Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’
Of Loincloths and Lean-Tos: The Fight To Protect NC’s Water
Out of the many things that were targeted in the North Carolina legislature, water quality took a huge hit. Not only did the state budget call for the consolidation of the Division of Water Quality and Division of Water Resources, it slashed the two agencies combined budget by more than 12 percent. And there is…
Read MoreRaising the Standard
How State Laws Affect Our Clean Energy Future By Molly Moore Raising the Standard: State Laws and our Clean Energy Future Democratizing the Grid: Community-owned Renewable Energy Bio-energy Creates a Mass of Questions Beyond Renewable: The Cutting Edge in Energy A Guide to Clean Energy Incentives Almost Always Sunny in Appalachia New Vision: Faith-based Renewable…
Read MoreBringing A Renewed Sense of Community to our Citizens
In the latest issue of The Advocate, we feature our intrepid Red, White & Water team, which was on the road in North Carolina over the last couple months meeting with people living near toxic coal ash ponds. The response was tremendous. Led by our North Carolina campaign coordinator, Sandra Diaz, our team of interns…
Read MoreSpreading Knowledge of Appalachian Wildflowers
By Chelsey Fisher Rita McKinney has always had a passion for wildflowers, particularly rare North Carolina orchids. Starting in the 1980s, her personal work with a greenhouse led her to contact other horticulturalists, and eventually to volunteer in the horticulture department at Mayland Community College’s Spruce Pine campus. When the former lab instructor left in…
Read MoreCoal Ash Update: Legislatin’, Litigatin’ and Fillin’
“Passing a bad piece of coal ash legislation prolongs our pollution problem and makes the possibility of an accident much more of a reality.” These words, from a recent letter to the editor in the Asheville Citizen-Times, reflect the growing discomfort over coal ash storage and how legislators are tackling the problem. Coal ash is…
Read MoreAgritourism Grows in Appalachia
By Brian Sewell Think of it as an extended growing season, where the opportunities arising from a region’s agricultural wisdom and the influx of tourists and conscious consumers are ripe for the picking. By marketing experience and education, not just products, Appalachian farms of every kind are going beyond the friendly transactions at the farmers…
Read MoreJune is “Solar Energy Month” in North Carolina
By Chelsey Fisher Editorial assistant, Summer 2013 On the heels of Republican-led legislative threats to environmental protection and renewable energy in North Carolina, Republican Governor Pat McCrory deemed June “Solar Energy Month” at a solar farm in Wake County on June 4. This acknowledgment is definitely deserved, considering North Carolina ranked fourth in the nation…
Read MoreA Legislative Lesson in Taking the Easy Way Out
In the midst of allegations against Duke Energy for coal ash pollution at multiple coal-fired plants, a bill in the North Carolina House of Representatives could give polluters a free pass and build a buffer against lawsuits. Already passed by the N.C. Senate, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2013 (S 612) proposes a “boundary loophole”…
Read MoreOf Monsters and Zombies: NC Legislature Turning into Bad Horror Flick
By Davis Wax Editorial assistant, Spring/Summer 2013 Among the scary legislation developing in the North Carolina assembly, there are two bills — one a monster of bad environmental reform and the other back from the dead in order to snuff out the state’s renewable energy — which stand out from the creepy pack. These bills…
Read MoreRushed Anti-Renewable Energy Bill Stalls in Committee
By Davis Wax Editorial assistant, Spring/Summer 2013 A bill in the N.C. House that would repeal the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) failed today in the House Committee on Public Utilities and Energy by a vote of 18-13. According to the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association talk of insufficient votes in the Environment Committee prompted…
Read More