As families make tough choices between paying the power bill or buying groceries, there are mandates and market manipulations keeping expensive coal online and consumers paying the price.

By Marcia Dinkins

West Virginia has been named the least environmentally sustainable state in the U.S., according to a recent report by LendingTree that evaluated states on five major environmental metrics. The study placed West Virginia at the bottom due to significant challenges, including high carbon dioxide emissions, low renewable energy use, and limited electric vehicle (EV) adoption.

Not everyone in Appalachia has been encouraged to think of energy efficiency in a positive light.

Too often, we get told the pursuit of energy efficiency is a progressive, liberal, big-government ploy to get us to turn our backs on our way of life.

A majority of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions come from power plants and go toward electricity generation. Greenhouse gases are the leading cause of climate change worldwide.