Articles by Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the editorial director of Facing South, the online magazine of the nonprofit Institute for Southern Studies in Durham, N.C.
All Articles
-
Crackdown on coal ash
The crazy quilt of regulations governing coal ash disposal across the United States got a new patch this week when North Carolina lawmakers passed a law requiring stricter regulation of coal ash impoundments, the giant lagoons where utility companies store the nearly 6 million pounds of toxic combustion waste generated each year at electric power […]
-
![]()
![]()
North Carolina governor calls for better regulation of coal ash dumps
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue (D) has endorsed legislation that would increase oversight of the state’s coal ash dumps, the massive surface impoundments that power companies use to store the toxic waste left over after burning coal. Responding to watchdog pressure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently disclosed the locations of 44 “high hazard” ash […]
-
North Carolina governor asked to address hog industry’s health impacts
Environmental advocates gathered at the North Carolina legislature yesterday for a press conference and prayer vigil asking the governor to create a task force to study and take action on health problems associated with industrial hog farms. The action came the same week new findings were published about the critical role hogs played in creating […]
-
![]()
![]()
West Virginia redefines dirty energy as “alternative”
When you hear the phrase “alternative energy,” what comes to mind? Solar power? Wind? Hydroelectric? Not for West Virginia’s political leaders. They think a little differently. In the recent legislative session, Gov. Joe Manchin (D) championed and state lawmakers approved an energy portfolio standard bill requiring 25% of generation to come from “alternative and renewable” […]
