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, November 25th, 2015 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
Appalachian Power Company customers gathered in Roanoke recently to learn more about their electricity provider's long-term resource plans and get involved in these critical decisions. Here's a look at how APCo’s plan stands to impede Virginia from harnessing its full renewable energy potential. [
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Friday, November 6th, 2015 | Posted by Brian Sewell | No Comments
From Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s perspective, it’s probably best to just keep a lid on what state officials say publicly about controversial natural gas pipelines proposed to cut through the state. But among opponents of the pipelines, the administration’s actions are only deepening skepticism of the governor and his relationship with the projects' primary backers. [
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Friday, October 23rd, 2015 | Posted by Erin Savage | No Comments
While the draft Stream Protection Rule is far from perfect, it is a long overdue update to protections for surface and groundwater from mountaintop removal coal mining. Not surprisingly, the coal industry had relied on “war on coal” talking points to fight against the rule, and claims these protections are unnecessary and will undermine an otherwise viable industry. Let’s examine those claims.
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Monday, October 19th, 2015 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | 2 Comments
From Anchorage to Miami, and South Portland to San Diego, thousands of people came out for the National Day of Climate Action this month. In Charlottesville, Appalachian Voices helped turn out perhaps the largest, most diverse environmental justice crowd ever assembled here. [
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Thursday, October 8th, 2015 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
If Virginia takes a pragmatic approach to the Clean Power Plan, it can incentivize energy efficiency programs and drive growth in solar power — two ways to ensure a more secure grid and shrink bills for electric customers. But there are possible pitfalls too. That's why it's critical for Virginians to engage throughout the process, pressing state officials to advance a vision of safe, affordable and reliable energy.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2015 | Posted by Tom Cormons | No Comments
President Obama’s announcement that day of first-ever regulations to limit carbon pollution from power plants in America — which has one of the largest carbon footprints in the world — marks an unprecedented milestone. Yet, as important as it is, it’s anything but certain how the story unfolds from here. [
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Friday, August 7th, 2015 | Posted by Jamie Goodman | No Comments
Alpha Natural Resources, one of the largest coal mining companies in the United States and a big player in the Appalachian coal market, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday of this week, blaming "an unprecedented period of distress with increased competition from natural gas, an oversupply in the global coal market, historically low prices due to weaker international and domestic economies, and increasing government regulation that has pushed electric utilities to transition away from coal-fired power plants. [
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Monday, July 20th, 2015 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | No Comments
A report by Public Citizen’s Climate Program details how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's soon-to-be finalized standards on carbon pollution could lower Virginians' power bills. The strategy for achieving this benefit is simple: invest in cost-effective energy efficiency programs first. [
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Monday, July 6th, 2015 | Posted by Hannah Wiegard | 2 Comments
It’s like Christmas in July, at least for those of us who get excited about energy news. On Wednesday Virginia’s utilities released their long-term plans to meet demand. Here we unwrap that bright shiny package for a look at what Appalachian Power is pursuing between now and 2029. [
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Thursday, June 18th, 2015 | Posted by Cat McCue | No Comments
"...for human beings to degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are sins." Thus spake Pope Francis today in his "Laudato Si'" letter, the Vatican's first encyclical on the environment. And it's a doozy. [
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Tuesday, June 9th, 2015 | Posted by Cat McCue | No Comments
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today rebuked the first legal challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to cut global-warming pollution from the nation's power plants. In a straightforward ruling, the court said the states and the industry groups had no legal grounds to challenge EPA’s “Clean Power Plan” since it has yet to be finalized.
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