This week's post is from Bruce Nilles, Director, and Mary Anne Hitt, Deputy Director, of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.
The Obama Administration just made a major announcement – they have directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to not issue any new mining permits until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a chance to take a hard look at well over 100 pending permits to bury streams with mining waste, an essential part of the mountaintop removal coal mining process.
Beginning with EPA’s recommendation today to deny a permit to bury a stream in West Virginia, this review, using the best available science, will likely halt the flood of permits that was unleashed by the 4th Circuit court decision last month.
That federal court of appeals decision left it up to the Army Corps of Engineers – and several companies had already utilized their permits to start blasting away. These dozens of permits would have obliterated huge swaths of Appalachia—all to continue our dependence on outdated and dirty energy.
Continue reading "Breaking News: EPA Orders Time Out On All New Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Permits" »
This post is by Kyle McEvilly, intern for the Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy Team
According to a recent poll, 38% of people feel that global warming will produce a "serious threat" toward their individual lifestyle within their lifespan. The number is significantly low when considering the scientifically-proposed urgency of the issue at hand. Many individuals, in fact, may believe that global warming and energy problems are rather forward-looking. Storytelling, of all things, may adjust these attitudes.
I recently had the opportunity to attend the PowerShift 2009 conference. Due to time constraints, I was only able to attend the opening workshop, which revolved around the topic of "Personal Narrative Training." Storytelling was a prominent feature at this electrifying event. The workshop was parceled into three sections, which all linked to an environmental theme. "Story of Self" elucidated a personal moment in one's life that shaped who they are today. "Story of Us" articulated components that unite a group of people around a common thread. And "Story of Now" encouraged people to employ these connections in order to take bold action on an issue.
Continue reading "The Power of a Story" »
This is this week's post from Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.
Utilities and coal companies would like you to believe that if we don’t build new coal-fired power plants, we will all have to spend the rest of our lives shivering in the dark. But in the news this week, we find a very different story about what really happens when energy companies look beyond coal: they invest in clean, renewable energy instead.
Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission denied a proposal by Alliant Energy to build a coal-fired power plant. Now, the company has decided to invest that money in clean energy – specifically, wind power.
In a story with an incredible headline – “Denial of Coal Plant Blows Utility Toward Turbine Deal” – Alliant Spokesman Rob Crain says, "The PSC expressed concern over carbon, and we listened."
Continue reading "Shifting From Coal to Clean Energy" »
