From the AP:

North Carolina citizens have a chance to comment on their perceptions of the risk from a rise in sea level and what to do about it.

The state Division of Coastal Management said the online poll will help identify perceptions held by the public as it develops a policy on the issue.

Tancred Miller is the primary author of the survey and says the state is seeking everyone’s perception regardless of their knowledge about the topic or whether they believe it.

The survey is here at www.nccoastalmanagement.net. Curious as to the questions, I took the survey - of course identifying myself as a resident of Virginia Beach and the Sierra Club as my affiliate organization. The survey is on the flip. What’s interesting is the items suggested as possible adaptations and mitigation. I wonder how well a survey such as this would go over in Virginia.

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Video by ILoveMountains.org. From Glen Besa, Virginia Chapter Director, Sierra Club:

We need your help!

Will you take a few minutes right now to contact Governor Kaine and urge him to use his executive authority to allow community voices to be heard and to STOP the mountaintop removal strip mining that will destroy Ison Rock Ridge in Wise County, Va?

Ison Rock Ridge extends from Black Mountain on the Virginia/ Kentucky border and runs southeast toward the Town of Appalachia. A&G Coal Corp. wants to destroy 1,200+ acres of this mountain that borders several communities and hundreds of homes, putting lives at risk and impairing ecosystems for generations to come. Despite federal action intended to block this proposed mine, we have reason to believe that state agencies still intend to allow the destruction of Ison Rock Ridge, with only minor changes to the scope of the permit.

With the deadline looming, we need your help to call on Governor Kaine to be a real leader and urge him to allow community voices to be heard and to STOP the mine.

This message is going out across the Commonwealth today and is part of a coordinated effort to pressure the Governor to take action. Sierra Club, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and our allies are working hard on this two-year long struggle to protect Ison Rock Ridge from total destruction.

Ison Rock is the last ridge of Black Mountain in Virginia that hasn’t been totally decimated by mountaintop removal strip mining–and for good reason. Along its flanks lie several communities, home to hundreds of people. Because of this, and the cumulative impact of other strip mines in the area, the EPA took action earlier this year by directing the US Army Corps of Engineers to suspend the federal permit required to create valley fills.

This action attracted national media attention, but it’s not enough to save this mountain. The mining company now wants to go forward with a revised mining plan, and that application is currently pending before the state agency.

Please, send a message to Governor Kaine urging him to take action to protect our friends in Wise County!

This is very disturbing news and certainly something to consider as we in Hampton Roads consider adding pollutants from the massive Surry coal plant to our already deteriorating air quality mix.

The Surry coal plant will add 950 tons of nitrogen pollution, 118 pounds of mercury pollution and 14.6 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution to the air above our Hampton Roads area every year. This is the equivalent of adding nearly 3 million new cars to the road every single year in terms of increased air pollution levels.

Click here to learn more about what you can do to help us fight the Surry coal plant.

If you live in/near Virginia Beach, please consider joining the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee at their breakfast meeting this Saturday, July 25, 9:00am at Mom’s Kitchen, 3501 Holland Road. Speaking on the subject of the Surry coal plant will be Dr. Christine Llewellyn from the Williamsburg Climate Action Network.

We will meet at the Virginia Beach Central Library Parking Lot on Saturday, July 25th at 9:00 am near the Virginia Beach Blvd side of the parking lot. We will drive the hour to Newport News Park. The hike is about 7 total miles, however, there is also a 3 mile option for anyone who would like to come out for just a portion of the hike. For those wishing to remain for the entire 7 miles, we should return to the library by 2:00 p.m.

At 8,000 plus acres Newport News Park is the largest municipal park east of the Mississippi. With a unique combination of water and land habitats a wide variety of plants and animals may be seen, along with several civil war fortresses that remain in the park. We will have several good locations to stop for a light snack or lunch.

To sign up please visit: http://www.meetup.com/CbSierraClub/calendar/10576890/
If you have questions please email Chris at cbryan1101@aol.com