Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | 1 Comment
The rushed introduction, concurrence and signing of North Carolina House Bill 630 puts at risk many aspects of the progress that residents and environmental groups have made since the introduction of the Coal Ash Management Act in 2014. [
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Tuesday, July 26th, 2016 | Posted by Lara Mack | No Comments
Lara Mack, our Virginia Field Organizer, helped organize last Saturday's "March on the Mansion" in Richmond to call for clean energy solutions over fracked-gas pipelines, toxic coal ash and climate impacts. She reflects on the legacy, captured in the timeless song, "If I had a hammer," on the power of citizens coming together to fight for social justice. [
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Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments
Last summer, when Appalachian Voices' friend Caroline Armijo was pondering how to address the problem of coal ash pollution, she came across a few words of wisdom on the bottom of a coffee bag: “A good idea is right under your nose.” In this post that first appeared on her website, Caroline writes about a new technology that may offer a solution. [
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Monday, June 27th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments
In an open letter addressed to North Carolina lawmakers by the Alliance of Carolinians Together (ACT) Against Coal Ash, citizens threatened by coal ash pollution call on decision makers to take urgent action to ensure coal ash is cleaned up and impacted communities have access to clean water. [
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Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 | Posted by AV's Intern Team | No Comments
In May, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality released risk rankings for Duke Energy’s coal ash impoundments across the state following 15 public hearings. But those rankings could still change and a newly revived legislative battle is a sign that the controversy over coal ash cleanup in North Carolina will continue. [
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Thursday, May 19th, 2016 | Posted by Amy Adams | 1 Comment
Enabled by anti-regulatory powers in the legislature, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has abandoned the principles necessary to serve the public. It's time for lawmakers to acknowledge DEQ’s failures and focus on moving forward on coal ash cleanup. [
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Monday, April 18th, 2016 | Posted by Sarah Kellogg | No Comments
Residents of Walnut Cove, N.C., have fought for years to win justice for community members who have been harmed by coal ash pollution at the nearby Belews Creek power plant. In response to the interest in the threats posed by coal ash expressed by the North Carolina Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Walnut Cove community showed up in a big way. [
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Tuesday, March 8th, 2016 | Posted by Brian Sewell | 3 Comments
State officials in North Carolina owe citizens an apology and an explanation. The state Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Health and Human Services are walking back their own recommendations that families living near coal ash ponds not drink or cook using well water containing levels of toxic substances that exceed their own standards.
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 | Posted by Ridge Graham | No Comments
Over the past few months, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has seemed determined to have complete environmental regulatory control with little regard for federal or public input. In this endeavor, DEQ has taken every chance to highlight how external forces, including citizens groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are simply getting in its way. [
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Wednesday, September 30th, 2015 | Posted by Ridge Graham | No Comments
North Carolina communities impacted by coal ash celebrated two positive strides forward recently, only to be disappointed by another fast move on the part of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and Duke Energy that keeps too many citizens in limbo in terms of resolving polluted drinking water. [
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Friday, September 18th, 2015 | Posted by Tom Cormons | No Comments
Since the Dan River coal ash catastrophe of February 2014, there’s been more foot-dragging than problem-solving by Duke Energy and DENR to solve the state’s coal ash crisis. But citizens like Amy Brown are keeping the pressure on, and Appalachian Voices is right there with them. [
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Tuesday, September 15th, 2015 | Posted by Amy Adams | No Comments
The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources is acting like--to use its own term--a "bureaucratic object of resistance." The agency's creative interpretation of its mission statement is just one reflection of the McCrory administration’s broader hostility to the notion that public servants have a responsibility to protect the natural resources and therefore the public health and welfare of the Tar Heel state.
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