Hitting the Road to Promote New Power for the Old Dominion

Starting today, Appalachian Voices and the Wise Energy for Virginia coalition are embarking on a statewide road tour to promote New Power for the Old Dominion, a commonsense campaign to change the direction of Virginia’s energy future. Our events in Richmond and Charlottesville this week are the first stops on our tour where we’ll lay…

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USDA Finds Energy Efficiency Has No Significant Environmental Impact

On August 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service published a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the environment by implementing the Rural Utilities Service’s soon-to-be-finalized Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program (EECLP). The EECLP is a proposed federal loan program that would offer low-interest loans to rural electric cooperatives to develop…

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Energy 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…

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Appalachian State University Competes in European Solar Decathlon

By Chelsey Fisher After winning “People’s Choice” in the 2011 U.S. Solar Decathlon, Appalachian State University has been chosen to take their ideas across the ocean. ASU — one of three universities chosen from the United States — will pair with Université d’Angers in France to compete in the 2014 European Solar Decathlon, which will…

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Interview with Tom Perriello

Tom Perriello, a lifelong resident of Ablemarle County, Va., is a steadfast supporter of environmental and poverty concerns. He used his background in law to prosecute warlords in West Africa, was named one of Time Magazine’s “40 under 40” in 2010, and represented Virginia’s 5th district from 2009 to 2011. While in Congress, he supported…

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Oil and Gas Boom Straining America’s Energy Infrastructure

By Brian Sewell The United States is experiencing a natural gas boom largely due to advances in drilling and extraction technologies. And in recent years, some have celebrated the fuel as a bridge to a clean energy and carbon-free future. But according to a report by the Center for American Progress, the other side of…

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Tenn. Tuesday: Thanks to Senator Corker, Senator Alexander

Tennessee Senators Vote to Confirm Clean Air Expert Gina McCarthy to Lead Environmental Protection Agency Last week, the United States Senate came down with a strange case of self-loathing and took the rare — some would say extreme — step of actually doing something. Old political professionals, say that this is called “action.” Appalachian Voices…

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As the Barn Burns, the House Stays Cold on Energy Efficiency

There has been much ado about energy efficiency in Congress recently, but so far there’s nothing to show for it. On June 12, we wrote about the Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), which could help millions of residential electricity customers across the United States access low-cost financing for improving the energy efficiency of their homes,…

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Tenn Tuesday: Haslam Can’t Keep Hands off the Family Business. Alexander and Corker To Support Critical Energy-Efficiency Legislation? Squirrel!

Haslam Dragged Down by Coal Ties, TVA All Over the Place, Critical Energy Savings Votes in the U.S. Senate as early as this week. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s troubles continue to be front and center in the national media, with the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal and The Tennessean reporting on Governor Haslam failure to…

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Needle in a Haystack: U.S. Senate Supports Lower Energy Costs for Rural America, will the House Follow Suit?

On June 11, the U.S. Senate passed a five-year Farm Bill that includes a small provision with significant potential for reducing energy costs for rural Americans. The Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP) — based on South Carolina’s successful “Help My House” program and first introduced in 2012 as a stand-alone bill — would authorize the…

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