By Judy Dasovich
The White River Group continues to fight a dangerous proposal by Springfield’s City Utilities to site a toxic coal ash dump on fragile karst landscape. We are trying to educate the community about the issue. This spring, we hosted “Coal Ash Stories” at the Moxie Cinema in Springfield, a series of short documentaries about people and places affected by coal ash toxicity. We also hosted two representatives from the EPA who discussed the new coal ash ruling. Both events were well attended, with good questions and discussion.
After year of litigation, environmental groups gained a victory in the Missouri Supreme Court over Empire Electric’s legislative manipulations. As a result, Empire now offers rebates for both past and future solar installations. The per-watt rebates approved are: $2 for systems installed from May 1, 2010 through December 31, 2014; $1.50 for systems that are “operational” by June 30, 2015, and $1 for applications filed by December 31, 2015 and systems installed by June 30, 2016. Call Empire for more details and take advantage of these rebates.
The White River Group endorsed and campaigned for Mike Schilling. He is a Sierra Club member who won a seat for the Springfield City Council in early April. We are pleased to have a strong environmental advocate on the council.
We are now working with the O’Reilly Hospitality Management, both for fundraising and to increase awareness among customers at their restaurants and hotels in Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and Kansas. Local students created artwork now on display with the theme: explore, enjoy and protect our waters. The artwork will be auctioned in the fall with proceeds going to the Sierra Club. In addition, they are also displaying Sierra Club posters and membership pamphlets. Please show your appreciation to their environmental focus by patronizing their establishments.
White River Group Activities
June 9, 2015