Mountain Movement Takes to the States

Here’s a metric on how to measure our success over the last several years – a look at anti-MTR activity at the state level.

Kentucky
This year, the “stream-saver bill” was re-introduced, and over 1200 people joined our friends at KFTC for I Love Mountains Day at the State Capitol in Frankfort to lobby for the bill. The “Stream-Saver Bill” would stop the dumping of MTR waste into KY streams. Pro-mountain activists picked up additional co-sponsors, making an impression on every state legislator, and getting great press all over the state. Kentuckians of all stripes came out for one of the most massive grassroots lobbying days in recent memory. The bill, previously not paid much attention to, received a favorable 13-12 vote in Committee, but unfortunately was two votes shy of passing. Consider joining KFTC and other Kentuckians for the annual “I Love Mountains Lobby Day” next February 14th, when an even stronger push will be made to pass the bill.

Virginia
Dominion Power is THE political powerhouse in Richmond and across the state of Virginia. But for the first time in recent history, an statewide grassroots organizing effort by the folks at SAMS, Appalachian Voices, Sierra Club, and CCAN among others, has required Dominion to pull out all the stops in their attempts to build a dirty coal-fired power plant in Wise County Virginia. Dozens of residents from Wise County went all the way to Richmond to testify at a State Corporation Commission hearing. Plus, the younger generation is just getting started. Over 500 students from Virginia attended this year’s “Powershift” conference, helping make stopping mountaintop removal a central focus of the event. Virginia also has 3 Congressional Representatives who are co-sponsoring the federal Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169) (two Democrats and a Republican). Thats compared to just one last session. And because of statewide efforts in the last several months, but particularly strong organizing in SW VA, what was once a sure-fire bet that Dominion would get its dirty coal-plant, is now a wide-open debate because of public pressure. As all eyes turn to Governor Kaine to stop the plant, the focus is on gaining signatures for a mile long peteition opposing the plant, to be delivered to Dominion’s CEO and shareholders at their April meeting.

Tennessee
For the first time in the recent past, due to the efforts of our friends out at SOCM, UMD, and Creation Care, they now have an anti-MTR bill called the “Scenic Views” bill. Metro Pulse has a great rundown here. Coal is a very small part of the state economy, but has the potential to destroy much of the state’s beloved outdoors in places like the Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area. Just east of the coal seams in Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited Park in the National Park system. But Tennessee’s “Scenic Views” Legislation has been introduced by a Republican named Raymond Finney.

West Virginia
West Virginia is the stronghold of King Coal’s domain. For instance, from a recent WVGazette Editorial:

Senators Don Caruth, Clark Barnes, Frank Deem, Mike Hall, Ron Stollings, Joe Minard, Erik Wells and John Yoder killed a bill pending before their legislative committee that would have better protected West Virginia coal miners who would like to speak up about unsafe work conditions.

Not exactly the most friendly territory for someone fighting coal on the side of public interest. However, this year, anti-MTR legislation was introduced in West Virginia of all places. The bill is SB 588.

The big picture is that the grassroots efforts to stop mountaintop removal are growing at an enormous rate. And not only that, but we are increasingly successful at getting this issue in front of our legislators and asking them to go on record with us, or against us. The federal Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169) has 129 co-sponsors already, with a year to go – after ending last session with 77 co-sponsors. Both the Democratic and Republican front-runners for President are talking about mountaintop removal, and seem inclined to oppose it.

But these are not yet victories. A victory will be the day a Governor or a President signs into law a bill which stops mountaintop removal. Until then, we are just “getting there.”

I should also add, now is a great time to join one of the grassroots groups in your area in carrying these fights to your state legislators. iLoveMountains.org has a decent rundown of organizations involved in fighting mountaintop removal.

About JW Randolph

Raised on the banks of the Tennessee River, JW's work to create progress in his home state and throughout Appalachia has been featured on the Rachel Maddow Show, The Daily Kos and Grist. He served first as Appalachian Voices’ Legislative Associate and then Tennessee director until leaving to pursue a career in medicine in 2012.