And you can create a whole new news story…

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Coal Ash: Now a Part of a Balanced Breakfast

By Appalachian Voices | January 31, 2013 |

By Hallie Carde Red, White and Water intern, Spring 2013 This just in: in addition to fruits and veggies, our nation’s children should be getting their daily dose of coal ash. Or at least that’s what statements at a public hearing in Franklin County, Missouri, seem to suggest. Just last week, there was a hearing…

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Renewing the Push for Renewable Energy in Virginia

By Nathan Jenkins | January 24, 2013 |

Each year, as Virginia’s General Assembly convenes, lawmakers are confronted with hundreds of proposals running the gamut from education to energy. Many involve complicated issues, and many are distorted by corporate interests and political posturing. This year the legislature is grappling with a key renewable energy law, known as the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which…

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New Report Explores the Frontiers of Energy Efficiency

By Brian Sewell | January 19, 2013 |

After combing through the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s far-reaching report, Frontiers of Energy Efficiency: Next Generation Programs Reach for High Energy Savings, it would be hard not to have high hopes for a more efficient future. Surveying 22 residential, commercial and industrial energy savings programs, the Frontiers of Energy Efficiency report estimates that…

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Welcome to Virginia’s Energy Conference, with your host King Coal

By Nathan Jenkins | October 11, 2012 |

Last week, Appalachian Voices and members of the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition attended the Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s Energy Conference. Looking at the agenda, we were prepared for what would surely be a biased conference. But we didn’t know it would be this bad. At every stage of the conference, the coal companies and…

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Report Exposes How Big Coal, Electric Utility Money Dominates Virginia Politics and Policy

By Brian Sewell | October 3, 2012 |

In advance of the Governor’s Energy Conference that is sponsored by Dominion Virginia Power, Alpha Natural Resources and Appalachian Power Company, Appalachian Voices and our allies released a white paper highlighting the influence that coal companies and utilities wield over Virginia energy policy. “The top sponsors of the energy conference are also top sponsors of…

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A One-Two Punch in the Fight for Clean Water

By Brian Sewell | August 23, 2012 |

It has been a week of good news in the fight for stronger protections against coal ash pollution. A court settlement in South Carolina and a major decision regarding the 2008 TVA Kingston coal ash spill make for a one-two punch against the poorly regulated toxic waste. This morning, a federal court ruled that the…

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