Posts Tagged ‘Wise County’
Reckoning with land ownership as Central Appalachia moves away from coal
Appalachia’s biggest problem may lie below our feet. Throughout the booms and busts of the coal industry, landholding corporations have kept their grasp on the land which previously held coveted resources.
Read MoreVirginia officials must begin planning for Wise County, other power plant closures
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, chelsea@appvoices.org, 614-205-6424 Cat McCue, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 Today, the Institute for Energy Economics and Analysis released a report shedding light on Dominion Energy’s costly coal-fired Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise Co, Va., and its likely early closure. The report, entitled Virginia Coal Plant’s Future Isn’t Bright: Preparation for Transition Should Commence…
Read MoreSouthwest Virginia schools, local governments urge fair access to solar
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, New Economy Program Manager Appalachian Voices chelsea@appvoices.org 276-207-9636 NORTON, VA. – Several school boards and counties in Southwest Virginia are calling on local leaders and Appalachian Power Company to allow fair access to solar energy for their public facilities in the utility’s Southwest Virginia territory. The Wise County and Tazewell County school…
Read MoreA Pilot Program’s Uncertain Record
Some projects receiving federal funds for economic development near abandoned mines have strong community support; others, not so much.
Read MoreWise County Solar Tour
Tour some of Wise County’s solar energy installations on Oct. 19 as part of the 24th Annual National Solar Tour.
Read MoreSouthwest Virginia group challenges surface mine proposed near UVA-Wise
The mining company’s executive is the former head of the corporation responsible for the 2004 mining accident that killed 3-year-old Jeremy Davidson.
Read MoreVa. health advocates hold coal company accountable for water pollution
Contact: Matt Hepler, 276-679-1691, matt.hepler@appvoices.org Brian Willis, 202-675-2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org Isak Howell, 540-998-7744, ihowell@appalmad.org WISE, Virginia – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia has ruled in favor of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Sierra Club on a citizen request for federal inspection of Red River Coal Company’s Greater Wise mine. In…
Read MoreSolarize Wise (Va.) running strong with Sigora Solar on board
Contact: Lydia Graves, Solarize Wise Program Coordinator, Lydia@appvoices.org, (276) 679-1691 NOTE TO EDITORS: These photos (here and here) are available to download and print. Caption: Solar thermal hot water system on the roof of the Duffield Regional Jail in Scott County, Va. Photo credit: Christine Gyovai. In the last several months, more than 45 people…
Read MoreConnecting the economic dots in Southwest Virginia
More than 300 people turned out for the recent Southwest Virginia Economic Forum hosted by UVA-Wise — perhaps the largest gathering of people coming together to talk specifically and hopefully about solutions for the region’s economic future. A week later, the positive energy coming out of the forum is still palpable in the community, with some feeling it may have been the turning point for the region.
Read MoreCrowdsourcing Southwest Virginia’s New Economy
Appalachian Voices is on the ground in southwest Virginia, holding community forums and engaging with citizens from all walks of life to gather their hopes and visions for creating a new economy in the region. You might think of it as old-fashioned crowdsourcing. Soon, we’ll have an online, modern-day crowdsourcing platform to gather more ideas and details to help make these visions become reality.