And the winner is...

Unconditionally. Here are the results for our poll 'Would you support wind in your community?'

• 59% support wind unconditionally
• 24% would support wind depending on turbine location
• 10% would support it only if reduced energy consumption and rates
• 6% said the matter rested on logistics and regulations
• 2% said no.

Many folks left comments - and they run the gamut - so be sure to go check those out.

The NCGA inches forward...

Coal Ash. In June, the EPA revealed that 12 of the 44 toxic coal ash sites are present in North Carolina making us the national “leader” in a category no state wishes to lead. The list reinvigorated momentum for legislation sponsored by Rep. Pricey Harrison that would consolidate regulation of coal ash sites under one department and, for the first time, make high hazard coal ash sites subject to public inspection.

Click here to see if you live close to one of the ponds.

City FIRST. This innovative legislation breaks new ground for NC Sierra Club. It is a unique environmental financing model that gives cities the ability to help citizens overcome the initial hurdle of high upfront costs when it comes to making their homes energy efficient or adding solar.

This measure would allow willing cities to lend federal clean energy block grant funds to interested citizens for clean energy retrofits to their homes. Contact your state senator and urge their support for clean, renewable energy. 

City FIRST passed the House last week, it now moves to the Senate.  See how your representative voted (and email them to thank them) with the NC House vote count.

Congestion Relief/Intermodal Transportation Fund. With exploding population growth and growing commute times, pressure is building to offer true public transit options to consumers. This bill would provide local governments with revenue options to expand public transit.

Contact your state senator and urge their support. We need more transportation options.

“Bad” bills resurfacing. Approaching the end of the session, leaders in the State House and State Senate are locked in debates over pressing budgetary matters. With budget drama taking center stage this is a prime time for serious mischief, like the legislation that would approve terminal groins for the North Carolina coast. Here's why terminal groins are a bad idea.

Help us prevent terminal groins from marring our landscape.

More trees in Winston-Salem

Our congratulations go out to the Foothills Group for their dedication and work on a Tree Ordinance for Winston Salem, approved unanimously by the city council on Monday night. Sierra Club activists, including but not limited to Henry Fansler, John Calhoun, Elyse Jung, Gus Preschle and Elizabeth O'Meara worked tirelessly to pass the ordinance.

The Winston Salem Journal reported on the passage by saying:

“The council also ended a four-year debate last night by approving a tree ordinance. The ordinance approved by the council was a compromise between conservationists and developers, and it calls for trees to be saved or planted on 10 percent of the land for developments smaller than five acres.”

Coal Country

This fall will see the release of “Coal Country”, a film supported by the Sierra Club, and produced by noted documentarians Phylis Geller and Mari-Lynn Evans. The film is a revealing look inside the modern coal mining industry on both sides of the issue and will be shown at the Charlotte film festival at the end of September.

We would also like to provide additional screenings in communities around the state. If interested, email nation.hahn@sierraclub.org!

Must Reads

Pressure builds for better coal ash regulation | Facing South | July 20th, 2009 

"Administrator Lisa Jackson has said her agency will release a proposed regulation by year's end, and the Sierra Club -- one of the groups that pressed the agency to release the list of high-hazard dumps -- has launched an online campaign encouraging concerned citizens to contact their U.S. Senators about the need for the agency to move forward quickly."

Windy debate on state gems | Charlotte Observer | July 19th, 2009

"Maybe they'll find a way to allow wind farms up there without killing what we cherish most. But they have to get this one right."

Check out our statewide outings calendar. We have outings for all skill sets and levels of interest! Just come on out to the trail!

Take a gander at our blog. Right now, you can read about a UNC-Wilmington expedition to gather information about the Atlantic garbage patch.

If you haven't yet, become a fan on Facebook for daily updates on environmental issues in North Carolina.