Think of the period between January 12 and March 12 as hunting season. The prey? West Virginia’s precious environment. The hunters? All those willing to undervalue and sacrifice the environment for a few extra dollars here or there. There are a lot of hunters in West Virginia, folks, and they were out in Charleston during […]
Immediately upon assuming office, President Biden issued an executive order addressing his climate objectives. Prominent among these was the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps to tackle climate change resiliency and provide job training to underemployed youth. The new CCC would be modeled on a popular New Deal program that put thousands to work on […]
On November 11, 2021 a $34million settlement was reached between residents of Bennington, VT, and Saint-Gobain Corporation, which formerly operated a Teflon factory in the area. Teflon was made using PFOA, the infamous “forever chemical” that fouled the Ohio River near Parkersburg, West Virginia. PFOA contamination affected some 2,400 properties and 8,000 residents in the […]
When President Biden left for the COP26 meeting in Glasgow recently, his primary plan for reaching the greenhouse gas reduction goals in the Paris Accords was in disarray. The cause of this disarray was mainly the opposition of West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. But Biden had Plan B, which involves a two-pronged approach to sharply […]
A new national security estimate — the first of its kind devoted to climate change — has been issued by the U.S. intelligence community. Simultaneously, the Biden White House has issued a fact sheet on prioritizing climate in foreign policy and national security matters. The key finding is that climate change will increasingly worsen risks […]
In his recent campaign finance report, Sen. Joe Manchin revealed that contributions from oil and gas interests – mostly in Texas – dwarfed the contributions he received from inside the state of West Virginia. Manchin is not involved in an active “campaign” at the moment and will not face reelection until 2024. The report covered […]
A new report issued by the First Street Foundation says that West Virginia’s infrastructure is at high risk from damage by a 100-year flood, one that has a 1% chance of occurring each year. Climate change is warming the air allowing it to hold more moisture, which causes more frequent and powerful rainstorms. West Virginia’s […]
For 100 years, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) has protected nearly 1000 bird species in the United States against being “taken” or killed except under prescribed circumstances. This statute prohibits hunters from intentionally killing birds without a permit, but has also been interpreted by courts and the Interior Department to prohibit incidental taking – […]
The Laurel Mountain Wind Project in Barbour and Randolph counties will be upgraded by 25% in the near future. The Project now involves 61 wind turbines and produces 98 megawatts of electricity. AES, the Project’s operator, announced the upgrade before the Randolph County Commission on October 7, 2021. No new turbines will be installed but […]
On September 29, Huntington city officials and representatives from Coalfield Development flipped the switch on a 294-panel solar array on the nonprofit’s building in Huntington. Coalfield Development trains coal miners to transition to renewable energy jobs. This solar installation is the largest for any nonprofit in West Virginia. The building, known as West Edge, houses […]
