“Mountaintop mining is an atrocity. It is an outrage. My wife Tipper and I give out an award at the Nashville Film Festival every year for best documentary on these environmental issues. This year’s winner was called “Mountaintop mining” (actually, Mr. Gore, that is “Mountain Top Removal”). I learned more about it from that movie. What they do, you all know, they just chop off… then dump the detritus, the rock and the dirt, into the creeks and it just poisons the whole ecosystem. It is part and parcel of the same dysfunctional energy system that is causing global warming. It is also facilitated by the same moral blindness to the consequences of what we’re doing. And by the way it’s all being done in an automated way, and that’s why the coal miners lost all their jobs. When we make this transition to renewable fuels we have to keep them in mind; we ought to guarantee a good job in the fresh air and sunshine for every single coal miner who has been affected by the transition over to renewable fuels. One final point…The idea of turning coal into liquid fuels for our cars it’s, it’s insane. And here is why: it is true that if you looked only at the dependence of the United States on foreign oil and if you didn’t care about anything else in the world, it would be theoretically possible, at huge expense, to squeeze liquid out of coal and put it into gas tanks. It would be enormously expensive. But the other problem is it would vastly increase the amount of CO2 from each gallon of fuel that is burned. We’ve got to walk and chew gum at the same time. We’ve got to end our dependence on foreign oil and save the habitability of the planet by switching not just from oil to coal-to-liquid, but from fossil fuels to renewable energy.:Mountaintop mining is an atrocity. It is an outrage. My wife Tipper and I give out an award at the Nashville Film Festival every year for best documentary on these environmental issues. This year’s winner was called “Mountaintop mining” (actually, Mr. Gore, that is “Mountain Top Removal”). I learned more about it from that movie. What they do, you all know, they just chop off… then dump the detritus, the rock and the dirt, into the creeks and it just poisons the whole ecosystem. It is part and parcel of the same dysfunctional energy system that is causing global warming. It is also facilitated by the same moral blindness to the consequences of what we’re doing. And by the way it’s all being done in an automated way, and that’s why the coal miners lost all their jobs. When we make this transition to renewable fuels we have to keep them in mind; we ought to guarantee a good job in the fresh air and sunshine for every single coal miner who has been affected by the transition over to renewable fuels. One final point…The idea of turning coal into liquid fuels for our cars it’s, it’s insane. And here is why: it is true that if you looked only at the dependence of the United States on foreign oil and if you didn’t care about anything else in the world, it would be theoretically possible, at huge expense, to squeeze liquid out of coal and put it into gas tanks. It would be enormously expensive. But the other problem is it would vastly increase the amount of CO2 from each gallon of fuel that is burned. We’ve got to walk and chew gum at the same time. We’ve got to end our dependence on foreign oil and save the habitability of the planet by switching not just from oil to coal-to-liquid, but from fossil fuels to renewable energy.”

Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer!

The wytheconservnet.org website will be up and running in August, until then we wanted to let you know about an event this Sunday.

Please consider attending the Blue Ridge Forest (www.blueridgeforestcoop.com)
Co-op’s Field Day and Annual Meeting in Wythe County on July 20th.

This is a casual event open to folks interested in learning about options for their own forest management by hearing from other landowner-practitioners. We will also share hospitality with pot-luck goodies, hear a presentation about opportunities in the growing carbon sequestration market, and get an update on BRFC.
The Blue Ridge Forest Cooperative, a local business that is doing well and growing, thanks in part to a $300,000 USDA grant. BRFC is hosting this year’s annual meeting at the Minick’s farm in Wythe County. Please come and learn more about an organization that provides a great alternative to typical forestry practices as well as access to the carbon credit market. BRFC is also a way to invest in a local, sustainable business. I know you’re busy but consider joining us!

A few logistical issues to consider:

Please RSVP so we can have sufficient drinks and meeting space.

Parking is going to be a problem, so consider carpooling if possible.

Wear comfortable shoes because we’ll be walking to see different forest management practices.

For more information, RSVPs and directions contact Harry Groot- (harry@brfconline.com or 540.392.8081)

Thanks!

Jean

March on Zeb Mountain!

STOP STRIP MINING TENNESSEE’S WATERSHEDS!

United Mountain Defense, Mountain Justice and Three Rivers Earth First! ask you to march with us for Appalachia. This is a call for you to take a Sunday out of your life to help preserve some of the oldest mountains and watersheds on Earth. March with us in solidarity against the watershed annihilation machine known as mountain top removal. This is a call not for any organization or group—but for the Mountains of Tennessee.

When: Sunday, July 20th at 1:00p.m.

The march will begin with a family friendly gathering and prayer in the parking lot. Participants will then march 1/8 of a mile to the gate of National Coal. A prayer will be lead at the gate and at this time citizen who feel called to participate in non-violent civil acts of conscience will have the opportunity to walk across the gate of National Coal. If you would like to follow the examples of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Thoreau by participating in this part of the march then you must come to the non-violence training the day before.

Non-Violence Training will take place on Saturday, July 19th at 1:00p.m. at the University Of Tennessee in the Earth Science Building Room 400.

Where: March at Zeb Mountain, Campbell Co. TN

Directions from Knoxville and points South:

* Take Interstate 75 NorthTake Oneida/ Huntsville Exit/ Hwy 63
* Go West of Interstate 75 about 6 miles
* Turn Right on Hwy 297 @ Pioneer Post Office
* Go 3 miles turn left onto Lick Fork Rd
* Find a parking spot

Directions from Lexington and points North:

* Take Interstate 75 South
* Take Oneida/ Huntsville Exit/ Hwy 63
* Go West of Interstate 75 about 6 miles
* Turn Right on Hwy 297 @ Pioneer Post Office
* Go 3 miles turn left onto Lick Fork Rd
* Find a parking spot

Directions from Asheville and points East:

* Take Interstate 40 West
* Take Interstate/ bypass 640 West around Knoxville
* Take Interstate 75 North
* Take Oneida/ Huntsville Exit/ Hwy 63
* Go West of Interstate 75 about 6 miles
* Turn Right on Hwy 297 @ Pioneer Post Office
* Go 3 miles turn left onto Lick Fork Rd
* Find a parking spot

Directions from Nashville and points West:

* Take Interstate 40 East
* Take Interstate/ bypass 640 East around Knoxville
* Take Interstate 75 North
* Take Oneida/ Huntsville Exit/ Hwy 63
* Go West of Interstate 75 about 6 miles
* Turn Right on Hwy 297 @ Pioneer Post Office
* Go 3 miles turn left onto Lick Fork Rd
* Find a parking spot

Send housing requests or questions to umdvolunteerhouse@yahoo.com

ZEB MOUNTAIN

National Coal is the strip mine corporation blowing up the three peaks of Zeb Mountain for the coal beneath. National Coal has a terrible record of over 50 violations on Zeb Mountain—including one for illegally mining through two streams. National Coal has wrecked the watershed of Zeb Mountain—and the New River Watershed is next if we don’t stop them.

https://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=8259449

SUNDQUIST WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA

National Coal has bought over 75,000 acres in the nearby Sundquist Wildlife Management Area and has the repeatedly stated intention on increasing its rate of blowing up mountains in this Watershed. Sundquist WMA is 84,000 acres of public access property offering public hunting opportunities for deer, turkey, grouse, and small game.

The Sundquist is a Watershed for the New River. The New River flows into the Cumberland River, which is Nashville’s drinking water source. Some geologists have suggested that this is the oldest watershed on Earth. National Coal is intent on blowing up a watershed that is one of Tennessee’s state capitals sources of drinking water.

https://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/outdoors/hunting/wma/sundquist/sundquist-wma.html

NATIONAL COAL STRIP MINE CORPORATION

National Coal suggests that they are not practicing the “bad mining practices of the past.” National Coal says that they are a kinder gentler strip miner. National Coal would have you ignore the 150-year history of mining in Tennessee.

National Coal suggests that they are not like all of the bad evil strippers in Kentucky, WVA, and South West Virginia. They shake their heads at how bad it is there. National coal would have you ignore what their industry is doing in the other states.

National Coal suggests that they can do a great job “improving” the New River Watershed by blowing it up. National Coal would have you ignore the incredible damage they have done to Zeb Mountain. They would have you ignore your lying eyes.

March with us and stand up to these corporate bullies who with arrogant almost colonialist swagger assume the right to blow up the watersheds and mountains of Tennessee.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. Bring an instrument—and learn how to play “Rocky Top”—Tennessee’s state song. Write your own new lyrics to Rocky Top or learn ours.

2. Dress up! Yep—we want you to come in your Sunday best. During the civil rights movement people wore suits and ties all the time—so can we.

3. When all else fails wear orange! We are the people of Tennessee and the song Rocky Top is about us, and so is the color orange. Just by wearing orange you can show that you are from Tennessee—and understand the importance of our mountains to our heritage.

4. Respect. Show respect for the people who drive by, for the people who live here, for the miners—for yourselves and the people you organize with. There will be animal rights activist and hunters, Christians and Atheist, Peace Activist and Military Veterans at this march. Show respect for the mountains by showing respect for the diversity of people that come to defend them.

5. Bring signs showing support for Tennessee’s mountain heritage, watersheds and the Sundquist WMA. We need art, banners, musicians and you. Especially you.

6. Help by playing a support role for the march. We are looking for mature, intelligent individuals to sever as a support team. We need people to serve in the following roles: media liaisons, police liaisons, medics, legal support, artists and musicians, and care team. Please contact us at umdvolulnteerhouse@yahoo.com or 865 689-8976 if you want to volunteer.

The organizations sponsoring this event are committed to nonviolence. Please come, but come with the understanding that this march has a specific focus with specific goals. By participating in this March you are agreeing to our non-violence guidelines and to follow the direction of the organizers of this march. We have formed strong alliances with allies and it is important that we maintain that trust beyond this single march.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
unitedmountaindefense@yahoo.com – general questions
umdvolunteerhouse@yahoo.com – housing, volunteer opportunities, rsvp

Phone: (865) 689-2778

Website: unitedmountaindefense.org.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!” Martin Luther King

Morgan Spurlock made his first splash in the entertainment industry with his Academy Award nominated documentary entitled Super Size Me. In the film, Spurlock ate only McDonald’s food for thirty days. Americans were astonished by the effects this had on his body, and Super Size Me became a hit. The popularity of the movie even led to McDonald’s decision to remove its famous Super Size option from its menu all across the United States, although the company denies that this move had anything to do with Spurlock’s film.

More recently, Spurlock has been working on a television project. Now in its third season, 30 Days chronicles his and other Americans’ experiences spending thirty days doing a variety of things they would not normally do. Examples include an NFL quarterback spending thirty days in a wheelchair, and atheist spending thirty days living with a fundamentalist Christian family, and a man opposed to illegal immigration spending thirty days living with a family of illegal immigrants.

The third season premiered on June 3, 2008 with an episode that was truly interesting. Entitled “Working in a Coal Mine,” the episode sent Spurlock himself to his home state of West Virginia to view the coal debate from a new perspective, that of the miner himself. Spurlock completed an eighty hour training course in coal mining and safety and then set off on his adventure. He spent thirty days in Bolt, West Virginia in the home of a miner named Dale and his wife.

Besides living with a family that had been mining coal for generations, Spurlock operated under two other rules during his thirty days. He worked regular shifts in a coal mine, facing the same risks the other miners did. He also set out to explore the impact of coal mining on the environment.

During his time in West Virginia, Spurlock gained a new perspective on coal mining. He experienced firsthand the dangers of mining when he and his fellow workers were evacuated for fear of an explosion. He witnessed the horror of black lung through Dale’s brother, who could not walk up the driveway without trouble breathing, and through Dale’s own diagnosis near the end of Spurlock’s time in Bolt, WV.

Spurlock also saw the damaging effects of coal mining on the surrounding environment. While traversing the mining area with a new found mining friend, Spurlock saw deposits if toxic coal slurry and was alarmed when his friend told him that when it rains, the water runs black. He was also introduced to the destructive mountaintop removal mines near the town of Bolton, and his experiences led him to reflect on the future of our nation’s energy supply. He came to the conclusion that with only 250 estimated years of coal capacity left in United States and the harm coal brings not only to the miners themselves but to the larger environment as a whole, the country should begin to look for cleaner, renewable sources of energy.

This show is a must-watch for anyone interested in the coal debate. It goes beyond environmentalists and their arguments, beyond the advertisements and lobbying efforts of the coal and utility companies, and hits rights at the heart of the issue: what effects do coal mining have on our nation’s land and people?

To watch the episode, visit www.hulu.com

Wind Turbines are a form of renewable energy that harness the power of ever circulating wind.

In 2007 Bush signed a $162 Billion war supplemental in order to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan until 2009. This federal money is put into perspective by the Apollo Alliance and Policy Matters Ohio’s Renewable Energy Policy Project, which states a $72 billion investment, would yield 74,000 megawatts of renewable energy in the U.S. The aforementioned energy output is 16% of the national energy production in 2007.
Increased reliance on renewable energy reduces the reliance on antiquated sources of energy such as coal, which contributes to air pollution by releasing millions of tons of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and mercury into the atmosphere, while devastating hundreds of mountains, communities, and streams. Mountain Top Removal is an intensive way to obtain coal by blowing the tops off mountains. MTR has destroyed 470 mountains while devastating the surrounding streams and communities.
Supplements to renewable energy will not only increase our national independence, but it will decrease our dependence on dirty sources of energy and in turn decrease pollution, the damage to our mountains, communities and water sources. Renewable energy is a perpetual energy source that can provide jobs and wealth to a community. Why is this renewable energy not being funded when it is a mere portion of the federal money being spent on less sustainable efforts?

Why Not a Renewable Energy War Supplemental?
Published by danawv, July 9th, 2008 global warming

I thought this analysis would help shed light on some of the misinformation being put forth on some of the comments about the cost of coal and feasibility of renewable energy. It’s exciting to think that for about 1/3 of the money we are looking to spend on coal plants we could have 16% of the US running on renewables. And that doesn’t even include the cost of research and development for Carbon Sequestration or the cost of mining coal and reclaiming land decimated by coal mining.

Written by Rory McIlmoil of the Coal River Wind Project, www.coalriverwind.org

“President Bush has signed a $162 billion war supplemental that will fund the wars in Iraq and Ahghanistan into 2009.” Congress.org, July 7th, 2007.

A report put out in October of 2005 by the Renewable Energy Policy Project, the Apollo Alliance and Policy Matters Ohio puts the $162 billion mentioned in the above headline into some perspective. The report, “Generating Energy, Generating Jobs,” states that a national investment of $71.8 Billion is what would be required in order to develop 74,000 Megawatts of renewable energy across the nation. What that 74,000 MW amounts to is 16% of national electricity production in 2007. In a time when we are increasingly experiencing the impacts of climate change, when the utilization of coal is causing ever greater damage to our land, water and our health, and when 100 new coal-fired power plants have been proposed at an average cost of $2 Billion each (for a potential grand total of $200 Billion), why is our government not signing off on $72 Billion of funding for renewable energy development in a time of veritable “energy wars”??

The Apollo report shows that only $72 Billion would lead to the development of over 50,000 MW of wind energy, 9,260 MW of solar, 8,700 MW of biomass energy, and 6,077 MW of geothermal. So this mix basically covers a significant proportion of each of the non-renewable resources that we apparently “depend on.” Take coal for example. The nearly 60,000 MW of wind and solar that Apollo reports could be developed with strong national investment could effectively displace 26% of all coal-fired electricity across the United States (based on 2007 consumption). That would amount to a reduction in the ‘need’ for 272 Million tons of coal, EVERY YEAR. It would lead to the natural sequestration of 700 million tons of CO2 – or about 28% of all electricity-based carbon dioxide emissions in 2006. It would prevent the release of 2.8 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 1.1 million tons of nitrous oxides, and 20 TONS of mercury. Perhaps most importantly, it would help to save Central Appalachia from further destruction due to Mountaintop Removal coal mining.

In 2007, Central Appalachian coal mines produced just over 390 Million tons of coal, approximately 30% of which, or 117 million tons, came from Mountaintop Removal (MTR) mining. Just think how many mountains and communities could be saved, how many ‘bombs’ over Appalachia could be prevented, and how many acres of some of the worlds most biodiverse forest could be preserved, if our nation were to take less than half of the money they want to spend in Iraq and Afghanistan and invest it in renewable energy production. At the same time, vast amounts of renewable energy potential would be spared by the reduced demand for coal. Mountaintop Removal has already destroyed thousands of Megawatts of wind potential by dramatically reducing the ridge elevations of over 470 mountains in Central Appalachia, all for the purpose of producing coal for the generation of electricity. Right now there is a campaign underway to save one such mountain that is slated to be destroyed by MTR, but that also has amazing wind potential (www.coalriverwind.org). It has been shown that Coal River Mountain in West Virginia holds the potential to produce over 440 Megawatts of wind power – enough to power over 150,000 homes in West Virginia. This would lead to the creation of stable, green jobs for local residents and a substantial amount of renewable energy that would be available long after all of the coal has been mined.

In a time when the price of oil and coal are skyrocketing, why are we spending more and more money on developing and protecting these non-renewable sources of energy, sources from which conflict, environmental degradation and social injustice are created? Why are we destroying the very resources upon which future energy production and economic development could be based? All it would take is $72 billion, which seems small in comparison to what is being spent on dirty energy sources. The benefits of renewable energy are obvious, and it is time to begin pushing for investments in renewable energy instead, for the sake of Appalachia, for the sake of our nation, and for the sake of the world.

July11-July13, 2008

www.nylovesmountains.org

This July, Headwater Productions, a community action and arts production company out of Brooklyn, NY, will put on a series of events to further New Yorkers’ awareness of mountaintop removal coal mining and its devastating social, ecological, and economic effects on the Appalachian region. Headwater Productions was founded in 2008 by Stephanie Pistello and Sarah Moon. The group creates live productions that not only entertain their audiences, but also empower them as citizens to bring an end to corporations’ claims to the land, air, and water which seem to trump the people’s rights to the same.

The first annual NY Loves Mountains Festival will highlight efforts by grassroots organizations to end the practice of MTR and bring new economic opportunities to the region through renewable energy sources. Ultimately, this first installment of the NY Loves Mountains Festival will attempt to build support for the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169), to bring a new wind powered farm to Coal River Mountain in West Virginia, to protect an elementary school threatened by a leaking sludge impoundment, and to gather support for legislation in New York state that will ban the purchase of coal from mountaintop removal mines in the state.

The festival will begin on Friday July 11, with the Music for the Mountains Concert, a benefit for the children of the Marsh County elementary school in Sundial, WV. The event will take place at the Jalopy Theater in Red Hook, NY. There will be a pre-concert reception catered by Rice at 7 PM. The pre-concert event will feature special guest appearances by representatives from Appalachian Voices, Coal River Mountain Watch, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Film-maker David Novack, and a special slide-show presentation by Brooklyn photojournalist Antrim Caskey. The music will begin at 9 PM and will be accompanied by a silent auction featuring original art, jewelry, and crafts from NYC and Appalachia and raffle items.

Saturday July 12th will begin with a free event at Battery Park called the Gathering for the Mountains. The event will run from 11AM until 4PM, and it will be a day to “celebrate and save the communities of Appalachia from Mountain Top Removal coal mining.” The evening will feature a play called Current Changes in Empire by Sarah Moon at 7PM at The Actors Institute. This is a new play about the past, present, and future of electricity production in the United States. There is a suggested donation of $10 for this event, and you can email {encode=”nylovesmountains@mac.com” title=”NY Loves Mountains”}.

The weekend will end on Sunday with a picnic at Governor’s Island. Everyone who attends the festival’s other events will be invited to attend. Here, attendees will share ideas for the next steps in the fight to end MTR coal mining in Appalachia and to start a clean energy economy in the region.

“Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars”

“Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars” is a new video from the Redford Center at the Sundance Preserve and Alpheus Media and is narrated by Robert Redford. It is about an unlikely coalition of Texans against 19 conventional coal-fired power plants proposed for Eastern and Central Texas.

The film highlights the group that has come together to fight the coal companies, one of which wants to build 11 of the 19 proposed coal-fired plants — and the governor of Texas, who had planned to fast track the construction of these plants. Regular citizens who found their property rights in danger were prompted to speak out against the plants, and city mayors, lawyers, legislators, ranchers, and even CEOs have united against the energy companies and their friends in the Texas state government to prevent the plants from being constructed.

The coalition in the film is one which should be repeated in the nationwide battle against energy companies and their allies in government. For the Texans involved, they see it as their responsibility to protect their homes, children, and lives from harmful pollution caused by the proposed power plants. Although their personal interests may not always align, these Texans from across a wide range of demographics have joined together to pool their resources in the fight for a common cause: a cleaner environmental future for their communities.

This film is important because so often the efforts of ordinary citizens to stand up for their rights are left unreported, and the majority of citizens remain clueless not only of the issues pressing their communities, as well as the brave efforts to stop these injustices from occurring. Without such knowledge, we can not expect that people will stand together against coal-fired plants that will pollute their environment, nor can we expect them to stand up against other issues, such as mountaintop removal coal mining, nor can we expect those who are out fighting injustices to have much success.

The information presented in such videos as “Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars” is helpful both in informing people of the energy companies’ plans for Texas and in letting people know about the effort put forth by a cross-section of Texas society to prevent the coal-fired plants from coming into operation.

Michael Pollan, author of books such as In Defense of Food, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, has written a piece for the New York Times that references mountaintop removal and the problems cheap energy poses for society. He’s a great writer and this piece is no exception- he mainly writes about the origins of food, so it’s impressive that he’s educated on the dangers of mountaintop removal. Check it out.

The myth of clean coal should be filed somewhere between stories of the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the magical pot of gold at the end of rainbow. It’s like a fairy tale you believe in as a child, something to ease your fears of the dark and the boogieman. You grow out of some fears like the boogieman, while others you learn how to face. Unfortunately, we are not going to grow out of our energy dependence, and we won’t wake up one day to find it gone forever. But turning to a fantasy like “clean coal” as a solution is like depending on the pot of gold to pay off your credit card bills.

Last week I spent time with over a hundred individuals from across the country lobbying Congress to stop mountaintop removal coal mining. Mountaintop removal is just that: The coal industry is blowing up mountains all over Appalachia in order to get to the coal underneath. The top of the mountain is removed and then dumped in the neighboring valley. Cleaning the coal results in a sludge that is full of toxic chemicals, which is then dumped into our rivers, exposing thousands to a public health epidemic we can scarcely begin to comprehend. Appalachian families are bathing their children in water laced with arsenic, lead, and other hazardous chemicals. In the mean time, one by one, the mountains in their community are being destroyed.

The bottom line is that coal is dirty from the moment of extraction to the moment it is burned in any of the thousands of coal-fired power plants across the country. It’s easy to overlook when we are constantly reminded of our dependence on oil, that its actually coal running through the veins of this country. At the current rate Appalachian coal will be depleted in a couple of decades; Appalachian communities may not have that long. That’s why I spent my mornings last week on Capital Hill, lobbying Congress and meeting with delegates from my home state of New York. The ask was simple: co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act, a piece of legislation (currently in the House) that would make it illegal to blow up our mountains and pollute our water. Fairytales make great bedtime stories but they are nothing to build an energy policy upon. It’s time to grow up and take that first step towards a clean energy future.

You’re Invited! You, along with your family and friends are cordially invited to Appalachian Voices’ Annual Pickin’ for the Mountains — a fundraising event to benefit Appalachian Voices!

Music by the everybodyfields, The Sheets, The Worthless Son-in Laws, and Appalachian Voices’ staff!

Thursday, November 29th, 7:00 pm
Event to be held at Canyons
8960 Hwy 321
Blowing Rock, NC
Just $10 at the door!

Please join us for live music and great raffle prizes you won’t be able to resist! If you cant make it, watch the live web-cast courtesy of Canyons!

Benefit Raffle

Help Appalachian Voices protect the mountains and win wonderful prizes in the process. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. The drawing will take place at the event. You need not be present to win.

You can buy tickets online, call (828) 262-1500 or email {encode=”shelly@appvoices.org” title=”shelly@appvoices.org”}.

Grand Prize

Heritage Featherlite 12 Red Kayak from Legacy Paddle Sports (retails for $679)
www.heritagekayaks.com
765 Crest Road, Flat Rock NC
828-698-5778

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST!

APPALACHIA – A major new national poll finds that a strong majority of Americans oppose a new Bush Administration rule change easing environmental protections and expanding mountaintop removal coal mining. The survey, by the Civil Society Institute, was released in conjunction with the launch of 700mountains.org, a new website where the public can submit comments opposing the rule change.

The change to the buffer zone rule was announced by the Bush Administration in late August, and would dramatically weaken a provision of the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act that currently prohibits mining activity within 100 feet of a stream. Coal field advocates say the change will remove one of the primary legal obstacles to the unchecked expansion of mountaintop removal.

Some key results of the poll included:

– 2 out of 3 Americans (65%) stated they opposed the efforts of the Bush Administration to weaken the buffer zone rule, which prohibits mining activity within 100 feet of a stream. When respondents learned more about the level of destruction that would be caused by this rule change, half of those who were initially supportive of the rule change changed their position.
– 9 out of 10 people (88%) agreed with this statement: “Before the United States puts in place new regulations to permit more coal mining, it should first make sure that coal mines and coal mining practices are safe for miners, nearby communities and the environment.”
– 77% of Americans feel it would be better for the Bush Administration to concentrate first on energy conservation before resorting to more mountaintop removal.
– Almost half of Americans, 45%, said that they had heard of mountaintop removal unprompted.
– 71% of people said they would be opposed to mountaintop removal on a mountain within 50 miles of their home, and 50% of those surveyed said they would strongly oppose such mining.
– Women were less likely than men to support expanded mountaintop removal.
– Opposition to mountaintop removal was bipartisan among Republicans and Democrats.

The poll was conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation for the Civil Society Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.

Last week, the North Carolina General Assembly overwhelmingly approved an underwhelming, potentially disastrous Renewables and Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS). REPS legislation requires utilities to provide a certain percentage of its power from “renewable” sources. The North Carolina REPS calls for an unambitious 12.5% by 2021. Worse, the bill forces ratepayers to assume the costs of constructing new coal and nuclear facilities even if such facilities never begin operation.

Avram Friedman, Executive Director of the Canary Coalition, places the blame for passage of this bill squarely on the shoulders of those who made this bill a reality:

“It’s not accurate to place all fault with the energy corporations . . . Nor is it fair to point at legislators as the primary target for blame . . . The environmental community needs to look inward in sorting out what went wrong as the process it began quickly broke in an unintended direction. There were the two organizations who went over the deep end as partners in the “concensus”, becoming so invested in the process there was no safe way out, defending S3 to the end on the basis of the token Renewable and Efficiency Portfolio Standard, despite the overwhelming consequences of the Construction Work In Progress provisions that would ease the way for more polluting power plant construction and render any advances toward renewables and efficiency meaningless. But, with a few notable exceptions, the entire environmental community was willing to go along with this scheme from the beginning and bears the responsibility for the predictable S3 debacle. The same failed strategies continue to repeat themselves, yielding similar results every time, year after year. Groups allow themselves to be co-opted, moving allegiance from their principles to the process, becoming a part of the system that is perpetuating the problem. Social peer pressure restricts the ability to speak openly and truthfully, in this case about the nature and scope of change that is needed to confront poor air quality and global warming. Legislative proposals coming out of the environmental community are timid and unnecessarily compromising, tailored to what is believed to be the prevailing political wisdom, what would be acceptable in the political and social circles in which one travels. There is no attempt to change the political atmosphere to conform with scientific reality. There is only compromise after compromise until the diluted product is meaningless, or in this case worse than nothing at all, because it strengthens the hand of the coal and nuclear industries. The prevailing sentiment within the environmental community seems to be one of resignation that we live in a serfdom, so lets only try to accomplish what a group of serfs can do. Those who believe they are powerless are powerless, because . . .” Click here to read Avram’s thoughtful critique of S. 3 and his hopeful solution for fixing it.