The Good Gets Better

The April, 2020, issue of The Highlands Voice celebrated the passage of Senate Bill 583.  It would further the development of renewable energy resources by allowing the state’s utility companies…

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A Fond Remembrance

For some while I’ve considered jotting down stories from those early days of organizing West Virginia Highlands Conservancy — often around the table in Pittsburgh Climbers’ rented…

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Revelations

There is a white skein                                                     of fungus                                                     fast enveloping                                                     in its many tendriled way                                                     the…

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Thinking about the Economics of Petrochemicals

By John McFerrin             One of the clichés of our public policy has long been that we have to “balance” the environmental and social costs…

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West Virginia Rivers Coalition and Trout Unlimited Report on Pipelines

By John McFerrin             West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina are thick with rivers and streams.  More and more, they are (or are proposed to be)…

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Delay for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline

Dominion Energy and Duke Energy, co-owners of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, have asked federal regulators for a two year extension.  They now say the 600 mile pipeline will…

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Changes Coming to the National Forests

By John McFerrin             Many, many years ago a coal operator in eastern Kentucky was quoted as saying, “Green?  You want green, we’ll just take all…

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More Threats (and a little hope) for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act

By John McFerrin             The April, 2020, issue of The Highlands Voice included a story about threats to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  Those threats continue to grind…

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Environmental Protection Agency Limits States’ Rights

By John McFerrin For activities which cross or result in a discharge into streams and wetlands, builders must have a permit pursuant to the…

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Atlantic Coast Pipeline problems persist despite Supreme Court decision

From the Southern Environmental Law Center “While today’s decision was not what we hoped for, it addresses only one of the many problems faced…

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