Appalachian Voices

March 8: Communities Over Corporate Profits: How We Win An energizing, family-friendly event focused on people power, shared victories and what comes next for our movements in North Carolina. There will be music, art with Paperhand Puppet Project, participatory group activities, keynote speakers, networking opportunities, snacks, and more. This event is part two of the collaborative Communities Over Corporate Profit campaign. Last October, over…

Join our partners for "Communities Over Corporate Profits: How We Win" on Sunday, March 8, in #Durham's Central Park to celebrate community wins across #NorthCarolina! RSVP ⬇️
https://loom.ly/VVByMcA

Public power belongs to the people. Save our TVA! There are signs that the Trump administration may be scheming to sell TVA’s publicly owned assets to private corporations.

When people across the Tennessee Valley came together to build the Tennessee Valley Authority, they weren’t just building dams and power lines — they were building public opportunity. Help us remind the TVA board that public power belongs to the people. TVA is not for sale! https://loom.ly/GDF1W2w

Call your senators: Ask them to vote NO on TVA board nominee Lee Beaman! President Donald Trump has renominated political megadonor Lee Beaman to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Board of Directors.

Trump renominated political megadonor Lee Beaman to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Board of Directors. We’ve never seen a TVA board nominee who has given us more cause for concern than Beaman. We helped stop his first nomination, and with your help, we can do it again. https://loom.ly/GmBUi-k

The #WV House amended a state budget bill to include $25 million for the Flood Resiliency Trust Fund, which previously hasn't been funded.

📣 West Virginia residents, it's important your state senators hear from you about this much needed flood resiliency funding.

https://act.wvrivers.org/a/sb250

Time is running out for Virginia to enact commonsense data center safeguards Time is running out for Virginia to enact commonsense data center safeguards

As data centers boom across #Virginia, their impacts on our air, 💧 & 💡 bills are growing fast. Tell yr legislators it's time to draw the line — data centers cannot be allowed to pollute our communities or push their energy costs onto #VA residents & other businesses.
https://loom.ly/Rpxve5E

Clinchco and Dickenson County, Virginia, residents are invited join us this Friday, March 6, from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at the Clinchco Community Center to discuss future plans for the Quarry Drive former mine site.

We hope to see you there!

March 14: White Bluff Community Preparedness and Resilience Workshop March 14: We hope you and your neighbors will join us for a free, interactive Community Preparedness and Resilience Workshop in White Bluff.

Join us for a free, interactive workshop! In a way, the recent winter storm showed exactly why this workshop matters. Preparedness and resilience aren’t just buzzwords — they’re how we make sure our families and neighbors are ready for whatever Mother Nature throws our way. https://loom.ly/Y9gC8QY

The Appalachian Solar Finance Fund has released its new Impact Report, highlighting three behind-the-scenes strategies that helped communities across Central Appalachia unlock investment, strengthen reliability and lower long-term costs.

Read the full report:

https://loom.ly/GsZCW5g

#solar

Don’t let the Forest Service take away your voice! We all deserve the opportunity to enjoy our national forests and to participate in decision making around how these lands are used.

The U.S. Forest Service is trying to take away your voice! 🚫🌲 The agency wants to make it harder for people to participate in some of its decision-making processes. Write a comment to the Forest Service, telling them why our national forests and public participation matter to you!

#DukeEnergy made $5B in profits last year—and now wants customers to pay more. NC regulators are reviewing a proposed 15% rate hike that could raise bills $20–$30/month. Our communities can’t afford this. Speak out. ⬇️
https://loom.ly/z4pcCEs

Join our partners for "Communities Over Corporate Profits: How We Win" on Sunday, March 8, in #Durham's Central Park to celebrate environmental wins across #NorthCarolina!

Learn more: https://appvoices.org/events/march-8-communities-over-corporate-profit

Our air and water are under attack Today, much of the country has clean air and access to clean water. But instead of strengthening these safeguards and improving public health, Congress and the Trump administration are attempting to gut our core environmental protections.

For decades, environmental laws like the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act have helped to ensure that our water is safe to drink and our air is safe to breathe. But we can’t take this for granted. These fundamental environmental protections are currently under attack. https://loom.ly/PW4kRJA

Roanoke City schools awarded $450,000 to construct solar energy grid for emergency shelters ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) has been given funding from the Va. Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) to increase its emergency shelter capacity at Patrick He…

#Roanoke City Public Schools continue expanding their #solar capacity! Recently, the Roanoke schools were awarded a grant to build a solar #microgrid with a battery energy storage system for emergency shelters. We love to see it!
https://loom.ly/om1IzK8

What the heck is going on at #TVA? 🤔 Bri Knisley of Appalachian Voices covers TVA's recent decision go all-in on coal, and how President Trump is using the TVA board of directors to cut the public out of the public power process — and how they may be making moves to privatize TVA.

White background. “To meet demand from Microsoft and other big tech companies, the local utility is building gas plants next to a local elementary school in Person County, NC.” Photo with arrows pointing to the neighboring elementary school, area for the proposed gas plants, and current coal plant.

UPDATE: After years of secrecy, @microsoft.com finally admitted it's building a data center at the 1,350 acre site it purchased in Person County, NC.

This data center is part of the justification for building a new gas plant near an elementary school. 🧵

Join staff from Appalachian Voices as well as Invest Appalachia and Mountain Empire Older Citizens for the "Building Our Strength: Growing Community Led Disaster Resilience in SWVA" panel on Wednesday, March 25, at 4:15 p.m.

For more details:

https://loom.ly/o8LUZSQ

Fifth annual Boone Docs Film Festival returns to the Appalachian Theatre on Feb. 27-28 BOONE — The fifth annual Boone Docs Film Festival, a showcase for short documentaries celebrating the people who live and work in Appalachia, returns in late February to the Appalachian

We're proud to be one of the sponsors of the fifth annual #Boone Docs Film Festival! Join us Friday and Saturday this week at the Appalachian Theatre for a celebration of short documentaries that lift up stories from Appalachia.

https://loom.ly/Xpzl28k

Bob Egbert: A Life of Service and Environmental Advocacy  A Navy veteran, community activist and lifelong environmental advocate, Bob Egbert has spent decades working to protect Virginia’s environment and to strengthen citizen engagement in government.

As a longtime Sierra Club member and an organizer with his church, Bob Egbert has worked on a wide range of issues in Virginia, including bringing Amtrak service to Roanoke, fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and promoting clean energy and environmental stewardship. https://loom.ly/byMjm8I

A new report from @appcitizenslaw.bsky.social and Appalachian Voices shows federal black lung disability benefits are not keeping up with the cost of living. Miners and advocates have been fighting for improvements to the system that would tie benefits to inflation.

https://loom.ly/yIP6tcE

Fluvanna Planning Commission rejects Tenaska power plant request - Cville Right Now The commission approved amending the county ordinance to allow taller smokestacks, but went on to deny Tenaska's request to have them.

After facing a swell of concern from residents about the enviro & health impacts of Tenaska's proposed massive gas power plant, the #Fluvanna Co. Planning Commission voted against the project on Tuesday night.
https://loom.ly/gIPdqk4

Environmental groups challenge Virginia water permit for controversial MVP Southgate pipeline Today, environmental groups filed a legal challenge to the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate extension’s water permit in Virginia.

Yesterday, we joined Sierra Club, Wild Virginia and the Center for Biological Diversity in launching a legal challenge to Virginia regulators' approval of Mountain Valley Pipeline's Southgate extension. #NoMVPSouthgate
https://appvoices.org/2026/02/23/va-southgate-401-challenge/

Soon, the #VA legislature will vote on bills that could determine what kind of impact the data center industry has on our communities, our 🩺 & our electric grid. Tell yr legislators: Put communities and the environment before data centers! #VALeg https://loom.ly/5gbJMXM

Plenty To Discuss As TVA Arrives In Hopkinsville As the Tennessee Valley Authority faces rising electricity demand, mounting reliability concerns and major long-term infrastructure decisions, a new policy platform from Appalachian Voices has called for greater transparency, accountability and public trust in the nation’s largest

Our new policy platform calls for greater transparency, accountability and public trust in the nation’s largest federally owned utility — just as TVA moved to extend the life of several major coal-fired power plants. https://loom.ly/mF4PLX0

➡️ Read the policy platform: https://loom.ly/FJwMbKM

TVA to keep two coal-fired power plants operating indefinitely (The Center Square) – Two coal-fired power plants in Tennessee that had been scheduled for closure in 2026 and 2028 will be kept open for the “foreseeable future” after a

“TVA already found these coal plants to be uneconomical & unreliable, & that hasn’t changed just because the administration wants to keep coal online. For TVA to take this action without public input is contrary to the public power model these new board members all recently affirmed." — Leah McCord

#Fluvanna Co. residents like Tracey are speaking out against plans to build a massive methane gas power plant. On Tues., 2/24, county leaders are considering changing the county code to permit the project. Join Fluvanna residents in saying no to Tenaska's gas plant. RSVP: https://loom.ly/TH0Wwbg

US's largest public utility says it now doesn't want to close two coal-fired plants The nation’s largest public utility says it now would prefer to keep operating two coal-fired power plants it had planned to shutter.

“This decision is salt in the wound after ignoring widespread calls for cleaner, cheaper replacements for the Kingston and Cumberland coal plants," said Gabi Lichtenstein of Appalachian Voices. @apnews.com

Celebrate #Appalachian life by attending the 2026 #Boone Docs Film Festival Feb. 27-28 at the Appalachian Theatre. This FREE event promises to be full of inspiring documentaries, filmmaker Q&A's & a community celebration of stories that reflect the ❤️ & soul of the region.
https://loom.ly/2F1iNQI

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approves permit for SSEP pipeline Yesterday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit for the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, an interstate pipeline proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit for Transco's Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, a methane gas pipeline. The permit, issued under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, authorizes Transco to cut crossings through more than 150 streams and wetlands. #NoSSEP

Extra! Extra! Read all about the latest news from Southwest Virginia's New Economy in the latest edition of the Mountain Ascent newsletter.

Be sure to subscribe to keep up with all the latest news and updates: https://appvoices.org/ascent/

This week, we passed the midpoint of the #Virginia General Assembly session known as crossover. We're excited to announce that more than a dozen bills of our priority bills have survived crossover! #VALeg Learn more: https://appvoices.org/vaga-2026