West Virginians Must Face Coal’s Future

See the original op-ed in the Charleston Daily Mail. West Virginians must face coal's future: We need to tax coal to help cover what it costs us By Ted Boettner The Daily Mail's Sept. 15 editorial, "Another coal study is not worth it," asserted that the costs imposed by the coal industry are not "facts" and that the Legislature shouldn't waste its time with such trivial matters. This should not prevent us from having an honest and evidence-based discussion about the costs and future of coal. While the coal industry provides tremendous economic benefits to the state, the costs associated with coal are real and significant. We ignore them at our own peril. The costs of regulating and supporting the industry, the legacy costs from past mining, and the external costs such as health care, damage to property and the environment add up to billions of dollars. Without these important public structures and the ability of the coal industry to externalize these costs, it would shut down tomorrow. While nobody wants to see this happen, we must diversify our state's economy. Coal production, whether we like it or not, will continue to diminish over the coming decades. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal production in West Virginia is projected to decline by 35 percent, to about 107 million tons per year in 25 years. In the southern coalfields, production is expected to drop by more than half. Refusing to acknowledge or accept this could have dramatic consequences...

The Gulf Widens: America’s Poor

The Census Bureau released figures about poverty, wealth and income in publishing the American Community Survey. Among the significant headlines is the fact that income inequality –the gap between the richest and the poorest Americans — reached record heights in 2009. This does not come as much of a surprise to folks living and working throughout Central Appalachia. Regional breakdowns of the data are particularly interesting, with Central Appalachian states continuing to register as among the nation’s poorest — though sadly, we are not alone in achieving this dubious distinction. From the NYT’s Economix Blog yesterday, by Catherine Rampell: Also as part of its broad data release regarding the American Community Survey today, the Census Bureau has also put out a report on poverty rates by state. As previously reported, in 2009, 14.3 percent of the American population had income that was below the official poverty threshold, compared to 13.2 percent in 2008. The poverty rate rose in 31 states last year. Here’s a map showing the poverty rates for each state: Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2009, Puerto Rico Community Survey, 2009. The rate was highest in Mississippi, at 21.9 percent, and lowest in New Hampshire, where 8.5 percent of residents live in poverty. There were only four other states besides New Hampshire that had poverty rates below 10 percent: Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey. Across the country the portion of Americans who were in extreme poverty — that is, earning less than 50 percent...

Last Chance: Register to Vote in Kentucky

Kentuckians have less than a week to register to vote (or update a new address if you’ve moved within the Commonwealth). The deadline to register is Monday, October 4 — County clerk’s offices will accept applications through the close of business Monday. For info and details on how to register, click here. About Kristin TraczKristin Tracz served MACED’s Research and Policy team from 2009-2012 working on clean energy policy, energy efficiency programs and the Appalachian Transition Initiative. She joined MACED after finishing her Master of Environmental Management degree at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. She now lives and works in Washington,...

New Fellowship Opportunity for Rural Journalists

A new fund has been established to help make training in computer-assisted reporting more accessible to those who cover predominantly rural communities. Daniel Gilbert, a reporter with Virginia’s Bristol Herald Courier, attended such a training, and he credits it with enabling him to produce his prize-winning work on the mismanagment of natural-gas royalties in Southwest Virginia. The six-day bootcamp Gilbert attended was run by Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE). With the training he received, Gilbert built a database that helped him compare 18 months of escrow payments with gas production to find that companies had not made any deposits at all into a significant number of accounts. After his findings were reported, energy companies quickly deposited into escrow more than a million dollars in outstanding royalties and legislation was passed to facilitate the release of royalties in escrow to property owners. In addition to the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for public service, Gilbert was the recipient of the first Community Journalism prize in the National Journalism Awards sponsored by the Scripps Howard Foundation. The latter award included a cash prize of $10,000, which Gilbert has donated to the endowment of the University of Kentucky’s Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. That money, other donations and a match from the state of Kentucky have created the Fund for Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting to provide fellowships for rural journalists to participate in computer-assisted reporting workshops like the one Gilbert attended. For information on how to apply for a fellowship or to make...

Appalachian Transition Conversation Opportunity: Weekend in Wise County...

Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards would like to invite everyone to “Weekend In Wise County” on October, 8th-10th. This event is an opportunity to witness mountaintop removal coal mining, to gain knowledge about the area and organizing efforts from a variety of workshops, and to enjoy good food, music and fellowship. Workshop offered will include: History of Southwest Virginia, Mountaintop Removal 101, Understanding the Permitting Process, Community Organizing 101, Economic Transition of Appalachia, Water Testing, and more! Tours of mountaintop removal sites and affected coal camps will be conducted throughout the weekend. Come Friday night for a special presentation of the Beehive Collective’s new poster, The True Cost of Coal, which uses images to tell the story of coal in Appalachia. Saturday night will be a night of free community dinner, musical entertainment, and a silent auction of local crafts items. Click HERE to register now! This event will take place at the Appalachia Civic Center in Appalachia, VA. Please contact or call with any questions. Cost for participation in the weekend is on a sliding scale of $20-75, with scholarships available. Hotel reservations can be made at a discounted rate ($40 per room, per night) under the “Weekend in Wise County” block at the Country Inn . If you are not able to attend the event, but would like to support another person attending, please contact with a donation pledge. This event is hosted by the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and the Wise Energy for...

“Rural STAR” passes the House

Last Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 240-172 to pass the Rural Energy Savings Program Act (H.R. 4785) with the goal of helping rural homeowners pay for energy efficiency improvements by reducing or eliminating upfront costs. The bill, dubbed “Rural STAR” because of its focus on rural homeowners like the related Home STAR legislation applicable to all homeowners , would make $4.9 billion available through the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service to rural electric co-ops. The co-ops would then provide low-interest loans for up to a 10 year period to their customers to finance efficiency upgrades on customers’ houses. The customers then pay back the loan through the energy savings (and thus, lower energy bills) through their monthly utility bill—a tool known as on-bill financing. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the typical loans to customers will range from $1,500 to $7,000 each and will be used to defray upfront costs of sealing, insulation, heat pump replacement, new HVAC systems, boilers, roof maintenance and other such energy-saving home improvements. The bill will now go to the Senate – where the larger, Home STAR bill also awaits a vote. It is increasingly unlikely that the Senate will take action on either bill prior to the November elections, which is a shame. Homeowners throughout Appalachia could certainly benefit from improving the efficiency of their homes before the coming winter. Want to take action? Call your U.S. Senators and encourage them to consider both bills as soon as possible. About Kristin TraczKristin Tracz...

Community and Small Wind Energy Conference Nov 30

Community Wind across America Community and Small Wind Energy Conferences 2010 It’s time to register for the Community Wind across America Mid Atlantic regional conference,presented by Windustry, a national leader in helping communities develop their own wind project, co-sponsored by Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Department of Energy. Mid Atlantic Region: November 30 – December 1, State College, Pennsylvania.Register Here. Scholarships Available: ARC is sponsoring 17 Scholarships for this networking and educational event focused on Community Wind and Small Wind development. Find out about scholarships here. Community Wind across America Conferences showcase ordinary people who are doing extraordinary work for residential and commercial development on a local level. Meet and learnfrom energized experts and colleagues who can speak on practical “how to” information, permitting, local, state and national policies, new business models, and options for financing Community Wind and Small Wind. Other 2010 regions are: Rocky Mountain October 26–27, Denver, Colorado and MidwestNovember 15-16, St. Paul, Minnesota, Who should attend Windustry's Community and Small Wind Energy Conferences 2010? Anyone interested in wind energy: rural landowners, farmers, ranchers, municipal utilities, elected officials, town planners, tribal representatives, economic development professionals, business leaders, investors, bankers, and community leaders. Each conference will cover the full range of what's needed to advance opportunities for locally-owned wind energy production. For more information: Catherine O'Neill at or Presented by Windustry, a nonprofit working to increase wind energy opportunities for local landowners and communities, with support from the United States Department of Energy. About...

Twenty-three Governors Including Ky. Gov. Beshear Call for a Renewable Energy Standard...

Posted by Martin Richards on KFTC's blog on 9/14/10: A bipartisan group of governors representing citizens across the nation, The Governors' Wind Energy Coalition, convened to address some of America’s most pressing needs — job creation, secure energy supplies and cost-effective carbon emissions reductions. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the chair and ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the bipartisan group of governors wrote, "A strong RES is the most economically efficient way to advance clean energy and immediately create jobs in renewable energy manufacturing; construction of new project and associated transmission, and ongoing operation and maintenance of these facilities." In a companion article posted to POLITICO, Gov. Chet Culver of Iowa and Gov. Don Carcieri of Rhode Island representing the group stated, "While other countries race ahead, U.S. energy policy has left Americans exposed to volatile prices and limited clean options. Europe, China, India and other countries are far ahead of the United States in terms of capturing the economic benefits of wind and other renewables — despite the fact that America has some of the world’s richest wind resources. The reason is simple: We lack a strategic, long-term policy with a bold yet practical RES requirement as its centerpiece." They cited a recent study by Duke University and Georgia Tech that says that strong national RES would increase wind power in the South by 474 percent. Earlier this year, a USA today article highlighted...