Take Action
Have your say in what happens to our forests, water and communities. With MountainTrue, you can join forces with citizens from across the region and your community to:
- Influence public policy to better address development pressures.
- Safeguard the treasures of our public forests, including an array of wildlife, old growth stands, and rare ecosystems.
- Preserve working farms and traditional mountain communities.
- Halt the proliferation of exotic invasive plant species that threaten native ecosystems.
- Expand our ability to rigorously monitor and protect water quality.
Keep checking this page for updates on our campaigns!
Join Us At A Forest Management Plan Comment Party
The draft management plan and environmental impact statement for the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests were released on Friday, February 14. Our forest team is reviewing the more than 2,000 pages contained in those documents and we are scheduling a series of Forest Management Plan presentations and comment-writing parties throughout our region where our staff will present our analysis, answer your questions and help you write your comments.
Tell Beech Mountain Town Council: Fix Your Pipes. Save Our River.
The Watauga Water Intake Project would reclassify the Watauga River, opening it up to any number of water withdrawals and increased development. As of October 2018, Beech Mountain is still losing 150,000 gallons of water from leaky pipes per day – or 47% of Beech Mountain’s annual water use. Yet Beech Mountain has recently increased funds for the Watauga Water Intake Project to $2.15 million in this budget cycle. Take action here to tell Beech Mountain Town Council: The Town shouldn’t take on an expensive water intake when almost half of the water supply is currently leaking.
Duke Energy Rate Increase Hearing Comes to Asheville Feb. 20
“It is unconscionable for a company making this level of profit to call on customers – many of whom are on low or fixed incomes – to foot the bill for Duke’s coal ash mismanagement and continued reliance on fossil fuels,” says Eliza Stokes, an organizer for MountainTrue and a customer of Duke Energy Progress.
Update NC’s Spill Notification System to Keep People and Waterways Safe
The public has the right to know about major pollution spills that impact our waterways as soon as possible, and through the technology the public uses today. Sign the petition below to tell the NC Department of Environmental Quality: Update your spill notification system for modern times to keep North Carolina’s people and waterways safe.
Tell the NC Utilities Commission: Enough is Enough. No More Duke Rate Hikes For Dirty Energy.
Duke Energy is trying to raise our electric bills to pay for dirty energy. Again. The company’s latest rate hike proposal would increase residential rates by 6.7% – or about $97 more per year for the average electricity user.
It’s time for the North Carolina Utilities Commission to put an end to this behavior. Take action here to tell the NC Utilities Commission: No more Duke rate hikes for dirty energy.
Tell Buncombe County’s Board of Commissioners: Thanks for Voting for the Solar RFP. Now, Make Solar Energy a Reality.
On November 5, Buncombe County’s Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 to request proposals for solar energy on county-owned buildings and land. With their vote, the County has taken a crucial first step in walking their talk on renewable energy. Now, we’re calling on the Board of Commissioners to go beyond exploring renewable energy to funding and building it – and to get started as soon as possible.
Take Action: Protect the Public’s Role in Public Lands
The U.S. Forest Service has released an extreme set of proposed changes that would cut the public almost entirely out of decisions affecting our public lands. Speak out against the Forest Service’s proposal and protect the public’s role in public lands here.
Ask The General Assembly To Support WNC Rivers in the Budget
Over the past few months, MountainTrue has been working with lawmakers to support a number of conservation projects that could end up being adopted in the next state budget. These projects will help clean up hazardous spills like the one that happened last year on the Watauga River, fund expanded water quality monitoring and improved river access for anglers, boaters and swimmers. Contact your legislators to urge them to support clean water for WNC and ensure that they make it into the final budget.
