Clean Water Protection Act Call-in Day

We need your help to bring an end to mountaintop removal coal mining. PLEASE MAKE A CALL TODAY!
This week, over 140 citizens from Appalachia and across the US will gather in our nation’s capital as part of our 4th Annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington.

They will be meeting with members of Congress to urge them to co-sponsor HR 1310, the Clean Water Protection Act which would help to end mountaintop removal coal extraction.

Mountaintop removal is one of the most egregious environmental and social justice disasters in America today – over 500 mountains, equal to over 1.5 million acres of land have been destroyed by this practice.  Residents and supporters from across the US are asking for an end to this practice and an investment in sustainable economic alternatives for Appalachia.

You can help end mountaintop removal. Click here to show your support for the mountains, the people and the waters of Appalachia.

By calling your House Representative in Congress today, you can make the case that now is the time for Congress to take action to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.  Our goal this year is to pass the Clean Water Protection Act in 2009 — be a part of making history with us!

Call your House Representative today: Use our nifty call-in tool that will dial your Representative directly at no charge and provide you with a script for speaking to them by clicking here In addition to the provided script, it would be great for you to add why, as a person of faith, you are in support of the legislation.  Let your Representative know that:

*God calls us to sustain creation for future generations. (Psalm 8:6-8)
*God calls us to walk with those in unjust systems.  (Proverbs 31:8-9, Matthew 25:34-40)
*God calls us to protect what belongs to him. (Genesis 2:15-17)
And much more!  Please elaborate and add your own reasons.

You can also find out whether your Representative sponsored the Clean Water Protection Act in 2008 here

Thanks for helping to save a national treasure, the Appalachian Mountains and its communities.

PS. We strongly suggest you call your representative, but If you would prefer to contact your Representative by email, click here

 

Christians for the Mountains on NPR

Sandra Sleight-Brennan produced a three part series for the Environment Report on NPR about Mountaintop Removal which aired this week.  Part 3 of the series focused on the role that relgious groups play in the fight against MTR and features Christians for the Mountains.  Please check out the story.

 

National Teach-in on Global Warming Solutions

February 5th is the day of National Teach-in on Global Warming Solutions.  We always hear of the dangers of Global Warming, and it is important to know how this will impact humans and ecosystems, but now is the time to talk about solutions.  There are ways that we can stop things from getting worse and get onto the track of a healthy future.

Marshall University in Huntington, WV is hosting a teach in. Below is the agenda.  Want to find a Teach-in closer to home?  Check out the action map for an event near you.

National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions
February 5, 2009
Marshall University’s Program for Participation…

The Global Warming Solutions Gallery

Location and Time: Marshall University Student Center, Room BE5, 10am until 7pm

a.    10:00am – 11:00am: Connect to “Focus the Nation”
b.    11am – 11:30am: Coal River Wind Project Presentation
c.    11:30am – noon: Dr. Mike Little’s Agriculture Reclamation for Mountaintop Removal Sites Presentation
d.    Noon – 1pm: Discussion of “A New Shared Economy for Appalachia” paper
e.    1pm – 3pm Green Jobs Panel, with representatives from:
i.    Center for Economic Options (CEO)
ii.    WV Youth Action League (WV-YAL)
iii.    Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER)
iv.    More participants TBD
f.    3:00pm to 3:30pm: Green Bridge (a green business being developed by MU students)
g.    3:30pm to 5pm: Open Mike
h.    5pm to 7pm: “Kilowatt Ours” (film)
i.    Other Gallery Items:
i.    The Global Warming Solution Poster Series provided by Marshall’s HON480 “Global Climate Change: Scientific and Social Perspectives” Class
ii.    Kat Cadle (poster and handouts on simple ways to live sustainably)
iii.    Showcase of Marshall’s available, relevant library items on green design, sustainability, global warming, etc.

Anyone interested in presenting an idea, project or information about a global warming solution can email Libby Callicoat at callico1@marshall.edu to be included.

 

TVA Tragedies: How does this impact our future?

www.ilovemountains.org has a great round-up of recent news surrounding the TVA spills in Tennessee and Alabama including various news articles, releases from TVA and other agencies, fact sheets on fly ash, coal waste, ecological risk, etc, photographs, and videos. Thank you ilovemountains for putting together this wonderful resource page.  Please check it out here.

Congressman Nick Rahall from southern WV, who also serves as the House Chairman of Natural Resources, is calling for federal regulations concerning coal ash dams.  Check out the Charleston Gazette article here.  But what good will this do? It is already painfully obvious that countless rules and regulation that are supposed to govern coal extraction and plants are not followed.  Furthermore, what use is a regulation with no one to enforce it?  Doesn’t the “P” in EPA and DEP stand for protection? Better yet, outlaw this sort of containment all together.  By using the dry-press method, there is no need for ponds that may potentially bust and release toxins. The slightly higher processing fee is worth protecting health and safety. Hopefully the tragedies in Harriman, Tennessee and at the Widow’s Creek plant in Alabama will serve as a wakeup call for policy makers, the new Presidential administration, and the American people that something needs to be done. Just think about the children that attend  Marsh Fork Elementary in southern WV. The school sits just “225 feet from a coal loading silo that releases chemical-laden coal dust and 400 yards from a 385 foot tall leaking sludge dam with a nearly 3 billion gallon capacity.” (Pennies of Promise) This is not the same material released at the TVA site, but is still extremely toxic and poses a tremendous threat.  Many of the children already suffer from nosebleeds, asthma, headaches, and much more. Just think of the unimaginable tragedy that would occur if this containment pond were to break as well.

In some cases, certain types of regulations create negative impacts on other ecological and health issues.  For example, The second TVA disaster in AL last Friday concerned Gypsum which is used as a “scrubber”, chemicals that are used in coal burning power plants to pull sulfur dioxide from the emissions in order to meet clean air standards. While this is good for the air, it creates a by-product that must be disposed of somehow, and in this case the gypsum spilled into the Tennessee river and damaged the water.  Regulations need to be formulated in a holistic manner and be truly enforced with severe consequences if not followed.

Is this what God had in mind when he called us to tend to his garden?  We must use what God has given us in responsible ways, and it is a possibility.  What is also very disturbing about these recent disasters is that they could have been prevented. There are methods in place to limit risk, but of course sometimes added safety  may mean an added cost. We must ask ourselves, what is best for the future of God’s creation- the environment and his children? In the long run, what has a higher cost, a small amount of money added to each ton to ensure, in multiple facets, a more ethical practice, OR the cost of cleaning up a major environmental disaster, the impact on health, safety, and ecosystems, and the cost of defiling God’s gift to humanity?

We must take action in order to protect our families, environment, and future.

• Share this news with your friends and family.  Educate them and yourself about the TVA disasters.  Let them know that there are many other sites in similar danger.
• Write or call your congressmen as well as those in affected areas.
• Advocate for clean energy and responsible mining, processing, and containment behaviors.  One way you can do this is by pledging to make a call to the White House on Jan 21. the national call-in day hosted by CLEAN.  See previous post for details or just go here to sign up.

 

Operation: Call the White House

On January 21, thousands of people from all walks of life are coming together to call the White House. On this call, we are going to ask President Obama to:

• Say YES to renewable energy.
• Say YES to energy efficiency.
• Say NO to carbon capture sequestration (CCS).
• Say NO to nuclear power.

This day of action is being organized by CLEAN, a collaborative movement of organizations and individuals with the common goal of implementing a new energy future. The goal is for 10,000 calls to be made to President Obama on his first  day in office.  Christians for the Mountains has pledged to make 400 calls. Please help us reach this goal! Let President Obama know how you feel about clean energy, the role of coal in our country, and the extremely  devastating effects that Mountaintop Removal is having on Appalachian communities, culture, and and environment.

Go to the CLEAN website, and choose Christians for the Mountains as the organization you pledge to call on behalf of. You will be sent an email reminder close to January 21st. There is a sample script on the website, but feel free to use your own words.  Let President Obama know that your faith motivates you to take action for renewable energy and why it is important to you as a Christian that the United States take giant steps in transitioning toward a clean energy economy.

Share this with you friends and families.  This is your chance to let the new president know that clean energy should be one his top priorities.

 

Another “Act of God” as Coal Slurry Breaches Impoundment?

Slurry Impoundment break in Tennessee

It looks like God is at it again. 8 years ago 300 million gallons of coal slurry broke through its impoundment to ruin drinking water for 25,000 people, kill fish and other aquatic life, and make a big mess. The coal company claimed it was an “Act of God.”

Just this past Monday December 22 about 500 millions of the coal goo broke through an impoundment 40 miles east of Knoxville, Tennessee. Thankfully no one died as about 22 homes were gunked. Dead fish were reported downstream in a watershed that flows into the Tennessee River. The spill is about 30 times that of the well-known Valdez oil spill.

Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman Gil Francis spoke with reporters on Tuesday.
GIL FRANCIS: The ash pond is approximately forty acres. It’s an area where once the coal is burned, you stack the ash in a pond. And we’ve had about five inches of rain. We think that perhaps the rain and the freezing temperatures may be a contributing factor to the ash pond slide.
REPORTER: What is that dike made out of, and when was it last checked?
GIL FRANCIS: It’s an engineering constructed pond that you take the ash from the plant once the coal has been burned, and you stack it in a pond. And that’s what we did. And apparently the dike that was there failed, and as a result, there was an ash slide, like a mudslide.
REPORTER: Has it been checked recently?
GIL FRANCIS: Yes, it’s checked periodically. There is a schedule of inspections that are being done. I’ll have to get you the exact time it was checked last, but it is checked regularly.

Back to me. It seems like if the pesky freeze and 5 inches of rain had not happened, then the well-constructed, regularly inspected dam would not have broken. Seems like God is at fault, huh?

Which means that places like Marsh Fork Elementary School in Sundial, West Virginia, that lies underneath a massive coal slurry impoundment might not be safe, either, from a capricious God who doesn’t even respect the upcoming Chrismas season.

Do I sound cynical? Or am I simply sarcastic because I am so angry that these monstrous slurry impoundments continue to threaten and damage communities because big coal is the god that rules these areas.

Now is the time to take strong action to stop this dangerous practice!

See link for Democracy Now transcript  here.  http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/24/spill_at_tennessee_coal_plant_creates

 

Support the Coal River Wind Project, Press Conferences and Letter

Coal River Mountain is one of the last mountains left intact in the beautiful Coal River Valley of West Virginia. However, Massey Energy has plans to mine 6,000 acres of the mountain – or almost 10 square miles via mountaintop Removal. The proposed mining would bury over 20 miles of streams with valley fills, contaminate local water resources, put local communities in further danger of flash floods, and completely eliminate the available wind resource.

Fortunately, there is an alternative to mountaintop removal mining on Coal River Mountain -wind power. This is a unique opportunity to move our nation and the state of West Virginia toward the production of clean energy, and to preserve God’s creation for generations to come. The Christian community has become increasingly vocal in the biblical call of environmental stewardship and thereby very supportive of alternative energy resources.  (for more info go to www.coalriverwind.org)   But we have to act quickly! Recently a permit has been issued which means Massey could begin blasting at any time and the wind project is in danger.

On Tuesday, December 9th, Coal River Mountain Watch is holding two press conferences. The more supporters present at the conferences, the more successful they will be!

Press Conferences are scheduled for:

1:30 p.m., Beckley, WV at The Tamarack in the Atrium Dining Room

4:30 p.m., Charleston, WV at the Capitol building in the Governor’s Conference Room

A coalition between Christians for the Mountains and Restoring Eden: Christians for Environmental Stewardship has formed and initiated a campaign to support the wind project.  Representatives from both organizations will be present at both press conferences and will present  Gov. Manchin with a letter stating our support as Christians for the wind project.

Please read the online version of our letter and add your signature.
Act quickly and please share this with as many of your friends and church members as possible.

Tell WV Gov. Manchin that it is important to your faith and the people of southern WV that he halt the destruction Coal River Mountain and support the Coal River Wind Project.
I also urge you to contact Gov. Manchin yourself and tell him your concerns.
CALL Gov. Manchin TODAY at: 1-888-438-2731 or send an email to Governor@WVGov.org

 

Shoutin’ For The Mountains

The above picture is how many people are greeted into WV for the first the first time.  Do you think that this is what they expect to see in a Wild and Wonderful land?

view from Kayford Mountain

On November 6-9, Christians for the Mountains and Restoring Eden: Christians for Environmental Stewardship put on the event Shoutin’ For the Mountains, a Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining Witness tour.  We were very fortunate to have a wonderful group of around 30 students from Christian Colleges all over the country.  Calvin College, Cleveland State University, Eastern University, Grace College, Northern Illinois University, Spring Arbor University, Trinity College and Waynesburg College were  all represented by committed, passionate students that are now ready to be advocates for the Appalachian Mountains and share their experiences with the world.  A High School youth group from Morrow Memorial United Methodist Church in Maplewood, New Jersey also got the chance to join us for part of the road trip throughout the southern coalfields of West Virginia.

It was a very action packed and educational weekend. By meeting with a variety of community members and listening to their struggles, the students got to experience many of the devestating issues that that arise due to Mountain Top Removal such as  poor water quality,  health issues, and  negative impacts on communities. The students also came away with a knowledge of the history of coal mining and union struggles in West Virginia. Participants visited Kayford Mountain, Coal River Mountain, Prenter, Sylvester, Whitesville, Marsh Fork Elementary School, Blair Mountain, Rawl Church of God, Red Jacket, and Matewan.

The students now have a deeper understanding of how Appalachia is involved in America’s energy consumption and have made new connections as to how that pertains to their faith. Now every time they flick on a light  switch, they will remember those communities and individuals that pay the high cost for energy in America.

By the end of the trip, many of the students were already developing plans of action to take back to their colleges and  get more people involved in the struggle to stop Mountain Top Removal and protect coal field communities. It was wonderful to see a group of passionate and committed students that spent a weekend delving in to a rich cultural area that is often misunderstood and overlooked.  Especially in an important time in America’s history where the political landscape is changing and open for new directions, it is great to see that a new generation of advocates for the mountains is springing up and working on how to protect and preserve the Appalachian Mountains, people, and way of life.

 

Blasting to Begin on Coal River Mountain

The DEP has approved one of the permits for Coal River Mountain and blasting could begin at any time.  This would mean that Coal River Wind Project would be in jeopardy and we would lose a great opportunity to create sustainable jobs, clean energy, and a model for much needed sustainable economic development in the region.

Take action to protect Coal River Mountain and the Wind Project:

• PRAY for Coal River Mountain, the Coal River Mountain Wind Project, and all the people that would be affected by this decision to begin blasting
• CALL WV Governor Joe Manchin or send him an email and let him know that he has the power to do the right thing and halt the destruction of Coal River Mountain.  Tell him to act on his commitment to renewable energy and that by not taking action on this issue, permanent well-paying jobs, clean energy, and an excellent model for a sustainable future will also be destroyed with the mountain.
• SHARE this information with your friends, family, and church.  Tell them to take action on this important issue and let them know that we can use God’s creation to benefit the region (through clean energy, permanent jobs, and a preserved heritage) in way that is not harmful and is respectful of what God has given us to care for and tend to.

CALL Gov. Manchin TODAY at: 1-888-438-2731 or send an email to Governor@WVGov.org

For more information please read the message below from the  Coal River Wind Team

Call Gov. Manchin: Stop Massey From Blasting Coal River Mountain

What a way to say Happy Thanksgiving West Virginia! The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has approved Massey Energy’s revision of one of the mountaintop removal coal mining permits for Coal River Mountain.

That means Massey Energy may begin blasting at any time – but only on a small potion of the mountain, so far. Governor Manchin can still stop Massey Energy from ruining Coal River Mountain’s wind energy potential.

In September, your calls and e-mails helped stall the blasting. The Governor has yet to heed the thousands of calls and e-mails he received calling for a “stay of execution” for Coal River Mountain. If he doesn’t act soon, then the clean wind and permanent, safe jobs potential of Coal River Mountain will be in jeopardy.

So we need your help once again to keep the pressure on the Governor.

Call Governor Manchin today at 1-888-438-2731.
Or, e-mail the governor at Governor@WVGov.org

and let him know that you are still paying attention.

For ideas of what message to leave, here area few talking points:

– Mountaintop Removal at Coal River Mountain would destroy all of the wonderful potential of the wind project.

– Wind is the better economic option for Coal River Mountain, but that depends on the mountain being left intact. Coal River Mountain has enough wind potential to provide electricity for between 100,000 and 150,000 homes, forever, while creating approximately 50 well-paying, permanent jobs in an area long dependent upon sparse, temporary coal mining jobs.

– The wind farm would also generate over ten times more county revenue than the mountaintop removal operation would, and this money could be used to stimulate further economic development and to create new, lasting jobs for county residents.

– The DEP has repeatedly denied citizens’ requests for public hearings related to the proposed mining.

– Community members are again asking Governor Joe Manchin to halt the operation and act on his commitment to renewable energy and to the citizens of West Virginia.

To learn more about Coal River Mountain Wind, go to: www.coalriverwind.org

Thanks for helping once again!!

– The Coal River Mountain Wind Team –

 

ABC blocks Repower America Ad

The folks at the We Can Solve It campaign have made a great short ad about repowering America with clean, renewable energy that was to be aired during the previous presidential debates.  ABC refused to air it last Tuesday.  The main message of the commercial is that to strengthen our economy, we need to end our dependence on foreign oil.  It also argues that one reason why America has not made the transition to clean, renewable sources of energy is because of the stronghold that oil and coal lobbys have on the media.

Don’t let the big spending oil and coal lobbys dictate our future.  There are a lot of misleading ads out there aobut the climate crisis and the roles that oil and coal play. Educate yourself and others about the issues. Demand that the argument for clean, renewable energy is heard.

We Can Solve It has sent a letter to ABC asking that they reconsider the ad and air it tonight (Friday) on 20/20. So far no response has been given.  In the past 24 hours over 100,000 Americans concerned about the climate crisis have sent emails to ABC to let them know that they want the ad to be aired.  Thank you to  everyone who expressed their concerns to ABC, and for those of you who have not done so yet, its not too late! Please click here to send your email.

Check out the ad below.