Mercury protections needed in Virginia
Richmond Times-Dispatch, OpED, Donald McEachin
This OpEd focuses on mercury pollution in VA waterways sourced from coal-fired power plants and the need for federal mercury regulations. EPA should be coming out with a finalized mercury rule at the end of this week.
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Dominion plans 56 mile transmission line for Peninsula
Dailypress
Dominion is planning [...]

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Two weeks ago, Governor McDonnell hosted an Energy Conference in Richmond. In anticipation of the conference, the Sierra Club and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network criticized the Governor for the lack of emphasis on renewable energy and energy efficiency in the agenda.  The Governor responded by claiming that the conference agenda was “balanced” and included [...]

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Crossposted from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network blog:
Last night, I filled the tank of my Zipcar with gas that was almost $4.00 per gallon. It was quite a pricey reminder of the volatility of fossil fuel markets. While coal prices have traditionally been less linked to global events, U.S. coal prices are becoming increasingly set [...]

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Not that this is much of a surprise, but evidence has finally surfaced showing that several critical safety systems were dysfunctional and some, possibly purposely disabled, for at least days before the disaster that killed 29 miners. The evidence doesn’t show that the disaster was a purposeful act of murder, but rather a favoring of [...]

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Cross Posted from ILoveMountains.org
EPA announced today that they will be vetoing the largest mountaintop removal permit in WV history.
We are thrilled to hear that EPA will be vetoing this permit in order to protect human health and aquatic ecosystems in central Appalachia. EPA’s own science has shown that mountaintop removal has permanent negative impacts [...]

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Just before Christmas, three health organizations announced that they are joining together in opposition to the proposed Hampton Roads coal-fired power plant and are inviting you to join them.
The Consortium for Infant and Child Health (CINCH), the Virginia Asthma Coalition, and the American Lung Association came together with a joint statement of opposition stating that [...]

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Here is an excerpt from the Daily Press article by Dan Parsons. You can read the whole article here.

WILLIAMSBURG —Plans are in the works for the Williamsburg City Council to issue a formal stance on the proposed Surry County coal plant when the call goes out for public input on plant permits, but speakers at [...]

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From the Richmond Times Dispatch. You can read the whole article here, excerpt below.

The CEO of the state’s largest utility said there must be a realistic conversation about the sustainability of alternative energy resources before a national energy policy can be made.
“Our habit of debating energy issues is to talk back at each other. We [...]

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A former Virginia underground coal miner, Daniel Hawkins, has come out against mountaintop removal coal mining and has started a blog on his experiences and opinions on the matter. He has written four excellent posts so far titled, “Where to Begin”, “What Happened? Coal Miner to Environmentalist?” (parts I and II), and “Part III: Realization”.

Coal [...]

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“Past error is no excuse for its own perpetuation. Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.” - Robert Francis Kennedy
It’s been over 8 weeks since the deadly explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine claimed the lives of 29 American Miners in [...]

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Richmond Based Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship remained cool and unapologetic over his company’s role in the Upper Big Branch disaster during last week’s Senate hearing on mine safety.  Legislators in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services grilled Blankenship over his companies safety record, as they attempted to determine what must [...]

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HUGE news. Don Blankenship will testify before Congress next week alongside UMWA President Cecil Roberts, whose impassioned testimony drew quite a reaction a few weeks ago before the Senate HELP Committee.  (.pdf)

Senator Byrd has accused Massey of ”scoffing and laughing at” repeated MSHA violations at the Upper Big Branch mine prior to the disaster that [...]

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Cross posted from the Appalachian Voices “Front Porch Blog”
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. issued the following statements in response to media inquiries on a number of topics relating to the mining disaster in West Virginia:
“While the situation on the ground this morning is not as encouraging as we had hoped, my [...]

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Hello friends,

I’m writing to ask you to take a step today that can help break King Coal’s economic stranglehold on coalfield communities in Southwest Virginia. By a few simple, digital steps, and three votes, you can help jump start grass roots efforts at sustainable economic development in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Heard enough? Great. [...]

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Reposted from The Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s Blog.
Today was another day for Virginia to make headlines. Like most headlines of late, this wasn’t a good one either. Our new Attorney General has made the environment one of his top priorities. Shouldn’t this be a GOOD thing you ask? In some instances, yes, but not when [...]

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