Posts Tagged ‘Virginia’
The Emerging Efficiency Lobby: Diverse Interests Find Common Ground
By Molly Moore Conversations about blowing up mountains for easier access to coal or risking offshore oil spills to boost a corporation’s bottom line spark passions in a way that those about financing energy efficiency retrofits don’t. But wherever national energy dialogue goes, talk of energy efficiency and minimizing our energy consumption is sure to…
Read MoreStrange Happenings in Norfolk
Norfolk could be on the verge of becoming the fourth Hampton Roads locality to officially oppose the largest coal fired power plant ever proposed in Virginia. It appears, however, that a few strange events occurred in the last couple weeks that kept it from coming to a vote and could potentially make the resolution of…
Read MoreBig Coal’s Assault on Property Rights
Big Coal’s audacity can be astounding. For years, the coal company Consol has been dumping toxic wastewater into mined-out underground mines in Buchanan County, Virginia, without the consent of the owners of the property where these old mines are located. In 2008, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that this is an illegal trespass against the…
Read MoreUpdate on our Surry/Hampton Roads Coal Plant Fight in Virginia
Locals and people across Hampton Roads have been overwhelmingly opposed to ODEC’s proposed coal plant. Photo at hearing by Jackie Carroll 2/27/12 In December 2008, the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) proposed to build the largest coal plant in Virginia, across the river from Williamsburg in Surry County. It was to be 1,500 megawatts, in…
Read MoreURGENT: Don’t Let Big Coal Poison Virginia’s Groundwater!
A dirty bill in the Virginia General Assembly is bad news for the health of Virginia’s groundwater. We urgently need to show state senators that clean water for the Commonwealth is more important than cost-cutting measures for the coal industry! A bill, HB 710, has been introduced into the Virginia General Assembly that would allow…
Read MoreReclaiming Appalachia: Can Legislation and Enforcement Restore Mountains?
By Molly Moore Kathy Selvage has lived in Stephens, Va., her entire life. From her front porch, she can almost see the field where her childhood home once sat. Instead of the hardwood forest that surrounded her home, graded hills lean against each other like a lumpy bag of onions beneath a blanket of savannah…
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 MoreFriends of Smokies Receives $10,000 from REI for Trails Forever Program
The Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have received a grant for $10,000 from the national outdoor retailer REI. The grant will benefit the Trails Forever program, which supports trail improvements throughout the park. Funds will help finance a new equipment trailer to transport tools and supplies needed for trail improvement projects. The…
Read MoreSELC Releases Top Ten Endangered Places List, Shows Threats in Southeast
The Southern Environmental Law Center recently released its fourth-annual Top 10 Endangered Places list for 2012, highlighting the ecologically and culturally rich areas throughout the Southeast that are threatened by development, water issues and the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal and hydraulic fracturing. Southeastern states bordering Appalachia, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, are each featured…
Read MoreSELC’s Top 10 Endangered Places List Shows Threats in the Southeast
By Madison Hinshaw, Communications Editorial Intern in Spring 2012. The Southern Environmental Law Center recently released its fourth-annual Top 10 Endangered Places list of 2012, highlighting the scenic, ecologically and culturally rich areas throughout the Southeast that are being threatened by development, water issues and the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal and hydraulic fracturing. The…
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