“Don’t Blast Our Homes!” That’s what Wise County residents told the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy when more than 20 community members gathered outside the DMME’s office in Big Stone Gap to rally in opposition to A&G Coal’s proposed Ison Rock Ridge surface mine. “Ison Rock Ridge is families. Keep it standing!” said one picketer’s sign. Two individuals even delivered a “Certificate of Failure” to the DMME for failing to protect communities.

Residents of Inman, Derby, Arno, and Andover – communities that are directly adjacent to the pending 1,200+ acre mountain-top removal mine – took turns addressing the crowd to express their disapproval of the DMME’s apparent support for the project.

“The DMME and the state of Virginia seem to be ignoring regulations protecting our waterways. It’s a shame we have to contact Washington DC to get our state officials to obey the law,” said Jane Branham a resident of Big Stone Gap and Vice President of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards (SAMS), the Wise County-based community group that organized the demonstration.

Ben Hooper, a resident of Inman added, “The DMME’s not there to protect us. It’s their job to keep the coal money flowing to Richmond, not to make sure the coal is mined responsibly.”

The event was spurred because the DMME recently approved a portion of the proposed mine, despite the fact that the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers continue to hold the pending mine’s NPDES permit for review due to evidence that strip-mining of such scale invariably violates the Clean Water Act. If operated, this particular mine would destroy three miles of streams and fill nine valleys with more than 11 million cubic yards of rock and dirt. The EPA has sent a letter to the DMME reiterating that the pertinent permits remain under federal jurisdiction.

“This thing would have happened nearly three years ago if it hadn’t been for us,” declared Dorothy Taulbee, a former resident of Stonega, referring to the previous successes of SAMS’ work to preserve the communities surrounding Ison Rock Ridge. The organization was formed in 2007 and has been fighting the Ison Rock Ridge permit since the beginning. In 2008, SAMS secured meetings between community members and EPA representatives and mobilized dozens of local residents to speak out against the proposal at public hearings. These efforts led to the EPA’s intervention in the permitting process, halting the mine thus far.

On Tuesday and over the course of this week, supporters of SAMS from across the state will be visiting Senator Jim Webb’s offices in Roanoke, Virginia Beach, and Falls Church to deliver a message from coalfield residents asking for the Senator’s support in defending the communities adjacent to Ison Rock Ridge. A similar event will take place at the EPA’s region 3 offices in Philadelphia where allies of the local organization will deliver a letter thanking the agency for affording adequate scrutiny and oversight to the proposed mountaintop removal mine, and asking that the NPDES permit be ultimately denied.

SAMS supports deep-mining and other industries that provide jobs for the people of Wise County, but they say Mountaintop Removal mining favors explosives and heavy machinery to workers. SAMS is concerned about the impacts A & G’s Coal Company’s proposed mine would have on nearby streams that have already exceeded acceptable levels of pollution from mine discharge, and will regard the issuance of the Ison Rock Ridge Permit by the DMME to be in violation of the Clean Water Act. The Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards will continue to fight for the people of Appalachia and surrounding communities until the permits for the Ison Rock Ridge mine are denied once and for all.

From the organization:

CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK

Looking for a challenge? How about working to change the tune of Virginia’s leaders away from dirty coal and oil and toward clean, renewable power like wind and solar…Sound good? Read on.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Our mission is to build and mobilize a powerful grassroots movement and use our proximity to that nation’s capital to push for state, national and international policies that will put us on a path to climate stability.

CCAN takes on the region’s worst climate polluters and fights for the most effective clean energy policies. We are seeking an energetic organizer to head up our Windmills, Not Oil Spills campaign in Hampton Roads, Virginia. This is a six-month contract position, with a likelihood of renewal.

BACKGROUND AND JOB DESCRIPTION

Virginia’s current Governor, Bob McDonnell, was first in line calling for new oil exploration off of Virginia’s coast. Luckily, in a recent about-face by the Obama Administration, those plans were temporarily halted. However, Governor McDonnell still vows to push for offshore oil drilling as soon as possible. We at CCAN agree that we should develop energy off of Virginia’s coast – but we need to learn from the tragedy devastating the Gulf and move Virginia toward CLEAN wind power, not dirty oil. The Hampton Roads organizer will play a large role in shaping and executing our campaign for Windmills, Not Oil Spills.

Responsibilities:

* Recruit and train citizen and student volunteers
* Work with existing coalition partners, maintaining and building on those relationships
* Expand our base of non-environmental allies
* Build our base of e-activists
* Plan, organize, and execute campaign special events
* Work with the media
* Some research and writing as needed to produce campaign materials
* Some work engaging state and federal elected officials and their staff

Qualifications:

* B.A. or B.S (or equivalent organizing experience)
* Strong communication skills, both speaking and writing
* Basic knowledge of campaign planning
* Ability to connect with many different types of people and constituency groups
* Demonstrated experience organizing
* Demonstrated ability to work well both in teams and independently
* Problem-solver and goal-oriented
* Willing to travel as needed, a valid driver’s license, a satisfactory driving record and auto insurance

Compensation: Commensurate with experience, a generous benefits package

Location: Hampton Roads, VA – exact city is flexible

Diversity: CCAN is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse workforce.

This position is for 6 months with the likelihood of extension. To apply, please email resume and cover letter to:

Chelsea Harnish

{encode=”chelsea@chesapeakeclimate.org ” title=”chelsea@chesapeakeclimate.org “}

North Carolina State Representatives have introduced a bill this week that if passed, will strip North Carolina investments in Massey Energy Company. Reps. Pricey Harrison, Paul Luebke, Susan Fisher and Earl Jones recently introduced a bill into the General Assembly that would mandate the divestiture of state funds from Massey Energy. North Carolina owns 385,000 shares of Massey Energy stock, currently valued at approximately $12 million.

This effort to strip state investments from Massey is being led by Representative Pricey Harrison of Greensboro North Carolina. Rep. Harrison is no stranger to Massey’s reputation as a bad actor. In 2009, she was the lead sponsor of the Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act. This bill would have prohibited North Carolina utilities from purchasing mountaintop removal coal

“Massey Energy Company is a rogue corporation that puts company profits before the safety of miners,” said Harrison. “North Carolina has no business investing state funds in a corporation that routinely places its workers at risk and has absolutely no regard for environmental protection.”

Earlier this month, North Carolina State Treasurer Janet Cowell and a coalition of institutional investors urged Massey shareholders to withhold votes from the three board of director members responsible for mining safety in the company. All three were re-elected. This prompted the bill sponsors to take the actions of the State Treasurer a step further. If this bill passes the State Treasurer will be instructed to sell off all Massey Energy Stock.

Appalachian Voices is proud to support this bill, and we hope to see movement in the General Assembly.

“Maintaining our current investment locks North Carolina into Massey’s negligent behavior, which has cost the lives of American miners,” said Austin Hall, Field Organizer for the regional non-profit organization Appalachian Voices. “This company’s deplorable safety and environmental standards fly in the face of our state’s hard-earned reputation for safe workplaces and environmental stewardship.”

By Megan Naylor
Megan is a frequent contributor to The Appalachian Voice publication, and served as Appalachian Voices’ Communications intern during Spring and Fall 2010.

Typically blowing things up goes against everything Appalachian Voices stands for, except that is when it comes to the topic of mountaintop removal blowing up across the web pages of the blogosphere, in which case we couldn’t be more thrilled.

Recent additions to the blogging world covering the subject of mountaintop removal include images, videos and investigative news stories found online at Goollery, UNC News 21 and Bing Travel.

Goollery an independent online gallery is dedicated to collecting, archiving and showcasing innovative Google-related projects from around the globe. The site recently linked our very ownEndangered Mountains Video Series on iLoveMountains.org to their gallery.

In addition, an investigative reporting project affiliated with UNC News 21, entitled “Battle for the Mountains,” touches on the dueling sides of the issue of mountaintop removal spanning across the Appalachian mountains.

Created by Chris Carmichael, University of North Carolina Chapel Graduate and 2006 Hill Roy H. Park Fellow, “Battle for the Mountains” covers the controversial issue, thoroughly blending emotionally moving still images with videography.

UNC News 21, part of the Carnegie-Knight initiative on the future of journalism education, is the collaborative effort of 12 of America’s top journalism schools in experimenting with new in-depth reporting methods and mediums.

Delving into the topic via a different route, Bing Travel’s Endangered Destinations series, which highlights beautiful and tragic endangered destinations, has grouped Appalachia with places such as Mount Kilimanjaro and the Great Barrier Reef

“If you don’t see these places soon,” the show warns, “you may miss the chance to enjoy their unique beauty.”

The more information we put out into the world regarding mountaintop removal, the more aware our society can become. The goal is to see the spread of information translate into conscious action taken to save the mountains we love.

So, take a moment while you are perusing the internet over your coffee today to check in with the spread of awareness across the pages of your screen…

Education is power, pass it on.

Law enforcement officials and river conservationists happily collected approximately 188,563 pills and 20.2 gallons of liquid medication during High Country’s second prescription drug take back event on May 22nd. More than 38 volunteers and 16 law enforcement officials from Watauga and Avery counties participated in Operation Medicine Cabinet, and the amount of drugs obtained was over four times that of the previous year. Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman could not have been more pleased.

“Through joint operations with multiple partners in both counties, we made this one of the most successful drug take back events in the state of NC,” he said.

Approximately 154 people turned in a wide variety of unused medications, from oxycodone and hydrocodone to anti-depressants and pet medications, for safe destruction. Parents and conservationists alike lauded the efforts, both for keeping prescription drugs away from children and for preventing the consequences of their unsafe disposal.

“I needed to get rid of the out-of-date drugs because I don’t want prescription drugs around my teenage son,” said one local mom.

Volunteer Crystal Simmons said, “For the High Country to create such an event is a real testament to our commitment to a healthier environment and a safer community.”

In addition to individual volunteers, the event had over 30 community partners that helped make the event a huge success.

Widely varied research all points to the fact that surface mining has negative health effects – of all shapes and sizes – despite the industry’s best efforts to say otherwise.

Nathaniel Hitt, Ph.D., of Viriginia Tech and Michael Hendryx, Ph.D. of West Virginia University recently published a study entitled Ecological Integrity of Streams Related to Human Cancer Mortality Rates, which correlates the ecological health of streams in West Virginia to the public health of those who live nearby.

The study concluded that there were “significant associations” between the lack of ecological integrity in the streams and human mortality rates from certain types of cancer.

“Our research shows the importance of streams for people,” Dr. Hitt said. “We learned that some of the smallest organisms living in streams can provide a warning system for one of the largest human health problems, cancer.”

As coal power production is heavily associated with the disintegrity of the streams, it is therefore associated with higher cancer rates observed in these regions.

Before this study, Dr. Hendryx published a series of other studies examining negative health effects and premature deaths of citizens in close proximity to Appalachian coalmines. The studies also made cost-benefit analyses to determine whether the power provided by the mines was indeed worth it when compared with the loss of life in economic terms.

Obviously, the mining industry responded unfavorably to the associations made in the Hendryx study, and hired its own professor, Dr. Jonathan Borak of Yale University, to “debunk” the findings of the Hendryx study.

While Borak’s report illuminated several methodological concerns with the Hendryx study, it by no means disproved any of its findings. Yet a PR branch of the National Mining Association touted the report as “debunking” Dr. Hendryx’s study as “bogus”.

It seems that the truth about the health effects of surface mining will out one way or another.

Other research from a much different organization suggests that water is not the only barometer of public health – and cancer is not the only disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) recently released a study that found links between air pollution, similarly caused by fossil fuel byproduct, and heart risks such as heart attacks and strokes.

This, too, is a concern of West Virginia and the entire Appalachian region, which is dominated by the production of coal power.

By Megan Naylor
Megan is a frequent contributor to The Appalachian Voice publication, and served as Appalachian Voices’ Communications intern during Spring and Fall 2010.

Sludge Safety Project volunteers were out in force during the 2009 WV Legislative Session. Stay tuned to this website for upcoming efforts during the 2009 InterimsThe Sludge Safety Project, a collaborative effort of Coal River Mountain Watch, Concerned Citizens in Mingo County and Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
is looking for volunteers!

The SSP works to improve safety of people living in the vicinity of sludge ponds, shutting down impoundments, improving water quality in West Virginia and demanding alternative methods of disposal of coal waste.

Volunteers have the opportunity to work one on one with a specific SSP team or divide their work between several.

The teams revolve around research, legislative policy, and community organizing.

Volunteer opportunities include but are not limited to; event coordination, community outreach, legal research, research editing, web development; grant writing, tech research and archival work.

Homepage for the Sludge Safety Project .

If interested, call Stephanie Tyree at 304-522-0246 or Email Sludge Safety Project.

By Megan Naylor
Megan is a frequent contributor to The Appalachian Voice publication, and served as Appalachian Voices’ Communications intern during Spring and Fall 2010.

The Floating Lab Collective, a Washington, D.C arts collective, is looking for submissions of quilt patches to honor mountains damaged or lost due to mountaintop removal.

Patches can vary in size and shape but need to have the name of the mountain which they are dedicated to embroidered or written onto the piece.

The aim of this project according to Floating Lab Collective member Lindsay Hawks is for the final product to serve as a mapped representation of people’s individualized relationship with the land that has been affected by strip mining.

After the deadline submissions will be organized and a quilt assembly event will be held July 11th at Wiley’s Last Resort located atop Pine Mountain in Whitesburg, Kentucky.

The event is open to all quilters and will feature local musicians performing songs dedicated to the mountains of Appalachia.

Quilt participants are invited to camp on the property after the event.

More information on the collective can be found at: floatinglabcollective.org.

For details on camping at Wiley’s Last Resort make sure to check out: wileyslastresort.com.

Environmentalists and coal supporters met to debate the largest mountaintop removal mining permit to date—the Spruce No. 1 surface mine in Logan County, W.Va.—at a public hearing on May 18 in Charleston, W.Va.

EPA officials accepted comments from the public regarding the permit at what was a subdued and small gathering compared to the large, heated Army Corps of Engineer hearings held last fall.

In March, The EPA announced that it planned to significantly restrict or prohibit mountaintop removal mining at Spruce No. 1.

“Coal, and coal mining, is part of our nation’s energy future, and for that reason EPA has made repeated efforts to foster dialogue and find a responsible path forward. But we must prevent the significant and irreversible damage that comes from mining pollution — and the damage from this project would be irreversible,” said EPA Regional Administrator for the Mid-Atlantic, Shawn Garvin. “This recommendation is consistent with our broader Clean Water Act efforts in Central Appalachia. EPA has a duty under the law to protect water quality and safeguard the people who rely on these waters for drinking, fishing and swimming.”

If permitted, Arch Coal’s Spruce No. 1 mine operation would bury more than seven miles of headwater streams and impact 2,278 acres of forestland.

In a statement showing support for the EPA’s actions on mountaintop removal, Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia said: “EPA Administrator Jackson reiterated to me that more wide-ranging guidance
is forthcoming in the near future, providing clarity relating to water quality issues and mining permits. I encouraged her to move forward as soon as possible so those seeking approval of permits can fully
understand the parameters for acceptable activity under the Clean Water Act.”

The EPA comment period on Spruce No. 1 was scheduled to end on June 4.

“Past error is no excuse for its own perpetuation. Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.” – Robert Francis Kennedy

It’s been over 8 weeks since the deadly explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine claimed the lives of 29 American Miners in Raleigh County, West Virginia. The incident, which was our nation’s deadliest mining accident in 40 years, was unquestionably made more tragic by the fact that it was preventable. In order to ensure that no similar, preventable, coal-related tragedy occurs, it is critically important that we recognize the full breadth of the coal industry’s impact on Appalachian communities and ecology, while collectively accepting shared responsibility for addressing its transgressions. Step one, as they say, is admitting we have a problem.

Upper Big Branch

In the wake of the April 5 explosion, it became increasingly apparent that Massey Energy’s UBB was outrageously mismanaged. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued the mine over 500 citations in 2009 alone (amounting to $897,325 in proposed penalties) and over 50 citations in March of 2010 alone. MSHA has pointed out that “Massey failed to address these violations over and over again.” Clearly, UBB indicates that something is amiss in the coal industry, but how far does this problem go?

Massey Energy Company

Let’s take a closer look at Massey Energy, the company (currently being investigated by the FBI) that owns UBB. NYTimes reports that in the past 10 years, there have been 52 deaths at Massey mines. In 2006, a fire at Massey’s Aracoma Alma mine killed two miners, and the company eventually paid $4.2 million in criminal fines and civil penalties. In 2009, Massey was charged with $12.9 million in proposed fines for safety violations. The company appealed 75% of the violations, and awarded its CEO, Don Blankenship, a stunning $2 million safety bonus the same year.

In 2003 Massey Energy paid Sylvester, West Virginia residents close to half a million dollars after these residents argued that coal dust from one of the company’s processing plants was impacting their health and property values. In 2004 the company paid $1.54 million to 245 residents of Mingo County, W. Va., after a jury concluded that Massey had acted “with malicious, willful, wanton, reckless or intentional disregard for plaintiffs’ rights,” when it destroyed those residents’ water wells by mining beneath their homes.

In October of 2000, a Massey owned sludge impoundment in Martin County Kentucky failed and leaked more than 300 million gallons of sludge. This sludge killed 1.6 million fish, and contaminated over 27,000 people’s water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called it the largest environmental catastrophe in the history of the southeastern United States.

In 2008 the EPA fined Massey $20 million for 4,500 violations of the Clean Water Act. This was the largest fine in the history of the law. Then, in 2010 four environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the company citing evidence that, unbelievably, Massey’s Clean Water Act violations had, increased in frequency since its record 2008 fine.

And let there be no mistaking, Massey is also the country’s number one producer of mountaintop removal coal, and as such, bears a large degree of responsibility for the wholesale destruction Appalachian mountains, streams and communities.

Beyond Massey
Massey is a problem for Appalachia that is hard to understate, but sadly coal industry transgressions don’t stop there. After the UBB tragedy, MSHA undertook a five day inspection blitz that targeted 57 mines notorious for safety violations. The blitz resulted in an astounding 1,339 citations. In May, Joseph Main, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health remarked, “After last month’s tragic reminder of the consequences of failing to make safety a priority, it is appalling that these operations continued to flout fundamental safety and health standards.”

Things have gotten so bad in Kentucky that earlier this year the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment, Sierra Club, Public Justice, and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth filed a formal petition with the EPA asking the federal agency to take over administration and enforcement of the state’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System. The group urged this was necessary because of Kentucky’s alleged “capitulation to the coal industry and its complete failure to prevent widespread contamination of state waters by pollution from coal mining operations.”

Any and all coal companies that practice mountaintop removal force Appalachian communities to contend with contaminated drinking water, powerful blasting, airborne dust, and increased flooding (among other things). After coal is extracted from an area, ancient mountains, streams, and valleys that enriched Appalachian communities for generations are reduced to barren wastelands, toxic dumps, and piles of rubble. Mountaintop removal, which occurs in KY, WV, VA and TN, is responsible for the destruction of over 500 of the most biologically diverse mountains on the planet. Around 1.2 millions acres and 2000 miles of vital headwater streams have been destroyed in central and southern Appalachia by the practice. Besides Massey, Alpha Natural Resources, Patriot Coal, Arch Coal, International Coal Group, and Consol Energy produce a heck of a lot of mountaintop removal coal.

Check out some of the press they’ve gotten
“Since April 5, when the Massey-owned Upper Big Branch mine exploded, killing 29 workers inside, Patriot’s 11 underground coal mines in Appalachia have racked up roughly 350 safety violations, according to a review of federal records by TWI. The violations include scores of citations indicating problems with ventilation systems and the accumulation of combustible materials — the very conditions thought to have caused the deadly blast at the UBB project.” – The Washington Independent

“Environmental groups have been fighting the Spruce Mine since 1998, when it was proposed as a 3,113-acre mine that would bury more than 10 miles of streams in the Pigeonroost Hollow area near Blair. Arch Coal had proposed it as a continuation of its Dal-Tex mountaintop removal operation.” – The Charleston Gazette

“Roughly four years after a methane explosion led to the deaths of 12 coal miners at the International Coal Group‘s Sago Mine in Upshur County, not all the regulatory reforms suggested in the wake of the tragedy have been put into effect.” – The State Journal

“Two West Virginia environmental groups say they will sue Consol Energy because of its continuing “harmful pollution” in Dunkard Creek, where a massive fish kill occurred last September.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Recognizing the Impact
So, apparently coal companies besides Massey are having a negative impact on Appalachia. But how much of an impact?

Well, according to 2009’s Hendryx study, coal mining costs Appalachia $42 billion every year as a result of negative health impacts and loss of life. A 2010 paper published in the journal Science and entitled “Mountaintop Mining Consequences” found that “The scientific evidence of the severe environmental and human impacts from mountaintop removal is strong and irrefutable. Its impacts are pervasive and long lasting and there is no evidence that any mitigation practices successfully reverse the damage it causes.” Considering these findings, is it any wonder that year after year, Gallup-Healthways’ Well-Being Index ranks the states of Kentucky and West Virginia second to last and dead last respectively?

Accepting Responsibility

“Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life, few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope, by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identified as lying within.” – Stephen Jay Gould

The fact is Americans across the country contribute to coal industry injustices in Appalachia. Coal-fired power plants from coast to coast either purchase mountaintop removal coal directly, or purchase coal from companies connected to the devastating practice. (Click Here to See if Your Zip Code is Connected)

Leaders of nine large investor groups heavily invested in Massey Energy recently called for the resignation of three Massey directors following the disaster at Upper Big Branch. Who are these investors? The California State Teachers’ Retirement System, the North Carolina Retirement System, the Office of Connecticut State Treasurer, the Illinois State Board of Investment, the Maryland State Pension and Retirement System, the New York State Controller, the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, the Oregon State Treasury, and the Pennsylvania Treasury collectively own 1.4 million shares of Massey Energy valued at over $64 million.

As long as we demand “cheap” fossil fuels, mining companies will continue to have incentives for prioritizing production over worker safety and over the health of Appalachian communities and ecology. It’s easy to think of the problems associated with coal mining as distinctly Appalachian problems, but responsibility for the coal mining industry’s impact extends beyond the region. It extends, beyond Massey, beyond the entire coal industry, and beyond even the agencies that regulate coal mining. Truly, the responsibilty for these problems is shared by all who use electricity in this country.

Moving Forward
We in America owe Appalachia serious investments in just and sustainable jobs. The region has long contributed to the American workforce, and the industrial might of our country has been fueled by the tremendous efforts of the Appalachian people.
Diversification of the area’s economy will give men and women employment opportunities beyond those offered by dangerous, destructive, law evading, companies such as Massey. One way we can immediately take a step in the right direction is by getting our Representatives and Senators behind the Rural Energy Savings Program Act (HR 4785). Click here to learn more.

In order to prevent another coal-related tragedy Appalachian miners need enforced safety regulations, and Appalachian communities and ecologies need an end to mountaintop removal. The region needs these things immediately. Please join us in supporting Congressman Rahall for his efforts to improve miner safety, and in asking Congress to support two bipartisan bills aimed at sharply curtailing mountaintop removal: the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310) in the House and the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696) in the Senate.

Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship remained cool and unapologetic over his company’s role in the Upper Big Branch disaster during last week’s Senate hearing on mine safety. Legislators in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services grilled Blankenship over his company’s safety record, as they attempted to determine what must be done to improve mine safety and enforcement following the worst mining accident in 40 years.

According to Blankenship, the 23 fatalities at Massey mines in the 10 years prior to Upper Big Branch were “about average.” “Massey does not place profits over safety,” he emphasized. “We never have and we never will. Period. From the day I became a member of Massey’s leadership team 20 years ago, I have made safety the number one priority.”

Cecil E. Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America contested Blankenship’s claims. “I can’t come up with another coal company that’s had 23 miners in 10 years die,” he testified. “This isn’t average. This is deplorable.”

“This is the worst fatality rate in the industry either way you look at it, either before the explosion or after the explosion,” Roberts said.

West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd was similarly unconvinced. “I cannot fathom how an American business could practice such disgraceful health and safety policies while simultaneously boasting about its commitment to the safety of its workers,” the senator stated. “This is a clear record of blatant disregard for the welfare and safety of Massey miners. Shame.”

Frustration was also directed at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) – the federal agency that enforces safety in mines. The agency’s resources are useless, Senator Byrd argued, if MSHA is not “demanding safety in the mines.”

Click here to watch the full hearing

By Megan Naylor
Megan is a frequent contributor to The Appalachian Voice publication, and served as Appalachian Voices’ Communications intern during Spring and Fall 2010.

For most people a 6 a.m. ride to Raleigh in a rental van is not something worth smiling about, but last week it was a task that 14 other lobbyists and I from around the High Country took on willingly, knowing it would be an important catalyst for change.

We traveled to meet with House Representatives to explain the importance of wind for our environment, economy and future of Western North Carolina and I was excited to be a part of the push–the push being for the House to sit on Senate bill 1068 in the short session and work towards a more fair and comprehensive bill in the longer session.

We rose to the challenge, aware that the only way to move into a sustainable future is to ensure the voice of the people desiring change be heard.

As many snuggled down in the van to rest before our day began, my mind wandered to questions of what involvement with this issue meant and what would come of it.

The potential for wind is clear if you have hiked in Boone on a windy day, but S1068 would limit turbines in North Carolina to below 100 ft, essentially creating a de facto ban on any feasible commercial scale wind project.

Without understanding the scale needed to produce high energy output, it is hard to grasp why 100 ft would be limiting, but to put it in perspective Boone’s very own Broyhill wind turbine is 115 ft to the hub and 66 ft in blade diameter and turbines capable of large energy output typically range from 164ft to over 262 ft.

Due to location, the Broyhill turbine is a class 2 wind site, meaning its ability to generate wind is greatly limited and will produce power for approximately 15 homes. Broyhill turbine was erected to set an example and be a beacon of hope for sustainability and is doing just that.

In a recent poll conducted by Appalachian State Appropriate Technology graduate Marcus Taylor, over 85% of people noted that they hope to see wind turbine development grow in the mountains.

If passed by the House S1068 would not allow a turbine the size of Broyhill to exist much less permit wind farms to be built that can power entire communities.

By bringing together both sides of the political spectrum, we aim to establish responsible clean energy options, dismantling our dependence on extraction of limited resources by destructive means such as mountaintop removal.

Pursuing wind will move us into an era where innovation and environmental conscious are present while simultaneously creating green jobs and lowering reliance on foreign resources.

Upon arrival we were ushered to meet with Representative Cullie Tarleton who as a member of both the Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee and the Natural Resources Committee has the chance to vote twice on whether S1068 passes in the house. As advocates of wind we were there to clarify why the bill as is means devastation for wind development and why the House needs to pass a more reasonable bill concerning turbine height and placement.

We asked Tarleton not to make a move on the S1068 during short session, allowing us the opportunity to work towards a better bill. He raised questions of placement and environmental impact and we explained that those present, including members of Appalachian Voices and Appalachian Initiative for Renewable Energy held environmental responsibility as a top priority and that our reason for lobbying for wind was to protect our environment not to harm it.

It is important to note that in any large scale construction project will have some environment impact, but doing extensive research to negate those impacts is something we take very seriously.

Agreeing to wait to delve further into S1068 Tarleton thanked us for coming and standing up for what we believe.

The rest of the day followed a similar path.

Meetings were held with republicans and democrats alike and the answer echoing through the halls that day seemed clear;
“We hear what you’re saying, we are motivated by your education on the issue and your passion and we plan to hold off in the short session and take another look at it in the long session when we have more time to do this issue the justice it deserves.”

We arrived with sleepy smiles and left with the same. Street lights illuminated our way as we walked back to the bus, ready for the day they would be powered by turbines spinning in the breeze.