Federal Creek in Athens County was recently rated as having "exceptional water quality" by the Ohio EPA in a report on water quality in the Hocking River watershed. The Athens News released the findings of the report in an article that you can find here.
The article goes on to assert that OEPA found the Hocking River to be "mostly healthy" with 70 percent of the tested sites meeting most of the quality standards set by the organization. We're particularly happy to hear Federal Creek mentioned, as Rural Action has been working closely with The Federal Valley Watershed Group for quite awhile now.
Check out the article!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
OEPA Report on Hocking River, Federal Creek
Secretaries Salazar & Vilsack to Visit Zanesville
As part of a larger "listening tour" of rural America by the Obama Cabinet, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be speaking about renewable energy in Zanesville, Ohio on August 16.
According to a news release from The White House, Salazar and Vilsack are ostensibly going to discuss green jobs and new energy initiatives, with a focus on renewable energy solutions.
The release also went on to quote President Obama speaking of the need for a " prosperous rural America" in these hard economic times. "Rural America is vast and diverse, and different communities face different challenges and opportunities. That's why we're going out to hear directly from the people of rural America about their needs and concerns and what my administration can do to support them."
You can read a brief article about the meeting in the Zanesville Times-Recorder.
MACED Report Tracks Impact of Kentucky Coal
Our friends at the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) recently released a report titled "The Impact of Coal on the Kentucky State Budget" that we think is worth reading.
Check it out here.
The report concludes that the state of Kentucky is providing the coal companies with approximately $115 million worth of subsidies each year - this during a time when there is a national dialogue about the future of energy and the role of the coal industry in the changes that are coming down the pipe.
MACED also penned a companion piece to their report, "The Economics of Coal in Kentucky: Current Impacts and Future Prospects," that better explains the economic forecast for coal in the state of Kentucky, as well as some perspective on how these changes will affect the industry as a whole.
Let us know what you thought about the two reports by commenting below.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Volunteer Celebration Tomorrow!
Rural Action is inviting all of our hard-working volunteers out to Lake Hope tomorrow (Friday, July 3) for a cook-out and canoe float to recognize their dedication during the past year.
The fun begins at 12:00 PM!
If you do plan on coming out to the volunteer celebration, please contact Calaina Goodyear (cgoodyear@ruralaction.org) so that we know to expect you. You can also call the Rural Action offices (740.767.4938) to RSVP, or with any other questions you may have.
Directions to Lake Hope from Athens:
Take State Route 56 out of town and turn left onto State Route 278 OR take Route 50 West to Prattsville and turn right onto State Route 278 and head north through Zaleski to Lake Hope State Park. From 278 turn onto Park Road #12 and go past the beach.
(Estimated Time: 30 minutes)
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