Maria Gunoe (of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition) and Becky Tarbotton (of Rainforest Action Network), while speaking at Citi’s Annual Shareholder Meeting, asked CEO Vikram Pandit if he would be willing to take a flying tour of Moutaintop Removal coal mining sites in Central Appalachia…and Citi’s Chairman of the Board Sir Win Bischoff replied YES.
CLICK HERE for the story.
In the last week, iLoveMountains.org supporter have made quite a bit of noise. Because of your activity, 2 nationally syndicated radio programs covered mountaintop removal coal mining. Nice work everybody!
3rd Annual Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington covered by NPR’s All Things Considered, April 21, 2008
New Breed of Lobbyists Hail from Appalachia – Lobbyists are everywhere on Capitol Hill. But it’s not always high-priced professionals that get lawmakers’ attention. A cadre of Appalachian residents has come to lobby for environmental protections from coal-mining waste. For many, it was their first trip to Washington, D.C.
iLoveMountains.org’s “My Connection” Coal Tracking Maps covered on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show, April 17, 2008
Mapping Out Activism – Many of us use online maps to navigate unfamiliar streets. But activists are tapping into digital technologies to demonstrate connections between global crises and our day-to-day lives. We discuss how digital maps are putting a different face on global and environmental issues.
April 16th, 2008 – The following email was sent to the 28,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.
We have some great news to share from our 3rd Annual Week in Washington.
First, I want to thank everyone who called or emailed their Representatives in Congress last week. Every call and email made a tremendous difference to the 125 volunteers from across the country who traveled to our nation’s capital to help put an end to mountaintop removal coal mining.
As a result of your efforts on the phone and online, combined with the efforts of our volunteers in Washington:
Click here to see if your Representative is now a cosponsor.
Click here to view photos of the Week in Washington.
In addition to our success on the Hill, last week’s action in Washington attracted the attention of numerous members of the press. As a result, we had the opportunity to educate journalists from NPR to the Washington Post and beyond about our efforts to protect the mountains we all love.
There’s even more to come soon. In the next few weeks, I’ll be emailing you about a major new initiative we have planned to educate even more people about the urgent need to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.
But for now — thank you, again, for helping to make last week such a wonderful success.
Mary Anne Hitt
iLoveMountains.org
April 8th, 2008 – The following email was sent to the 28,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.
Today, 125 volunteers from more than 20 states are in our nation’s capital as part of iLoveMountain’s 3rd Annual Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington.
They’re going from office to office on Capitol Hill, telling members of Congress that now is the time to take action to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.
But they need your support. Click here to watch a video message from our volunteers in Washington:
Can you take a moment to join thousands of other iLoveMountain.org supporters who are calling their representatives today and asking them to co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 2169), which would sharply limit mountaintop removal coal mining?
Click here to learn more about the Clean Water Protection Act and to call your representative today.
Your support right now will make a tremendous difference to our volunteers in Washington — and it could make the difference in our efforts to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.
Please, help us light up the Congressional Switchboard today — and let your representative know your commitment to defending our mountains:
http://ilovemountains.org/action/call-your-rep
Thank you for taking action,
Mary Anne Hitt
iLoveMountains.org
P.S. If you would prefer to email your representative, click
April 6th, 2008 – The following email was sent to the 28,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.
I wanted to send you a quick note and a photo to let you know that our 3rd Annual Week in Washington is now getting underway.
More than 125 people from all across the country — people like you who care about the mountains and are committed to stopping mountaintop removal coal mining — have come to Washington to spend the next several days meeting face to face with members of Congress.
Our goal is to expand our record 129 co-sponsors of the Clean Water Protection Act — and to convince legislators that now is the time to take action to end mountaintop removal coal mining.
We’ve just now wrapped up our “citizen’s lobbying” training session, and as you can see from the photo, our volunteers on the ground are raring to head out to “the Hill” in defense of our mountains.
You can help make this week a success. I’ll be writing to you on Tuesday and asking for you to take just five minutes of your time to help with our efforts here in DC by calling your representative in Congress.
Please, keep your eyes peeled for that next email — your support on Tuesday means a great deal to the 125 volunteers who have traveled from all over the country to be here for this important week.
Thank you for taking action.
Mary Anne Hitt
iLoveMountains.org
This study compared data from a survey of 16,493 West Virginians with county-level coal production to investigate the relations between health and residential proximity to coal mining. The findings show that people living near coal mining operations are more likely to suffer from a variety of diseases including cardiopulmonary disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, lung disease, and kidney disease.
Hendryx, M. (2008) ”Relations Between Health Indicators and Residential Proximity to Coal Mining in West Virginia.” American Journal of Public Health, 98: 669-71.
Potentially volatile prayer vigil turns to calm discussion
ANSTED, W.VA. — Early Saturday (April 5) morning, dozens of mountaintop removal opponents converged on Gauley Mountain for Blessing of the Mountain II, intending to pray near a mountaintop removal operation above the Fayette County community of Ansted. But, a similar number of employees of CONSOL coal company were already there, blocking access to the prayer site.
So Reverends Roy Crist and Stan Holmes set up a music stand amongst the strip mine workers’ vehicles. The mountaintop removal opponents stood amongst the coal workers and services began.
“There are no enemies here,” Crist said. He made an effort to shake the hand of every one of the mountaintop removal workers present.
The mountaintop removal opponents read prayers, sang hymns and spoke against mountaintop removal. At one point, a CONSOL worker stepped into the midst of the service and it looked as if the situation could turn volatile. But the crowd began singing “Amazing Grace,” easing the tension between the two groups.
After the services concluded, many from both sides stood and talked calmly with one another about the need for change.
“We let our presence be known to the public. Even though we had opposition, everything came out in a positive manner,” said Ansted Historical Preservation Council member Karen Huffman.
Allen Johnson, a founder of Christians for the Mountains, said the event, “dissolved some of the polarization” between the community and the strip mine workers.
The Ansted Historical Preservation Council planned the vigil. Fliers for the event said people were invited to join in prayer, to seek “Divine intervention and wisdom to contradict the devastation created by mountaintop removal mining practices.”
The council has been organizing in Ansted and surrounding tourism-dependent communities, attempting to stop a 286-acre Powellton Coal mountaintop removal operation which would be visible from the New River Gorge Bridge and would affect the Gauley River National Recreation Area. The permit boundary allows mining right up to the boundary of Hawks Nest State Park.
Residents worry the mining might unleash flash flooding if old abandoned mines and tunnels in the area are breached. They also worry that blasting will send clouds of silica laden dust into the air.
A recent WVU study indicates that people living near coal mining operations suffer higher incidences of certain diseases and increased mortality rates.
“It was good to see both sides of the issue, and the vigil drew attention to the question of what is West Virginia going to do,” said Peter Bosch, with the Christian student group Restoring Eden.
“What are you going to do in a few years down the road when your job is gone?” Ansted community leader Cary Huffman asked a group of coal workers. They agreed there needs to be more conversation between the workers and community members. They exchanged names, handed out phone numbers, shook hands and went their separate ways.
For more on the organizing in Fayette County, WV go to: www.ohvec.org
All photos by Viv Stockman www.ohvec.org
Appalachian Voices • Coal River Mountain Watch • Heartwood • Keeper of the Mountains • Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition • Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment • Sierra Club Environmental Justice
Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards • SouthWings • Stay Project • West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
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