Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’
Rebranding Bank of America’s Responsibility
————————————————————————————————————————————– Join us in Charlotte on May 9 to remind Bank of America, the largest financier of the U.S. coal industry, of their responsibility to citizens and the environment. Visit our action page for more info and to sign up. ————————————————————————————————————————————– “BREAKING: Daring Action at Bank of America Stadium,” read the first email in my…
Read MoreProtect Families: Stop Toxic Coal Ash From Polluting the Federal Transportation Bill
West Virginia Rep. David McKinley is a man on a mission — to save the coal industry from the bullies at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. McKinley’s afraid that the EPA may eventually require coal-fired utilities to contain their coal ash so it’s not allowed to continue to pollute our waterways. But McKinley is not…
Read MoreStudy Weighs Risks, Benefits of Fracking in North Carolina
By Brian Sewell A series of public hearings in March concluded that, with proper regulation, hydraulic fracturing, the controversial natural gas drilling method can be done safely in North Carolina. The hearings, held in Sanford, Chapel Hill and Pittsboro, received public comment on a draft report of the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources’…
Read MoreFox Squirrels Making a Comeback in N.C.
If you’ve ever seen what you thought was a gray squirrel on steroids, what you actually saw was most likely a fox squirrel. This bushy-tailed, colossal squirrel is common throughout most of Appalachia, but was not seen in the North Carolina mountains in several decades — until relatively recently.
Read MoreA Golden Wing and a Prayer: Restoring Warbler Habitat
By Brian Sewell Appalachia’s favorite bird, the golden-winged warbler, has been selected as one of seven focus species by a new partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that aims to reverse population decline through habitat restoration. The “Working Lands for Wildlife” program will collaborate with private landowners…
Read MoreAsheville’s Call to Action: The Beginning of the End for Toxic Coal Ash
By Patrick Cavanaugh, 2012 Red, White and Water intern It’s hard to miss the Asheville coal-fired power plant as you drive into Lake Julian Park in Arden, N.C. The smokestacks and discolored water surrounding the plant scream of environmental abuse and disfigurement. Our mission was the hidden abuses this plant perpetrates on nearby residents that…
Read MoreIs There A Kumbaya Moment Coming for the National Forests?
By Randy Johnson As wildflowers and buds break out this spring in the Southern Appalachians, hope that a greener fate for federal forest lands will bloom as well. On Feb. 9, 2012, the U.S. Forest Service and a handful of public and private collaborators — not all of them very collaborative in the past —…
Read MoreRed, White and Water Campaign Turns Up the Heat on Toxic Coal Ash
On Feb. 15, Appalachian Voices’ Red White and Water team, North Carolina Riverkeepers and other organizations launched a campaign called N.C. Can’t Wait, a petition and education drive to protect communities from toxic coal ash pollution. The campaign was created after monitoring near coal ash ponds at North Carolina’s 14 coal-fired power plants confirmed that…
Read MoreWright Bros, Georgia DOT Fined $1.5 Million for Clean Water Violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice will require Wright Brothers Construction Co. and the Georgia Department of Transportation to pay $1.5 million in fines for violations of the Clean Water Act between 2004 and 2007. One of the largest fines ever assesed under the CWA, the complaint states that Wright…
Read MoreSpruce Pine Residents Reject Proposed Re-Zoning
A group of concerned residents in Spruce Pine, N.C. attended a town hall meeting on Feb. 13 to express discontent with a proposed re-zoning of land that would allow the disposal of bulk feldspar and processed mineral waste in their community. In December 2011, Quartz Co., with Feldspar Corporation, purchased more than 100 acres of…
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