Do you want to take your environmental engagement to the next level and become an environmental advocate inside of government?
If so, consider applying for a seat on the Henderson County Environmental Advisory Committee, which advises the Board of Commissioners on matters of environmental quality.
The committee is expected to begin work on several new issues this fall.
There are three open seats, and applications are being accepted now.
Committee members are appointed by the Commissioners. The committee meets quarterly on the first Thursday at 3 p.m. in the conference room at 100 N. King St.
For more information, click here or contact Henderson County environmental programs coordinator Rachel Hodge at (828) 694-6524 or rhodge@hendersoncountync.org.
To access the online application, go here.
![[Charlotte Sierra Club]](http://wnca.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/epa-carbon-40-300x300.jpg)
[Charlotte Sierra Club]
ASHEVILLE—On June 2, President Obama and the EPA announced the first-ever carbon pollution limits on all existing power plants. It’s the most important climate action of his presidency, because power plants are America’s single largest source of extreme-weather intensifying, public-health threatening carbon pollution.
The EPA has scheduled four public hearings across the country—in Pittsburgh, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta—to give people the opportunity to give oral testimony on the new carbon standards.
On July 29, concerned citizens from Western North Carolina will travel to Atlanta to give formal comments supporting the EPA’s proposed carbon pollution limits at the hearing in the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center.
A busload of area activists will leave Asheville at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday from Earth Fare in the Westgate Shopping Center. A press conference, rally and a march will be held in Atlanta outside the hearings. The bus will return to Asheville by midnight.
“We need to tell the EPA that limiting carbon from power plants is the fastest way to tackle climate disruption,” said Anna Jane Joyner, campaign coordinator with Western North Carolina Alliance. “The coal-fired power plant in Asheville is the largest single contributor to climate disruption in our mountains, releasing carbon dioxide into the air every year equivalent to 500,000 cars on the road. This is not just an environmental problem, it’s a public health issue and it’s an economic issue.”
The EPA says it anticipates hearing oral comments from about 1,600 people.
Anyone interested in getting a seat on the bus from Asheville to Atlanta should go to:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/bus-to-the-epa-carbon-protections-hearing-tickets-12239930963.
The cost is $10, plus a small processing fee.
People also can comment on the EPA’s proposal online or by email, fax or letter. EPA says it considers all comments equally, no matter how they are submitted.
The comment period on the proposed carbon pollution limits rule is open until Oct. 16.
Complete information on the various ways to comment can be found at:
http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/how-comment-clean-power-plan-proposed-rule
The French Broad Riverkeeper’s best friend, June Bug, keeps watch on the water.
WNCA is looking for a volunteer with graphic design experience to help create a State of the River Report for Henderson County.
You’ll work directly with French Broad Riverkeeper to distill data from current reports into a simple, attractive and easy to understand information graphic for the general public to consume.
Examples of previous reports will be provided.
If you’re interested, please email Hartwell@WNCA.org with the subject line: State of the River Report.
WNCA is pleased to announce its newest program, the Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina (CCAWNC), focused on faith-inspired environmental advocacy.
CCAWNC is a network of people of faith and congregations who work to bring practical and hopeful solutions to their congregations and to broader secular communities by engaging hearts and minds through education, service and advocacy.
“We are so happy that the Creation Care Alliance has chosen to be part of WNCA,” said Julie Mayfield, co-director of Western North Carolina Alliance. “We have worked closely with them for more than two years and have effectively supported each other’s efforts. CCA brings a vital and unique voice to environmental advocacy and education, and we help inform and focus their voice to be as strategic as possible.”
CCAWNC began in April 2012 as “WNC Green Congregations,” which was supported from the start by staff and resources at WNCA.
The group identified “food and faith” and “just energy/climate change” as its primary focus areas and has, among many initiatives, hosted two “Care of Creation” Earth Day vigils; delivered a letter with 73 local clergy signatories to Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good calling on the company to retire the Asheville coal plant from a moral and spiritual perspective; and hosted a “Climate and Faith Forum” last month to train and equip 100 clergy and lay leaders with the practical skills and the spiritual, scientific, and policy knowledge needed to become climate change advocates and leaders.
Creation Care Alliance is seeking supporters to invest in its work so a director can be hired to take its efforts to a new, and even more effective, level. The goal is to raise $29,500 by the end of August.
CCA has several events planned over the next year, such as hosting additional clergy gatherings and public educational events and panels, an inaugural “creation care” outing and service project, a local foods potluck with an educational component, a second Climate and Faith Forum and a third annual Care of Creation Earth Day Vigil.
Get involved with CCA at www.creationcarealliance.org or by contacting WNCA Campaign Coordinator Anna Jane Joyner at (828) 258-8737, ext. 210.
Press release from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
RALEIGH – Officials with the state Mining and Energy Commission are seeking public input on proposed rules for regulating oil and gas development in North Carolina.
Written comments from the public will be accepted at three public hearings and may also be submitted at any time July 15 – Sept. 15. Hard copy written comments should be sent to:
Oil and Gas Program
DENR-Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources
1612 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612
Written comments may also be submitted electronically through the state Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources website at:
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mining-and-energy-commission/public-comment-meetings
The public hearings are scheduled for:
• 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Aug. 20 at the McKimmon Center, 1101 Gorman St., Raleigh
• 5‒9 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Wicker Center, 1801 Nash St., Sanford
• 5– 9 p.m. Aug. 25 at Rockingham High School, 180 High School Rd., Reidsville
The complete text of the proposed rules and proposed revisions to existing rules are available online at:
http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=812822fd-9e97-4359-8935-4f07e713f0b1&groupId=8198095
The public comment period ends at 5 p.m. Sept. 15.
Western North Carolina Alliance recently partnered with the Waterkeeper Swim Guide to help answer a fundamentally important question about our waterways: “Are they safe to swim?”
“Waterkeeper Swim Guide” is a website and free app that displays water quality data in simple terms so people can determine the safety of using a specific swimming hole based on the assessment of E. coli levels and whether those levels are safe, as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA and the state have a lot of water quality data, but it’s often outdated and buried in complicated reports, said Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper with WNCA.
“The existing water quality data is interesting, but it wasn’t very helpful to tubers, boaters, and people who love to take a swim in many of our beautiful streams and rivers,” Carson said. “What the public really needs is a tool that would tell you where the closest swimming areas are located and which ones are safe for swimming.”
Carson and many volunteers began testing the French Broad River and several streams and tributaries in 2010.
This work has grown recently with the help of partners such as Headwaters Outfitters and Asheville Outdoor Center, which has allowed the Riverkeeper to gather data from a broader area of the watershed.
The sampling process currently includes 10 frequently used areas of the river, from the headwaters in Rosman to popular tubing sections of the river through Asheville.
The latest results from the Swim Guide indicate that cooling off with a tube down the river is usually a great idea—but after moderate to heavy rain, E. coli levels can spike, posing a health risk for those getting in the water. Sources of pollution after a rain may include runoff from animal operations, sewage overflows, and even legacy bacteria being stirred up from river sediment.
But the Waterkeeper Swim Guide will help you find your closest swimming holes and determine whether they are safe for swimming.
The guide’s information will grow as we add more volunteer partners.
Visit https://www.theswimguide.org/ to check it out, or download the app from your Apple or Android store.
![[Charlotte Sierra Club]](http://wnca.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/epa-carbon-40.jpg)
