skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

New Power Line Agreement: “Unhappy Trails” for WV?

play audio
Play

Monday, April 21, 2008   

Charleston, WV – A plan to build a major interstate electric transmission line has won approval from the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Its supporters say the "TrailCo" plan will bring money and jobs into the state, with increased electricity production and the capability to export power to other states.

Environmental groups, however, are calling it a "trail" in the wrong direction for the future of West Virginia energy consumption. Bill DePaulo, of the West Virginia Sierra Club, says the plan involves building four more coal-fired power plants in the state. And that means West Virginia will absorb the pollution those plants emit--pollution for producing energy to be used elsewhere on the East Coast.

"These lines are being built, not for any current purposes, but to expand the use of coal in the future. We ought to be moving away from coal, not trying to be increasingly dependent on it."

Whether the electric power is used here in the state or shipped elsewhere, DePaulo says it would pay off for West Virginia to branch out into wind and solar production. He explains a federal "carbon tax" is likely to pass in Congress, which would greatly increase the cost of coal-based power production in the next few years.

"West Virginia is somewhere between 90 percent and 95 percent dependent on coal-fired electricity. Our overriding priority is to diversify that source, right now."

According to DePaulo, if the TrailCo plan had included investment in alternative energy instead, the Sierra Club would have supported it. He points out that alternative energy technology also can be an important source of jobs for the state.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021