north carolina

October 7, 2015 - An alliance of grassroots groups has filed an emergency complaint with North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper calling on him to force the Charlotte-based utility giant to honor its corporate charter requiring it to act in the public interest by curbing its climate pollution and political influence.

October 5, 2015 - Days after announcing a settlement with the utility over its widespread coal ash pollution, N.C. officials were monitoring two of its high-hazard dams holding back millions of tons of the toxic power plant waste after reports of rain-related issues. State officials say the problems — seepage on one dam and a sinkhole near another — are not polluting the environment or endangering the public.

September 25, 2015 - This week marks the first visit to the U.S. by Pope Francis, who interprets the Bible as a handbook for social justice and calls the faithful to do likewise. In the latest installment of Southern Voices, we look at how religion has influenced Southern social justice leaders and their organizations.

September 24, 2015 - People from across North Carolina whose lives have been affected by coal ash pollution have joined forces to launch the Alliance of Carolinians Together Against Coal Ash. The coalition plans to press Duke Energy and state leaders for safer long-term solutions for coal ash storage.

September 18, 2015 - This week the Census Bureau announced the U.S. poverty rate remained virtually unchanged from 2013 to 2014 despite improving employment numbers. Economic justice advocates across the South discuss what they're doing to address the problem of persistent economic inequality.

September 15, 2015 - "I came here today because I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is vitally important for those of us who hold different views to be able to engage in a civil discourse," the U.S. senator and presidential hopeful told the crowd at Liberty University, an Evangelical Christian school in Lynchburg, Virginia.

September 11, 2015 - An effort is underway to kill a North Carolina law — the only one like it in the region — that requires utilities to generate an increasing amount of electricity from clean sources like solar and wind. Following the money behind what some are calling the "solar haters" campaign leads straight to dirty energy interests.