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U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

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Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Sierra Club Appeals PSC Power Line Decision To WV Supreme Court

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009   

Charleston, WV - A billion-dollar power line proposal has jumped another hurdle - at least for now. The West Virginia Public Service Commission will allow a subsidiary of Allegheny Power to proceed with an electric transmission line across parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia and northern West Virginia. Now, the West Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club wants the state Supreme Court to reconsider the project.

Sierra Club energy chair Jim Kotcon thinks the Trans Allegheny Interstate Line ("TrAIL") power line could cause more harm than good, because it's designed to ship cheap electricity from West Virginia to the power-hungry east.

"That electricity is almost exclusively from coal fired power plants. More coal-fired generation means more carbon dioxide emissions from those power plants."

He says there cleaner, although more expensive, sources of electricity closer to the east coast. Allegheny Power says coal is one of the most cost-effective ways to meet a growing demand for power. The company also says more transmission capacity is needed to avoid outages.

Kotcon says government regulation of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are certain to make electricity from coal more expensive in the coming years, and believes the state should be careful where it invests its money.

"One of the worst things that West Virginia could do is make a huge investment in coal-fired infrastructure that doesn't account for the cost of reducing carbon emissions."

Kotcon adds that, when approving the project, regulators used power demand estimates that have since fallen sharply because of the economy.



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