Making a difference in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Blog Archives
Tennessee Wants You to Sniff Out Rare Skunks
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is on the lookout for the rare Eastern spotted skunk after a trail camera caught one by chance last fall.
In Tennessee, electric bill fees hurt customers
As Tennessee electric utilities seek to maintain profits, they are are increasing fixed fees on customer electric bills, regardless of how much electricity they use. That’s patently unfair, especially for lower-income people.
Proposed Landfill at Oak Ridge Sparks Controversy
Residents near Tennessee’s Oak Ridge Reservation, which produced enriched uranium for nuclear weapons, are concerned about flooding and the release of radioactive wastewater at a proposed landfill.
Knoxville Chemical Waste Permit Renewed After Citizen Hearing
Community members voiced multiple concerns about the plant, which has previous infractions for leaking contaminants into local groundwater.
Virginia electric co-ops fight to keep doors closed to members
Rural electric co-ops were set up as democratic institutions, but have increasingly become unresponsive to their customers, who are also owner-members. In Virginia, members of two co-ops are challenging the status quo.
TAGS: electric co-op electric coops energy democracy Energy Efficiency Powell Valley Rappahannock rural electric Tennessee
Seeking Cooperative Change
Jeff Lewis lost the election for Powell Valley Electric Cooperative’s board, but he hopes they will take his concerns to heart.
How can TVA claim to support energy efficiency and renewables even as they implement policies that discourage them?
TVA is using its already-obsolete 2020 Integrated Resource Plan as an opportunity to cut funding for energy-saving technologies that it claims are driving down revenue.
TAGS: appalachia Appalachian Voices Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency Energy Savings Environment Tennessee TVA
Environmental Protection Agency Aims to Deregulate Coal Ash
The Trump administration’s proposal to roll back federal coal ash safeguards gives more leeway to states — and advocates worry that would put drinking water at risk.
TAGS: CCR Coal Ash coal ash cleanup coal ash rule deregulation Environmental Protection Agency EPA Kentucky North Carolina Tennessee Virginia West Virginia
Lawsuit Challenges Logging Sale in Cherokee National Forest
Several conservation groups are suing the U.S. Forest Service for allegedly allowing unlawful, high-impact logging on a 534-acre stretch of land in the Cherokee National Forest.
