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MT Raleigh Report – Going Back to Raleigh
Some of MountainTrue’s most important work is accomplished Raleigh, where we maintain a year-round advocacy effort aimed at protecting and preserving Western North Carolina’s natural resources. As part of this effort, five MountainTrue staff traveled to the North...
A Plastic Bag Ban with a 10¢ Fee Is Best for the Environment with Limited Cost to Consumers
A Plastic Bag ban would dramatically decrease emissions of greenhouse gasses and sulfur dioxide, and the consumption of fossil fuels and fresh water at an annual cost of $3.33 per consumer — EBT, SNAP, and WIC recipients would be exempt. Using environmental impact data provided by the American Chemistry Council — a group that lobbies and advocates on behalf of plastic bag manufacturers and the petrochemical industry — MountainTrue has calculated the environmental impacts of three scenarios: maintaining the status quo by doing nothing, adopting a plastic bag ban without a fee, and adopting a plastic bag ban that includes a 10-cent fee on paper bags.
MountainTrue’s Statement on the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan
The final Nantahala Pisgah Forest Plan will go into effect on March 20, 2023. The following is a statement from MountainTrue: On March 20, after 10 years of public input and planning, the Forest Service will adopt its new management plan for the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests — a disappointing document that is significantly worse than the current plan and contradicts an executive order issued by President Biden that would protect and expand our nation’s old growth forests …
Helping A Member Save the Trees of the Asheville Muni Golf Course
On Saturday, December 3rd, 2022, I got an email from Nancy Casey, a MountainTrue member, about a proposal to cut 157 trees from the Asheville Municipal Golf Course. ancy Casey is a resident of the Beverly Hills neighborhood and is active with the Blue Ridge Audubon. Nancy frequently walks and birds around the golf course. She can tell you what birds to expect at various times of the year at each hole and has documented some rare species, like brown-headed nuthatch and pine siskins, using the trees on the course, and knows where the local hawks nest there.
Public Testimony from MountainTrue’s Housing & Transportation Director, Susan Bean
Susan Bean on MountainTrue's support of the missing middle housing study proposed by the City of Asheville: As an environmental advocacy group, MountainTrue recognizes the undeniable connection between the built environment and the natural environment. How we...
Make your voice heard: Duke Energy’s rate hikes are unfair!
The North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) recently approved the disappointing Carbon Plan, which gives Duke Energy the green light to pursue a combination of energy sources, including gas and nuclear, to achieve North Carolina's carbon reduction goals. Now,...