Posts Tagged ‘Virginia’
McAuliffe can pave the way for a cleaner future for Virginia
In almost every campaign speech, Terry McAuliffe told the story of how he started a driveway-paving business in his neighborhood when he was 14 to earn money to help pay for his college education. Now Virginia’s 47th governor, McAuliffe should apply these values to his gubernatorial agenda and there’s no better place to start than by investing in a strong clean energy sector for the commonwealth.
Tennessee Invests in Main Street
By Nolen Nychay The Main Street Festival of Gallatin, Tenn., celebrates its 16th anniversary this October, keeping community traditions alive with local music and homemade food and craft vendors. Last year, the event drew more than 25,000 visitors looking to enjoy the rustic charm that the small communities of Tennessee pride themselves on. The Greater…
Read MoreVolunteering in Virginia
New River Valley Bike Kitchen This all-volunteer organization located in Christiansburg supplies cheap, recycled bikes to underprivileged citizens. With 19 percent of the New River Valley population under the poverty line and half of the population living within a 10-mile commute to work, New River Valley Bike Kitchen embarked on a mission to provide a…
Read MoreA Small (but important) Step: Appalachian Power’s New Energy Efficiency Proposal
April began with bright news in Virginia: Appalachian Power plans to begin providing energy efficiency programs for its customers in the commonwealth. These initial steps are a sign the company could soon be ready to offer a wider range of efficiency programs.
Advancing Community-owned Energy in Blacksburg
If you’ve ever wished that purchasing a solar array for your home could be more like shopping for food in bulk at a big box store, then the new program Solarize Blacksburg is right up your alley. For the next three months, Blacksburg, Va., is using financial tools and focusing the public’s interest in clean energy to encourage scores of potential rooftop solar customers to sign up all at once.
Virginia Legislature Ends with Modest Progress on Solar
Guest post by Virginia writer and lawyer Ivy Main: Advocates of enlightened energy policy march into session every January bright-eyed and optimistic, only to become mired in the slough of despond. We watch the best bills die, while bills we thought too backward to survive the light of day flourish like an invasive species. Yet even in Virginia, the past few years have produced glimmers of hope that suggest a slowly shifting mindset among legislators.
NCDENR Defends NCDENR, Not the Environment
North Carolina environmental officials held a press briefing last week to discuss the massive Feb. 2 Dan River coal ash spill. After offering misleading statements in defense of the agency, officials abruptly walked out amid unanswered questions on their continued delays in holding polluters fully accountable.
Powering Our Communities as an Olympic Event and Utilities as the Competitors
Our plans and achievements are be measured against our past performance and our potential. Take Olympic figure skating: the judges might remark, “That’s the best she’s ever skated!” or “He would have to beat his personal best by twelve points to medal.” But what about assessing how an electrical utility performs?
Bringing New Power to the Old Dominion in 2014
Around Virginia, folks share a belief in making electricity safer, more reliable, and more price-stable. Most people we talk with are already aware of our utilities’ current reliance on coal, but they’re often dismayed to learn that Dominion Virginia Power would keep solar and wind development at a marginal scale in Virginia for another 15 years.
Fighting for Virginia’s Clean Water
Appalachian Voices joined a lawsuit against Penn Virginia Operating Company in late January regarding selenium pollution from abandoned mines.
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