Tenn. Tuesday: TVA’s Nuclear Nuisance

By JW Randolph | June 18, 2013 |

Welcome to Tennessee Tuesday! We’ve been searching across the state, patrolling the web and scouring our inboxes (as has President Obama, of course) in order to bring you the latest on the state-est that’s the greatest! Let’s get right to it. First of all, we’ve seen a brief clip from this morning on Fox News…

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Tenn. Tuesday: More Sun! More Wind! More Healthcare?

By JW Randolph | June 11, 2013 |

[Spoiler Alert] Yes, Yes, and Almost Certainly Not. American clean energy advocates are celebrating the revelation that solar energy made up half of new generating capacity for the first quarter of this year. Tennessee is a recognized leader in our region, and we have been particularly active in advancing new solar for years. Already in…

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Tenn. Tuesday: Energy Savings! Victories!

By JW Randolph | May 21, 2013 |

…HaslamConnectedLobbyistSellingPublicLandstoCoalCompanies! OH MY!! Good morning, and welcome to your Tennessee Tuesday, our weekly holler from your Tennessee hills. Drop us a note in the comments to say hello, let us know a bit about yourself, what you’re interested in and what stories we might be missing. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the…

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Clean Water Protection Act Introduced with 45 Cosponsors

By Thom Kay | May 7, 2013 |

Yesterday, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) introduced the Clean Water Protection Act in the 113th Congress with 45 original cosponsors. The Clean Water Protection Act, H.R. 1837, is a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives which would sharply reduce mountaintop removal coal mining by making it illegal to dump mining…

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Tennessee Tuesday: What Do We Do Now?

By JW Randolph | April 30, 2013 |

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…

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A Return to the States

By AV's Intern Team | April 16, 2013 |

By Appalachian Voices staff State legislatures in Appalachia are using their authority on health care reform, taxes, education, and energy and environmental policy to accomplish their own agendas, and sometimes, to rebuke federal policies. Here is the latest from our region’s representation. Virginia As he prepares to leave office this fall, Gov. Bob McDonnell will…

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The Appalachian States of Energy Efficiency

By AV's Intern Team | April 16, 2013 |

By Matt Grimley Every year, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy releases rankings on individual state’s energy efficiency performance. And every year, Appalachia is middling at best in saving energy. The ACEEE’s State Energy Efficiency Scorecard examines everything from building codes to utility programs and policies to determine who takes the top spot. 2012’s…

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What We Weren’t Allowed to Say

By JW Randolph | March 21, 2013 |

In this legislative session, Tennesseans’ voices were silenced. Here’s what I would have said. Yesterday, I was honored to be called to testify before the Tennessee State Senate Committee on Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, along with a friend, hero and colleague, Ann League. Ann is a property owner and resident of coal-bearing areas in…

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