Posts Tagged ‘Politics’
EPA’s Benefits Greatly Outweigh Costs, According to OMB Report
By Davis Wax Editorial assistant, Spring/Summer 2013 During their push to abolish, obstruct and stymie the Environmental Protection Agency over the past few years, House Republicans have beleaguered the agency for regulatory measures they consider “job-killing” or “anti-industry,” hoping to revert federal environmental regulation to state control or make protections obsolete altogether. Those in favor…
Read MoreA Must-Read Report, Another Reminder It’s Time to Build Something New in Central Appalachia
The litany of voices pointing to the writing on the wall for the Central Appalachian coal industry continues to grow. They’re saying the same thing in almost every way imaginable, and have been for some time. Watching coal production decline and demand shift as other energy sources out-compete coal domestically, it is vital that policymakers…
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 MoreMountaintop Removal 101: Congressional Research Service Updates Report
Every day, more Americans become concerned with the threat of mountaintop removal in Appalachia. Just yesterday, I was made aware of a website called “What About Mountains?” created by a fourth grade class at the Episcopal School of Knoxville. These students may just be learning about the issue, but they know that “mountaintop removal coal…
Read MoreTennessee Tuesday: What Do We Do Now?
This is a post about how we can improve life for Tennesseans, protect an American culture that has endured for centuries, and promote our beloved Appalachian Mountains that once stood higher than the Himalayas, and are now threatened by mountaintop removal coal mining. Tennessee Tuesdays is a new weekly feature on the Appalachian Voices Front…
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 MoreRenewable Energy Standard Targeted by N.C. Legislature
By Davis Wax Editorial assistant, Spring/Summer 2013 Despite job creation directly linked to North Carolina’s burgeoning clean energy industry, the state’s modest renewable energy standard continues to be targeted by lawmakers. The “Affordable and Reliable Energy Act,” which narrowly passed the House Commerce Committee, would warp the state renewable energy portfolio standard into a shadow…
Read MoreWill This March Madness Be An Upset for Clean Water?
Help Prevent a Clean Water Upset (Picture by mvongrue, hosted by Flickr) UPDATE: The Senate Budget Resolution passed without any of the amendments mentioned below. Victory! As most of you know, between the federal House of Representatives and the Senate, the Senate is usually the level-headed older brother of the family and tends to be…
Read MoreProtecting Tennessee’s mountains? Not worth the Senate’s time.
Despite broad citizen and political support for a bill protecting Tennessee’s mountains, the state Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee today decided to not even allow public testimony on the measure and instead killed the bill. SB99, the Scenic Vistas Protection Act, was slated to be heard by the committee during its usual meeting…
Read MoreRenewed Resolve: Pushing for Energy Reform in Virginia
Reform of Virginia’s renewable energy law was in the spotlight on both sides of the political spectrum in the General Assembly this year. In the end, only a few adjustments were made to the law, none of which encourage the vibrant solar and wind industries that Virginians want, nor support a market for small businesses…
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