Jan 21st, 2009 – The following email was sent to the 33,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.

Yesterday was a historic day for our nation. And like millions of others across America, those of us here at iLoveMountains.org watched the inauguration with a mixture of hope for the future and awe at how far we’ve come.

But we know that we still have a lot of work to do if we are going to stop mountaintop removal coal mining and achieve a clean energy future for our nation.

That’s why iLoveMountains.org is joining with a nationwide network of clean energy and justice advocates for 100 Days of Action to Power Past Coal:

https://www.powerpastcoal.org/

Beginning today and continuing until April 30th — the first 100 days of the Obama administration — Power Past Coal will organize national actions calling on President Obama and Congress to ensure a clean energy future for America.

Today, people from all over the country and all walks of life are calling the White House, asking Obama to invest in real solutions to our energy and environmental crisis — clean, renewable energy.

To take part in today’s action and see what other events are coming up near you, click here:

https://www.powerpastcoal.org/

Here at iLoveMountains, we’re hoping to get Congress to power past coal during our 4th Annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington, from March 14th-19th, 2009.

Please consider joining us in Washington to meet your representatives and ask them to stop the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining.

To learn more and register for the Week in Washington, click here:

https://www.ilovemountains.org/action/wiw2009

Thank you for doing everything you can in the next 100 days to help America power past coal.

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

From our friends at CoalRiverWind.org:

December 19th, 2008

To the Supporters of Coal River Wind:

We’re writing to give you one last pre-holiday update on the Coal River Mountain Wind campaign. A lot has happened over the past few weeks, highlighted by the release of a landmark “Wind vs MTR” economic study, and we expect that things will pick up even more after the holiday break. So, here’s what’s been going on:

Release of the Coal River Mountain Economic Study

First of all, On December 9th, Downstream Strategies released the results of a 4-month economic study entitled “The Long-Term Economic Benefits of Wind Versus Mountaintop Removal Coal on Coal River Mountain, West Virginia.” The study proves that a 328 Megawatt wind farm represents a far better economic land use option for Coal River Mountain than Mountaintop Removal. Here are some of the report’s findings:

• According to the report, the wind project would provide more than $1.7 million in annual property taxes to Raleigh County — compared to a paltry $36,000 per year in coal severance taxes from the mining. Put another way, the property tax revenues from the wind farm in a single year would amount to almost triple the total amount of the coal severance taxes the county would receive over the 17-year mine life.
• When externalities such as public health and environmental quality are factored in, a mountaintop removal mine ends up generating an economic LOSS of $600 million over its expected 17 year life. A wind farm on the other hand would remain profitable over the life of the wind farm. This means that when the true costs of mining are considered, the wind farm option wins hands-down.
• Mining the mountain could produce nearly 200 direct jobs (and several hundred indirect jobs), but those jobs would last only as long as the coal mining (which is expected to take 17 years). Construction of a windmill operation would generate more than 275 temporary construction jobs, and afterwards create 40 direct (and more than 30 indirect) jobs that could last indefinitely.
• Over time, the windmill project would generate 28% more jobs than the mountaintop removal mining. (In addition, the wind project could sprout a long-term local industry building wind turbines, towers and blades — leading to three times more jobs than the mountaintop mine.)

— We held two press conferences to publicize the report, and we got some good media on that in West Virginia. Here is a link to Ken Ward’s article on the report and the press events.

— You can also download the Downstream Strategies report from the home page of our website, www.coalriverwind.org.

— We plan on using the report to lobby the state legislature on a resolution to preserve Coal River Mountain for the development of a wind farm. We’ll keep you updated on that!!

Appeal of the Bee Tree Mining Permit

We’ve also been keeping an eye on the mountain and we wanted to tell you that Massey has yet to begin preparing the site for blasting. However, they can begin any day, and so we’ll continue to check in on the mountain and keep you updated. We last reported that they had received the final approval to begin mining the first section of the Bee Tree permit, and since then we’ve been exploring ways to fight the revision, and we found one.

Just yesterday, with the help of the national Sierra Club and the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment, we gave notice to the state Department of Environmental Protection that we are appealing the permit revision to the Surface Mine Board. This won’t stop any mining from going forward unless the board rejects the permit or classifies the revision as “significant,” thus requiring that the DEP open the permit to public comment – which would be the democratic thing to do. So we’ll keep you updated on that as well. For now, read Ken Ward’s article about the appeal here.

So that’s about it, we’ll get back to you in January. We hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday, and once again, we appreciate all of your support.

Sincere Thanks,

— The Coal River Mountain Wind Team —

Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy

After the Washington Post reported that President-elect Obama was considering Duke Power CEO Jim Rogers for Secretary of Energy, my soaring hopes for Obama’s promise to create “change we can believe in” swiftly turned to despairing thoughts of “change we can grieve in.”

Appointing Mr. Rogers to head the nation’s Department of Energy is like to placing the proverbial fox in charge of the hen house.

As one of the nation’s leading energy executives, Mr. Rogers is an integral part of what one colleague describes as the “coaligarchy” – shorthand for the coal-based electricity industry’s iron-fisted grip on, and historic devastation of, the people, communities and ecosystems wherever coal is mined, processed, burned and disposed of as air pollution and other hazardous post-combustion waste.

Publicly, Mr. Rogers’ waxes poetic about our need to address global climate change and Duke Energy Carolinas has made much ado about building one of the nation’s largest solar energy projects in North Carolina. Yet, his deeds – and those of his company – belie the fact that these statements and actions are little more than a “green” facade hiding the fact that Mr. Rogers, his company and their ilk are hell-bent on building costly and unnecessary coal and nuclear power plants.

The mountaintop removal coal mines
providing coal to Duke Power’s
Cliffside Power Plant

I live in North Carolina – a state with too many Duke power plants to count, located in a region ravaged by mountaintop removal coal mining. In fact, North Carolina is second only to Georgia in its consumption of mountaintop removal coal. If Mr. Rogers’ actions reflected his public statements about minimizing the impacts of coal-based energy, he would not have proposed to build two 800-megawatt coal-fired power plants in North Carolina and one in Indiana. While the N.C. Utilities Commission mercifully denied one of the two plants, Duke is feverishly constructing the other.

Duke Power’s Cliffside Power Plant,
the site of Duke’s new coal fired electricity generators

This plant is estimated to pump the air pollution-equivalent of one million additional cars into the atmosphere during each of its fifty-year lifespan. Moreover, while North Carolina is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history, the new plant is expected to evaporate 21 million gallons of water per day for cooling. Worse, Duke manipulated the political process in order to ensure that its ratepayers – rather than shareholders – bear the financial risks of proceeding with this plant whether or not it’s ever completed! Worst of all, however, is the fact that the electricity from the new plant may be unnecessary for meeting alleged growing demand. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Duke “appears to be lining up cities it hasn’t previously served to be future customers.”

As a Mea culpa for foisting this plant upon us, Mr. Rogers and Duke have made several promises to North Carolinians in exchange for their complicity in allowing Duke to move forward with new coal and nuclear power plants. First, Duke softened the blow of making ratepayers responsible for financing the new coal plant by agreeing to a provision that it deploy some renewable sources of energy. In terms of addressing global climate change, the goal is no better than rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic.

Second, Mr. Rogers has promised that the new coal-fired power plant will be the last one built in the state. This promise rings hollow when one considers the fact that impending climate change legislation will likely require new power plants to capture, transport and store carbon dioxide. Because North Carolina has no viable storage sites, Duke would need to build a cost-prohibitive pipeline in order to move the captured carbon.

Third, Duke is seeking to implement an energy efficiency program euphemistically known as Save-A-Watt. Save-A-Watt has been lambasted as being too expensive and accomplishing too little. According to a Winston-Salem Journal editorial criticizing the program, Duke is seeking “a much higher return on the investment it makes trying not to sell us electricity than it is guaranteed for the investment it makes producing the electricity we use. … the principle is ridiculous. … The effort to save energy should be part of a utility’s normal course of business. Considering that utilities are guaranteed a profit on the costs of doing that business, the profit from trying to save electricity would have been in line with that for trying to sell it.”

Finally, Duke has ignored pleas from North Carolina residents to minimize the impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining – the most destructive form of surface mining which has transformed more than 470 mountain peaks into flat, eerily lifeless moonscapes and buried more than 1200 miles of streams in Appalachia. Duke glibly claims that it has no control over how coal is mined. However, if Bank of America, headquartered in North Carolina can do it, see https://environment.bankofamerica.com/articles/Energy/COAL_POLICY.pdf, so can Duke.

In sum, the evidence is clear. While Mr. Rogers speaks eloquently about cleaning up his industry, his actions as a prominent “coaligarch” reflect no compunction about the devastating impacts his industry has on the people, communities and ecosystems wherever coal is mined, processed, burned and disposed of as air pollution and other hazardous post-combustion waste.

As Mr. Obama repeatedly recognized during his campaign, America stands at a crossroads – facing a choice between a safe, clean energy future and business as usual. If Mr. Obama seeks “change we can believe in,” he must appoint a visionary and effective leader at the Department of Energy in order to create that change. Appointing a “coaligarch,” on the other hand, heralds change we should all grieve in.

Please join me in contacting the Obama transition team and request that he appoint a leader willing to create green jobs, not snow jobs.

• Via phone: 202.540.2000 (After instructions, press “2” to speak to staff.)
• Via the transition team website: https://change.gov/page/content/contact/

So its been a very interesting couple of days. As promised in the blog title, I’ve got good, bad, then good news to report.

Most importantly, we JUST found out that Bank of America, one of the biggest backers of mountaintop removal coal mining companies, revised their policy on coal. Get this, they will no longer be funding mountaintop removal operations! Yeah, we couldnt believe it either! This is a huge falling domino in a 30 year campaign to end destruction of Appalachian mountains.

To everyone at Bank of America, thank you for doing the right thing. We applaud you.

So, some bad news. Yesterday, we found out that the EPA signed off on an 11th hour Bush Administration proposal to weaken the stream buffer zone rule, which regulates waste disposal at surface mines. But not to worry. There is a ground swell of opposition to the change, in Congress and around country, and President-elect Obama will have the power to roll back the rule once he’s in office.

Last, but not least, more good news. During the campaign, President-elect Barack Obama pledged to end mountaintop removal coal mining.

“We’re tearing up the Appalachian Mountains because of our dependence on fossil fuels,” Obama said in Lexington, Kentucky in August of 2007. “We have to find more environmentally sound ways of mining coal than simply blowing the tops off mountains.”

Today, we launched a major campaign asking President-elect Obama to deliver on his campaign pledge – and to do so within the first 100 days of his presidency. And After only 12 hours, 1,700 people sent letters to Mr. Obama. He’s heard us loud and clear.

Thanks again for everyones support. Till next time, onward and upward!

– – Benji Burrell, Technologist
Appalachian Voices and iLoveMountains.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 12, 2008

Contact:
Joel Finkelstein or Kate Geller, (202) 822-5200
Trina Zahller, (202) 518-9029 or (202) 744-8578

Dirty Money?
FOLLOW THE COAL MONEY
TO YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS

New Online Tool Shows Shrinking Partisan Divide, Gives First Comprehensive
Look at Political Impact of America’s Dirtiest Fuel

WASHINGTON, DC and BOONE, NC– A new online tool provides the first comprehensive look at the cash mined by Members of Congress from America’s coal industry. With Congress considering a plan to stop the illegal dumping of coal mining waste into America’s rivers and streams, constituents can go to FollowTheCoalMoney.org and explore the millions of dollars drilled from the wallets of corporations that mine, burn and lobby for coal.

Follow the Coal Money was created and will be updated by Appalachian Voices and Oil Change International with data from the Center for Responsive Politics

“When it comes time to cash checks, coal is still king,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Executive Director of Appalachian Voices. “If the American people want real action on energy, they need to know whether their Member of Congress is working for them or their coal cash contributors. We have better ways of producing energy than blowing the tops off mountains and destroying the climate and communities.”

“These days, coal money is bipartisan,” said Trina Zahller, Outreach Coordinator of Oil Change International. “After years of favoring Republicans over two to one, the switch in control of Congress led the coal industry to shift its resources. In this Congress, the top recipients are the Subcommittee and Committee chairs of the committees with jurisdiction over our energy and climate future, and six of the top ten coal cash recipients are Democrats. King Coal clearly knows how to win friends, the question is what kind of influence will it lead to?”

One of the top priorities for the coal industry is defending mountaintop removal coal mining, an extremely destructive form of strip mining found throughout Appalachia, with some mines as big as the island of Manhattan. The tops of mountains are literally blown up to expose the coal underneath, with mine waste dumped into valleys and streams below. Coalfield residents say that it tears apart communities, poisons water supplies, pollutes the air and destroys our nation’s natural heritage – while only making the climate crisis worse.

The effort to end mountaintop removal has been gaining steam over the past year. As of today, the leading Congressional plan to end the practice has 146 co-sponsors – dozens more than last year.

Follow the Coal Money is the first comprehensive look at money from all of the major corporate interests pushing to continue and expand the use of coal despite growing concerns about clean water, global warming, and the impact of devastating mountaintop removal coal mines. It includes data from coal mining companies, coal burning companies, and trade associations and political action committees representing those industries. Electric utilities are included if they generated over 70% of their electricity and a minimum of 3.5 million Megawatt hours from coal in 2006, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data.

Follow the Coal Money and its companion site, Follow the Oil Money, put powerful tools in the hands of citizens to expose fossil fuel industry donations, and to hold their representatives accountable.

# # #

Appalachian Voices brings people together to solve the environmental problems having the greatest impact on the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. Its mission is to empower people to defend our region’s rich natural and cultural heritage by providing them with tools and strategies for successful grassroots campaigns.

Oil Change International is dedicated to identifying and overcoming political barriers to a clean energy transition.. They are a research, education, and advocacy organization that exists to force progress in the energy industry towards an environmentally and socially sustainable energy future. Visit them at HYPERLINK “https://www.priceofoil.org” www.priceofoil.org

Over the last year, we’ve seen the price of Appalachian coal nearly triple. In 2007, Appalachian coal prices hit a low of around $40/ton on the spot market. But last month, at the end of July 2008, we saw Appalachian coal hit $150/ton.

With regional coal production in a long-term decline, we’ll be seeing a lot more of this in the upcoming months and years.

AEP needs to hike Ohio rates 45% over 3 years
COLUMBUS, Ohio – American Electric Power said Thursday it must raise electricity rates 45 percent for its nearly 1.5 million customers in Ohio over the next three years, to cover soaring coal prices and the cost of modernizing its systems to keep them reliable.

TheGreenMiles over at RaisingKaine, a progressive Virginia blog, says:

From EnergyCentral in Kentucky, we hear similar news:

On Wednesday, TVA Chief Executive Officer and President Tom Kilgore said that rising production costs will drive up the price it charges local distributors for that power. TVA is allowed to make such fuel cost adjustments quarterly, and this one could increase individual bills by 10 percent to 20 percent, Kilgore said. A 15 percent boost would be TVA’s biggest rate jump since 1977.

That means an extra $12 to $25 charge per month for the average household, he said. Local utilities expect to pass that increase directly on to their customers.

And with production declining, and renewable energy becoming more cost competitive, we may soon see states who hope to protect their consumers begin to invest in conservation, efficiency, and real renewable energy in a serious way.

1. This weeks featured blogs…
David Roberts expands on the topic of coal prices over at Grist

After gas prices, electricity bills are probably the most salient energy price indicator for average folk (albeit a distant second), so the current gas price hullabaloo offers a decent preview of what we can expect.

There will be outrage. There will be demands for increased mining. (Mine here! Mine now!) There will be Republican demagoguery on behalf of coal companies (and as a bonus, coal-state Democratic demagoguery too). There will be promises that coal mining and burning aren’t like they used to be, because these days super shiny technology makes them clean. There will be expert testimony saying that coal prices are rising because of structural economic forces that won’t be affected by an uptick in mining; that testimony will be disregarded by the demagogues. Greens and their legislative friends will push back with a scattered, incoherent message that involves half capitulation to mining and half boosterism of alternatives.

How will it all shake out?

Well, let’s wait and see how the gas-price thing goes. That will tell us a lot.

Climate Progress points out some of the dangers of continuing our current polices by looking at McCain’s pros and cons (their take is mostly cons on energy).

And at all the small things we learn about a Wendell Berry facebook group, which I fully endorse:

For those who enjoy the work of the farmer-poet, Wendell Berry, and/or agree that we are steadily losing a part of what makes us human in our rush to embrace technology and uber-industrialism. For those that retain agrarian values in the face of mass development and rampant consumerism.

2. MTR Fact of the Week
Mountaintop removal has a devastating impact on local economies in Appalachia. Communities around MTR have some of the highest poverty rates in the country, as well as population decline, and lower levels of education than other areas of their states and the United States.

3: Mountain Image/Video

Wise County, VA virtual flyover

4. Featured Activist
Donna and Charlie Branham of Mingo County, West Virginia:
Donna, a retired nurse, and Charlie, a member of the United Mine Workers of America, have successfully organized with their neighbors to keep valley fills and strip mine permits away from their home in Lenore, West Virginia for the past ten years. They have worked with other Mingo County residents to form a new citizens group, West Virginia Future. With support from OVEC members across the state, the group launched an outreach media effort with two bill boards along highway 119, encouraging other residents to join together and protect their mountain heritage.

“We aim to ensure good paying green jobs through deep underground mining, reclamation, renewable energy, and sustainable industries. We recognize how hard our people have fought in the past for our rights and freedom and are working today to carry out that tradition.”

Right now the group is organizing against a mountaintop removal permit that will flatten five miles of Buffalo Mountain and fill in 14 streams. Donna, Charlie, and their neighbors are also beginning to plan for alternative jobs in the county. To learn more about the group and find out how you can help Donna, Charlie, and the Mingo County Group, call (304) 475-2529 or visit WestVirginiaFuture.org

(In the photo above, Donna and Charlie pose with Larry Gibson, founder of the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation).

5. Mountain Music of the Week
Larry Keel and Natural Bridge sing Buffalo Creek

In case you missed, it, Cary Huffman (Ansted Historical Preservation Council) and Benji Burrell (Appalachian Voices) were featured on the radio program “Earthworms” this week. Benji explained why iLoveMountains.org created the America’s Most Endangered Mountains videos series, then Cary shared his thoughts and experience with mountaintop removal mining on Gauley Mountain in West Virginia. Gauley Mountain is situated between the Gauley River National Recreation Area and the New River Gorge National Scenic River.

Listen to the entire broadcast here.

Earthworms is a production of KDHX Community Radio in St Louis, MO.

Sludge Safety Project Internship Opportunity

The Sludge Safety Project (SSP) seeks an intern to help West Virginians build power and pass legislation in the 2009 legislative session. Depending on skills and experience, the legislative intern will perform the following tasks:

* Coordinate citizen lobby days at least weekly. This includes sending mailings, making phone calls and making sure people have rides to get to the Capitol; keeping track of where legislators stand on our issue; preparing for each lobby training; helping people navigate the hallways; and offering general support.
* Develop and improve informational packets and outreach materials such as postcards and letters to educate and move citizens to take action (make phone calls, meet with their legislator, write letters to the editor, etc).
* Regularly check in with allies and lobbyists with the West Virginia Environmental Council, Council of Churches and Clean Elections; and stay informed on recent information, health articles, technical breakthroughs, etc. pertinent to sludge safety. Provide updates to the group.
* Set up meetings between citizens and their legislators to discuss important issues as needed.

Desired Skills and Qualifications Include:

* Strong interpersonal skills, not afraid to pick up the phone or meet new people
* Attention to detail and well organized
* Dependable and on time
* Self-motivated, able to work with limited supervision
* Basic understanding of the issue of sludge and water in the southern West Virginia coalfields.
* Basic understanding of the role legislation has in making change
* Able to create Worddocuments and send through email
* Experience with graphics and mail merge a plus
* Lobbying experience a plus

Location:

Internship involves some travel. Preferred base of operation is Charleston, West Virginia. Must be available to be at the state capitol at least two days per week.

Compensation and Hours:

Full or part time starting ASAP and committing through April 2009, the end of the legislative session. Stipend and mileage reimbursement provided, depending on commitment and experience.

How to Apply:

Send an email to patricia@sludgesafety.org or call 304-235-2618. Deadline is rolling until we fill the position.

What is Sludge Safety Project?

SSP is a coalition of West Virginia communities and organizations working for clean water and community safety in the midst of coal waste sludge impoundments and underground coal sludge injections.
We provide support to communities by building a capacity to organize and connecting people to resources that will support their efforts. We offer a forum for communities to work together across county lines for solidarity and policy change in the state. Together, we have passed state and county legislation, won emergency alert systems near impoundments and worked with communities to get clean drinking water to families whose wells are contaminated.

JOIN US for the launch of Muddy Water Watch in the High Country!

The first MWW meeting will be held on September 8 in Boone at the Ag Conference Center on 252 Poplar Grove Road from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Call or contact Donna Lisenby, the Upper Watauga Riverkeeper at 828-262-1500 or donna@appvoices.org for more information.

The Watauga Riverkeeper is looking for Muddy Water Watch volunteers in the Watauga and Elk River watersheds. No previous knowledge of erosion and sedimentation is needed, just a motivation to learn. We are looking for people to:

• monitor construction sites and take pictures of potential violations
• document and report streams, creeks, and other waterways that are polluted with excessive sediment
• attend monthly meetings
• learn how to use several data storage websites
• MUCH MORE!

What is Muddy Water Watch (MWW)?

MWW is a state-wide initiative to reduce stormwater runoff from construction sites by providing training workshops and materials developed specifically for citizens on the NC Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973 and the NC NPDES General Permit for construction stormwater runoff. Over the course of this two year project, trained volunteers will be able to properly identify sedimentation and erosion violations from active construction sites, as well as poorly maintained Best Management Practices (BMP’s)

Who is involved in MWW?

MWW involves all 8 North Carolina Riverkeepers®, including the Watauga, Upper and Lower Neuse Riverkeepers, the Cape Fear Riverkeeper, the Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper, the Catawba Riverkeeper, the French Broad Riverkeeper, and the New Riverkeeper. Help stem the tide of sediment— NC’s #1 water pollution problem—from further impacting our rivers, streams and drinking water supplies. Citizens from all over the state will be trained by their local Riverkeeper on the NC Sedimentation Pollution Control Act.

How do I learn more about MWW?

The easiest way to learn more is to visit www.muddywaterwatch.org. Here, you will find complete job descriptions, contact information, workshop dates and locations, online training materials, and much more. In the High Country, Appalachian Voices and the Upper Watauga Riverkeeper are organizing MWW.

If you are concerned about global warming, air and water pollution, or mountaintop removal coal mining, we need your help to push Duke Energy’s dirty coal plant “off the Cliffside”. Please request a new set of public hearings in your area about the dangers of mercury and air pollution from the proposed Cliffside coal-fired power plant near Charlotte, NC.

Contact Secretary Bill Ross of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and ask for public hearings in your area. You can request a hearing in three ways:

1. Send an email: (click here for a sample)
2. Write a letter: (click here for a sample)
3. Make a call: (919) 733-4984, then call us to with the results, (828) 262-1500

We have a right to know how many tons of hazardous air pollutants Duke Energy will pump into our air and water!

Here is more information on the hearing process, and here’s more about the proposed expansions of the Cliffside plant.

photo courtesy of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

One more update on iLoveMountains.org: As of today, 16,600 people have watched one or more of the America’s Most Endangered Mountains video series!

Holy Mackerel Batman!

Man, the iLoveMountains.org Blogger’s Challenge is heating up! In the 2 weeks since the launch, 214 bloggers have pledged to help end mountaintop removal coal mining by spreading the word.

Oh, and check out the Bloggers’ Impact Map