Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’
Thousand Cankers Disease Hits East Tennessee
By Meredith Warfield Black walnut trees are dying in Morgan and Rhea counties of eastern Tennessee. The culprit, according to a Tennessee Department of Agriculture announcement made this November, is Thousand Cankers Disease. The disease is a recent phenomenon in the East, but has been wreaking havoc in the western United States for the past…
Read MoreChoose Your Own [Historical] Adventure: An Appalachian Travel Guide
By Rachel Ellen Simon — Editorial Communications Intern, Fall 2013 A graduate student in Appalachian Studies, Rachel was a frequent contributor to The Appalachian Voice and worked as our Editorial Communications intern for Fall 2013. When my editor first asked me to compile a list of “Historical Hidden Treasures,” I imagined my words guiding readers…
Read MoreWinston-Salem Journal Series Highlights Belews Creek Coal Plant Pollution Concerns
Over the past three weeks, the Winston-Salem Journal published a series of excellent articles focusing on the significant environmental and health threat of toxic coal ash in North Carolina — specifically from Duke Energy’s coal plants. Appalachian Voices’ Red, White, & Water team has been working this year in communities surrounding the Belews Creek coal…
Read MoreMore clean energy and less coal ash waste ahead for Asheville
Asheville, N.C., harbors a lively community that has united to push for clean energy and to put an end to Duke Energy’s polluting ways. Two wins came this week for Asheville residents when the City Council voted to increase investments in clean energy and, the next day, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources…
Read MoreIn Wake of Shutdown, Polls Point to Congress’s Unpopularity and Public Support of EPA
Two recent polls reveal that North Carolinians and Virginians strongly approve of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to regulate carbon emissions from new power plants and the agency’s role in protecting clean air and water for all Americans. According to a Public Policy Polling survey of 803 North Carolinians commissioned by the Natural Resources…
Read MoreRegional Mountain Photography Contest Seeks Entries for 2014
By Kimber Ray The 11th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is now open for registration. competition invites both amateur and professional photographers to “showcase their interpretation of the unique character, people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.” Competition categories include: Adventure, Best in Show, Blue Ridge Parkway: People on the Parkway, Culture, Our…
Read MoreN.C. Citizens Speak Up About Power Plant Water Pollution
By Sarah Kellogg Four out of five power plants currently have no limits on the levels of heavy metals they can dump into rivers and lakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, however, is preparing to change that, and in the process they are hearing from impacted citizens around the country. Since June, more than 165,000…
Read MoreProgress on Black Lung Prevention
By Kimber Ray After over three years of delay, a proposal for stricter coal dust standards appears to be moving forward. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has submitted a final draft of its rules to the Office of Management and Budget for review. This development followed a letter sent by Senator Jay Rockefeller…
Read MoreHistorical Hidden Treasures of North Carolina
By Rachel Ellen Simon Junaluska Memorial Site, Museum, and Medicine Trail Cherokee warrior Junaluska was among the thousands of Native Americans that were forcibly relocated via the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. Unlike most, however, Junaluska was eventually able to return to his former home in North Carolina, where he died in 1868. Near…
Read MoreLocal Citizens Speak Up about Nation’s Top Source of Toxic Water Pollution: Coal-Burning Waste
Last month, more than 150,000 people across the country submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, encouraging the agency to adopt strong regulations for the toxic waste water produced by coal-burning power plants. The comments were submitted to the EPA after the agency proposed an update of the rules under the Clean Water Act…
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