“Coal Country Music,” the companion CD to the documentary “Coal Country” was released on Nov. 10.

The album is dedicated to ending the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining that was depicted in the “Coal Country” documentary.
The powerful, star-studded track list includes songs by Willie Nelson, Kathy Mattea, John Prines, and Natalie Merchants.

Proceeds from the album will be donated to support Alliance for Appalachia.

Click here to order your copy of “Coal Country Music.”

EPA will hold two public hearings to accept public comment on the agency’s proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions thresholds defining when Clean Air Act permitting requirements would apply to new or existing industrial facilities. The proposed thresholds would “tailor” the permit programs to limit which facilities would be required to obtain NSR and title V permits and would cover nearly 70 percent of the national GHG emissions that come from stationary sources, including those from the nation’s largest emitters-power plants, refineries, and cement production facilities.

The hearings will be November 18 in Arlington, Va. and November 19 in Rosemont, IL. Both hearings will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at 7:00 p.m. local time at the following locations:

November 18: Arlington, Va.
Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
2799 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22202

November 19: Rosemont, Il.
Donald E Stephens Convention Center
5555 North River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018

Members of the public who want to speak at the hearings may pre-register for a specific speaking time by contacting Pamela Long at long.pam@epa.gov or (919) 541-0641 by November 13, 2009. People also may register in person on the day of the hearing; however, they may not be given a specific time to speak.

EPA also will accept written comments on the proposed rule until December 28, 2009.

More information on the proposed rule and instructions for submitting written comments: https://www.epa.gov/nsr/actions.html.

The following email was sent to the 38,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.

Two weeks ago, we wrote to tell you that Massey Energy had begun blasting on Coal River Mountain — ground zero in the fight to end mountaintop removal coal mining.

We asked you to tell the Obama administration to intervene — and your response was incredible! You sent more than 15,000 letters to the Obama Administration, and in partnership with other organizations, more than 64,000 citizens took action to save Coal River Mountain.

The blasting at Coal River Mountain represents an escalation in the fight for the future of Appalachia. Massey Energy has already been cited with using stronger explosives than is allowable near a gas line, and local residents are worried about the impacts of the blasting on a nearby coal sludge impoundment.

That’s why we need to ensure that we’re ready to meet Big Coal’s efforts to destroy the mountains we love across the region.

Can you make a contribution to iLoveMountains today, to help us grow the campaign to end mountaintop removal coal mining and support the activists on the ground at Coal River Mountain?

Click here to make a contribution today.

Whether you’re able to contribute $25, $50, or $200, any amount you can afford to give makes a tremendous difference in the effort to end mountaintop removal coal mining once and for all.

You contribution goes directly to helping iLoveMountains.org raise national awareness and keep the pressure on decision makers to end mountaintop removal coal mining. Your contribution also helps the Alliance for Appalachia build regional support for ending mountaintop removal coal mining, and lends support for the activists at Coal River Mountain Watch, who are on the ground every day working to save Coal River Mountain.

You can also help grow the movement by taking just a moment today to invite 5 friends or colleagues to join you at iLoveMountains.org. To date, more than 38,800 people have joined you in supporting a clean energy future for Appalachia. Can you help us reach 40,000 people in a week’s time by inviting 5 friends to join you at iLoveMountains.org today?

Invite 5 friends to join us today.

Thank you for everything you do to contribute to the end of mountaintop removal coal mining. Your efforts form the backbone of our campaign.

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

The Filson Historical Society of Louisville will host a conference, “The Changing Faces of Appalachia: Problems, Promises and Perspectives,” Nov. 12 to 14 in Louisville, Ky.

The keynote speaker will be West Virginia-born historian and educator Dr. Ronald Eller, a descendant of eight generations of Appalachian families and director of the Appalachian Center and Professor of History at the University of Kentucky.

Over the two days of lectures, documentary screenings and musical performances, dialogues will be raised on the past, present and future of many facets of the region.

Don’t miss Saturday morning’s debate between Kentucky Resource Council’s Tom FitzGerald and J. Steven Gardner, Chairman of the UK Mining Engineering Foundation and a representative of the Coal and Energy Industry. The two will debate the pros and cons of the presence of the coal industry in Appalachia.

The conference will end with a lecture by Dr. Chad Berry who serves as Director of the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center and Associate Professor of History at Berea College. He will address the central question facing Appalachia:

In 1965, Congress passed the Appalachian Redevelopment Act, which created the Appalachian Regional Commission, designed to promote economic development in Appalachia. Almost half a century later, after more than $4 billion in appropriations and countless human hours spent trying to improve the quality of life for mountaineers, many who study Appalachia believe that some parts of the region – particularly Central Appalachia – are no better off in 2009 than they were in 1965. How could this be so? Why do we still speak about and concentrate on persistent problems in the region?

Contact the Filson Historical Society at 502-635-5083 to find out more information and make reservations. If you mention this statement: “Our Mission: To collect, preserve and tell the significant stories of Kentucky and the Ohio valley history and culture,” all registration fees will be waived.

The Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy (AIRE) and Appalachian Voices cordially invite you to a screening of the documentary Coal Country at Boone’s Dragonfly Theater, Tuesday Nov. 17 at 6:00 p.m. – with a second screening of the film at 8 p.m. The film explores the dramatic struggle and tension around the mining and use of coal for electricity production in the Appalachian Region.

Individuals from AIRE and Appalachian Voices will be present to discuss the grave environmental impacts of coal mining and consumption in our region and the promise and economic affluence offered by the responsible development of Appalachia’s renewable energy resources. Tickets can be purchased for $10 at the offices of Appalachian Voices at 191 West Howard St. or AIRE at 164 South Depot St in downtown Boone. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit AIRE and their continuing mission to encourage and advance community driven environmentally sensitive renewable energy development
throughout our Appalachian Region.


The Coal Country website offers this description of the feature:

“COAL COUNTRY is a dramatic look at modern coal mining. We get to know working miners along with activists who are battling coal companies in Appalachia. We hear from miners and coal company officials, who are concerned about jobs and the economy and believe they are acting responsibly in bringing power to the American people. Both sides in this conflict claim that history is on their side. Families have lived in the region for generations, and most have ancestors who worked in the mines. Everyone shares a deep love for the land, but MTR (Mountain Top Removal mining which has leveled over 500 Appalachian mountains) is tearing them apart. We need to understand the meaning behind promises of “cheap energy” and “clean coal.” Are they achievable? At what cost? Are there alternatives to our energy future?”

The production features music by Kathy Mattea, Natalie Merchant, John Prine, Willie Nelson, and many other artists.

We hope you will join us for an evening of community fellowship and dialogue concerning the continued livelihood and well-being of our beautiful Appalachia!

iLoveMountains.org, a website created by Appalachian Voices for Alliance for Appalachia, was proudly named one of the Good 100, a list sponsored by GOOD to acknowledge organizations, projects, and individuals who are striving to improve the planet.

Alliance for Appalachia-an umbrella organization of 13 groups working to end mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia-created a number of Google Maps and Google Earth tools on iLoveMountains.org, including the My Connection tool which allows visitors to determine if they are using mountaintop removal by typing in their zip code.

According to GOOD, “The website iLoveMountains.org is providing people with the resources to fight mountaintop-removal mining in Appalachia…[it] shows how the energy we use is connected to mountaintop removal, and connects people with their lawmakers to lobby for change.”

The Upper Watagua Riverkeeper was featured in UNC-Chapel Hill’s “Environmental Heroes” series. The student-created film features Donna Lisenby, the watchdog of the Upper Watagua. Go to the Riverkeeper Blog to watch the film!

The Wise County RRENEW collective is hosting Weekend in Wise, a youth summit aimed at learning how to protect Appalachia from mountaintop removal and move towards a sustainable future. The summit will begin on Friday, November 6th with dinner, a campaign update and a screening of the documentary Coal Country. Workshops and stream monitoring training will be held Saturday and the weekend will wrap up with live music and dancing Saturday night and a tour of mountaintop removal mining sites on Sunday. Registration can be done online and transportation can be arranged if needed. For further information contact:

By email: wiseyouthsummit@gmail.com

By phone: (276) 505-2073

Or check out the Weekend in Wise website

Appalachian Voices’ very own Matt Wasson and Benji Burrell, and Coal River Mountain Watch’s Lorelei Scarbro star in a film by Google Earth, celebrating Appalachian Voices as a Google Earth Hero—inspiring the world to take initiative!

“We are thrilled by the fact that hundreds of millions of people around the world use Google Earth to discover, explore, and learn. But perhaps we’re even more proud of the fact that many people have used Google Earth as a tool to help them change the world; ordinary people achieving extraordinary goals with the help of Google Earth.”
-Google Earth

The film salutes Appalachian Voices’ mission to end mountaintop removal in a behind-the-scene story highlighting ilovemountains.org, one of the first platforms to make extensive use of Google Earth as an educational tool.

BREAKING NEWS: Reports are coming in from residents of West Virginia’s Coal River Valley that Massey Energy has begun mountaintop removal mining operations on Coal River Mountain. Sprawling across thousands of acres of diverse and pristine hardwood forests, this mountain is home to the tallest peaks ever permitted for destruction in the state of West Virginia. The mountain also became a powerful symbol of hope for a better future in the Appalachian coalfields after a study showed those peaks and ridges have wind resources as high as “Class 7,” which is the highest rating on the scale.

Take Action here

Local residents have rallied around a proposal for a 328 Megawatt wind farm and put up a website, coalriverwind.org, to promote their vision. The wind farm would, over the course of a few decades, provide far more jobs in the community than those created during the few years it would take Massey Energy to reduce the mountain to a flat, barren, and toxic wasteland. Just a few days ago, the AP reported that a local organization, Coal River Mountain Watch, has been working with Google Earth to design a presentation that will be shown at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen, contrasting the proposed wind farm with Massey Energy’s plans for more than 6,000 acres of mountaintop removal coal mining on the mountain.

A 328 Megawatt wind farm versus a 6,000 acre mountaintop removal coal mine — there could be no better symbol of the crossroads we are at in America’s energy future. Whichever way it goes, the fate of Coal River Mountain is America’s energy future. If the coal companies can mine Coal River Mountain, they can do anything they want. If they can destroy these peaks, we’ll know exactly what the effect that the billions in tax-payer giveaways to the coal industry will have if the climate bill is passed.

What’s at stake

There’s far more than just a wind farm at stake when it comes to the destruction of Coal River Mountain, however, both for residents of the Coal River Valley and for people across the country who believe that a clean energy future is within our grasp.

For local residents, this is the last intact mountain in the vicinity, home to some of the few remaining headwater streams that have not been polluted with heavy metal-laden mine waste. If Massey Energy’s plans aren’t stopped, they know exactly what’s in store – just a few weeks ago, a local Eyewitness News story about 200 families in the town of Prenter who are suing 9 coal companies for contaminating their well water with coal waste began as follows:

“Twenty-two year old Josh McCormick is dying of kidney cancer. Twenty-six year old Tanya Trale has had a tumor removed from her breast; her husband has had two tumors removed from his side and both have had their gallbladders taken out.

Rita Lambert has had her gallbladder removed; so has her husband and both parents.

Jennifer Massey has a mouthful of crowns and so does her son after their enamel was eaten away, and six of her neighbors – all unrelated – have had brain tumors, including her 29-year old brother, who died.

Bill Arden is one of those neighbors. He survived his brain tumor, but Arden’s eight-year old boxer named Sampson did not.

What do all of these people have in common? They all live within a 3-mile radius of Prenter Hollow in Boone County, West Virginia. And all have well water.”

As usual, despite overwhelming evidence that it’s the sludge they have been pumping into underground mine shafts that contaminated the groundwater, the coal companies deny any connection to the problem.

On Coal River Mountain, less than 100 yards from where the mining has begun, lies the Brushy Fork coal slurry impoundment, a massive earthen dam holding back 8.2 billion gallons of toxic coal sludge. Were that dam to fail, as several have done in the recent past, hundreds of lives could be lost in a matter of minutes and thousands would be put in jeopardy. Even short of complete dam failure, the risks to local communities are great. The ground beneath the impoundment is riddled with abandoned underground mine shafts, leaving many local residents with little doubt that some of that toxic slurry will end up in their groundwater as the foundation-shaking blasts of ammonium-nitrate explosives begin cracking rock strata and exposing aquifers to the contaminated water.

Outside the Coal River Valley and across the nation there is also a lot at stake — especially for the millions of young people who turned out en masse during last November’s election, believing they could take their country back from the powerful special interests that pulled the strings of government over the preceding eight years. Just this weekend, thousands of students are attending regional “Powershift” conferences, learning what they can do to bring about their vision of a new future and a new energy policy build around efficient use of clean and renewable energy technologies.

Those same young people who came out by the thousands chanting “Yes We Can!” last fall are soon going to learn whether that slogan applies to them, or really just to powerful corporations with a lot of money and political influence. Today, it’s coal companies like Massey Energy that are claiming the “Yes We Can!” slogan:

“Yes we can destroy your mountains, drinking water, and dreams for a better future. Yes we can threaten and intimidate you at public hearings and drown out your voice.
Yes We Can!“

Just last week, the same Administration that donned the mantle of “Hope” and “Change” held public hearings on the rubber-stamp permitting of mountaintop removal in which the Army Corps of Engineers allowed mobs ginned up by the coal companies to threaten, intimidate and drown out the voices of people brave enough to speak out against the destruction of their homes, communities and mountains.

But it’s too soon for those young people to return to the feelings of disenfranchisement and cynicism that has characterized their age group for the past few decades. The Obama Administration has begun taking small steps to rein in mountaintop removal mining, and recently threatened to veto the largest mountaintop removal permit ever proposed in West Virginia. For even those baby-steps, they are facing a massive push-back from the coal industry. But its not nearly enough to make tweaks to the permiting process while letting mountaintop removal continue under the industry-friendly rules rigged by the Bush Administration. The Administration needs to hear from us – to hear from you.

It’s time we demand the “change” we were promised, and Coal River Mountain, the most powerful symbol of the difference between the destructive and climate change-denying policies of the past and the promise of a new future, is the line in the sand. Coal River Mountain must be saved.

The Administration has been hearing a lot from the coal industry, but have they heard from you? If not, you can start by calling the White House and making your voice heard. Here’s a link for more information: www.ilovemountains.org/coalriver/.

Next, sign up to for the e-mail list to stay informed and engaged in the campaign. It’s not a scam, your e-mail address won’t be traded or sold, so get over it and sign up – you can’t stay engaged and make a difference if you don’t stay informed. Here’s the link.

And finally, tell a friend, recruit a co-worker, or post the news to a list or a blog.

The mission is clear; the stakes couldn’t be higher; the fate of Coal River Mountain and our energy future are up to you. The time to act is now.

Cross-posted with iLoveMountains.org

On Tuesday, Duke Energy and the North Carolina Utility Commission reached a preliminary settlement on Duke’s request for a substantial rate increase on residential and commercial utilities.

The proposed agreement would cut Duke’s original request of a 13% residential rate increase to around 7%, a hike which would phase in over a two year period, starting with a 4.3% increase in January, 2010. The proposed agreement would reduce Duke’s expected profit increase from $496 million to $315 million.

Commercial and industrial groups have sought out similar reductions.

The Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing in Raleigh on Wednesday about the proposed rate request. According to an article by Bruce Henderson of the Charlotte Observer, “it is not known how the nine other formal parties to the rate case will regard the…compromise” and that the state Attorney General’s office has asked for a delay in Wednesday’s hearing to “analyze the agreement.”

Duke Energy’s official press release

Just the day before, the Utilities Commission held the last in a string of public hearings in which Duke Energy customers were able to make public comments concerning the hike. According to Commission Chairman Edward Finley, Jr., thousands of emails, phone calls and letters had also poured in opposing the increase.

During yesterday’s hearing, over a dozen residents spoke out against the rate hike, citing health concerns, economy, and the lack of need for the Cliffside coal-fired power plant expansion

Read Appalachian Voices’ official submitted commenton the Duke Energy rate hike.

Several speakers chastised Duke Energy for its failure to move towards more renewable energy. Elizabeth Goyer, a UNC Asheville environmental studies student, noted that while the utility claims to be pushing for more renewable sources, only about 3% of Duke’s electricity comes from alternates to coal. “I am waiting for Duke to make a real commitment to renewable energy,” she said.

Zell McGee, a North Carolina native and a medical expert who taught for years in Utah, testified about known health effects of coal-fired power plants. “Healthcare costs are translated to the customers,” he said, further increasing their financial burden beyond the rate increase. He compared rate payers to prey and Duke Energy to predators, and said that the Commission needed to work harder to “encourage harmony between utility companies and their customers.”

A representative of the North Carolina Conservation Network delivered a petition signed by over 1500 citizens asking that the rate hike request be rejected, and an attorney with the North Carolina Justice Center, testified on behalf of the disadvantaged residents of the state, noting that of the 1.3 million poor people currently living in North Carolina, none of them could afford to pay for the increase, either monetarily or physically.

“One thing that has not been mentioned today,” Ripley said, “is the extensive research that has been done to show correlations between energy costs and the health of our children and of our poor elderly people in this state.” Ripley elaborated by explaining that increased external costs means less money to spend on food, which leads to malnutrition and poor health.

Ruby Best, a disabled 61-year-old from Durham, N.C., testified that her electricity rates have steadily increased since she bought her home in 2005, in spite of changes in energy use habits, and that she currently struggling to pay her bills. “If this [increase] is granted, how am I going to be able to manage this?” she asked.

And Casey Baker, whose family owns a vineyard and farm near the Cliffside plant, mentioned that the rate increase would seriously effect farmers who rely on electricity to pump water and power farm equipment. “If the rate increase comes in, our profit margins are going to be seriously cut,” he said, and noted that some of the farmers have begun researching off-the-grid alternatives such as solar.

Representatives from Duke Energy and several environmental groups were present, but only residents were allowed to testify. No residents at the hearing on Monday spoke out in favor of the rate hikes.

Safety of Dozens of Citizens Threatened at “Public Hearing”
Pro-coal groups and mountaintop removal coal mining opponents verbally clashed at a hearing on the Army Corps of Engineers’ NW21 permits Wednesday night in Charleston, W.Va. According to eyewitnesses, hundreds of coal industry supporters rallied to outnumber mountaintop removal opponents, and heckled and yelling threats to individuals who came to present their case against mountaintop removal coal mining; some reports included elbowing, pushing and other physical forms of intimidation (view a video and read testimonials from citizens present at the event), and most were prevented from speaking at the hearing. Both the Charleston Daily Mail and the Charleston Gazette covered the event. According to a blog post by Ken Ward, the Corps claims that the hearing was “conducted in an orderly fashion.”

Jackson Claims Coal “Can Be Mined Safely and Cleanly”
In other Obama Administration news, according to an article also by Ken Ward in the Charleston Gazette, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson defended her agency’s scrutiny of mountaintop removal while claiming to have no desire to end coal mining, amid growing pressure from coalfield political leaders and the mining industry. During a Congressional committee meeting, Jackson stated: “Neither EPA nor I personally have any desire to end coal mining, have any hidden agenda, any agenda whatsoever that has to do with coal mining as an industry….I believe coal can be mined safely and cleanly. I believe it can be done in a way that minimizes impacts to water quality.”

ACCCE Back In The News
As reported today by Kate Shepard in her Mother Jones blog post, the hearing scheduled to investigate the role of Bonner & Associates and the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity in the forged anti-climate bill letters sent to Congress was postponed until next week. Read Shepard’s full report.

Shepard’s post also mentioned a new report out by Politico outlining the ACCCE budget on astoturfing and lobbying efforts for the past 18 months – a cool $10 million.

Light on the Horizon for Marsh Fork School
To end on a positive note, Jeff Biggers reports on Huffington Post that yesterday evening in Coal River, W.Va., the Raleigh County School Board met with local citizens and announced its intention to ask the state for funds to construct a new school for March Fork Elementary. Marsh Fork School—which sits immediately below a 2.8 billion gallon coal sludge impoundment and a mountaintop removal mining site and adjacent to a dusty coal silo—has been at the center of a series of rallies and campaigns from local residents and mountaintop removal coal mining opponents, who have worked for over five years to obtain a new school for the children.

And that’s all in just two turns of the clock.