Environment

October 15, 2015 - The Georgia-based Federation of Southern Cooperatives is the domestic winner of this year's Food Sovereignty Prize, which honors grassroots activists working for a more democratic food system.

October 14, 2015 - Accusing state regulators and the utility giant of "extraordinary efforts" to marginalize conservation groups' interests in addressing coal ash pollution, the Southern Environmental Law Center has filed a legal action seeking to overturn a controversial settlement reached without the groups' input or knowledge.

October 8, 2015 - From Appalachia to the Deep South, organizations are building local and regional food systems to boost rural economies and improve community health.

October 8, 2015 - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called the extreme rain her state experienced recently "historic." But her administration has been less than forthcoming about the reality of climate change and its expected impacts on her state — which include more extreme rainfall events.

October 7, 2015 - An alliance of grassroots groups has filed an emergency complaint with North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper calling on him to force the Charlotte-based utility giant to honor its corporate charter requiring it to act in the public interest by curbing its climate pollution and political influence.

October 5, 2015 - Days after announcing a settlement with the utility over its widespread coal ash pollution, N.C. officials were monitoring two of its high-hazard dams holding back millions of tons of the toxic power plant waste after reports of rain-related issues. State officials say the problems — seepage on one dam and a sinkhole near another — are not polluting the environment or endangering the public.

September 24, 2015 - People from across North Carolina whose lives have been affected by coal ash pollution have joined forces to launch the Alliance of Carolinians Together Against Coal Ash. The coalition plans to press Duke Energy and state leaders for safer long-term solutions for coal ash storage.

September 17, 2015 - A poll released this summer highlighted the environment as a major concern among Latino voters, even though they might not think of themselves as environmentalists. The South’s growing Latino communities are engaging with environmental issues in a variety of ways.

September 11, 2015 - An effort is underway to kill a North Carolina law — the only one like it in the region — that requires utilities to generate an increasing amount of electricity from clean sources like solar and wind. Following the money behind what some are calling the "solar haters" campaign leads straight to dirty energy interests.

September 10, 2015 - The letter, sent to President Obama on Sept. 10, is the latest evidence of mounting opposition to the proposal to open the East Coast to offshore oil and gas drilling.