Looking forward to 2009, we know that there are going to be big changes in the political landscape of our country — presenting new and exciting opportunities for all of us to end mountaintop removal coal mining.
And here at iLoveMountains.org, there are some big changes afoot as well.
I wanted to be the first to tell you that on November 3rd, I will be beginning a new job in Washington, DC, as the deputy director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign.
Dr. Matt Wasson will be taking over as Director of Programs of Appalachian Voices (the primary producer of iLoveMountains.org).
Many of you know know Matt already. He’s been with us since 2001 and has played a critical role as the Conservation Director of Appalachian Voices.
Matt helped lead iLoveMountains.org since Day 1, helping to conceive, design and implement our National Memorial for the Mountains and our How are you Connected? program, among other award-winning online tools.
I am thrilled that Matt will be leading iLoveMountains.org. I know that he can take the movement we’ve all helped to build to new heights — and, most importantly, that he knows what it takes for us to end mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.
And as the deputy director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign, I know I’ll still be working closely with Matt and the rest of the team at iLoveMountains.org.
In the year ahead, we have the opportunity to stop mountaintop removal coal mining once and for all!
Thank you for everything you’ve done so far to make iLoveMountains.org a success. And don’t stop working hard at iLoveMountains.org — the best is yet ahead.
Sincerely,
Mary Anne Hitt
iLoveMountains.org
PS. Save the date for our 2009 Week in Washington! Members of iLoveMountains will be heading to DC to talk to the new Congress and the new administration about the importance of ending mountaintop removal coal mining. The 2009 Week in Washington is March 14th-18th.
PPS. Please consider joining me in welcoming Matt to iLoveMountains.org by making a contribution today: http://ilovemountains.org/donate
Two really important things in this week’s edition of Mountain Monday, and i hope you’ll read them both.
1) The Bush Administration is attempting to repeal the Stream Buffer Zone rule, a 1983 Reagan-era rule that creates a 100-foot protected area around streams that can not be disturbed by strip-mining.
2) Guest contributor Allen Johnson gives us a very special recount of the recent “Blessing of the Mountains” event in Anstead, WV. Allen is the head of Christians for the Mountains.
Without further ado…
1) Stream Buffer Zone to be repealed?
The Bush Administration is attempting an 11th hour repeal to of the “Stream Buffer Zone Rule,” one of the last legal protections from strip-mining for our Appalachian Mountains and headwater streams. The Stream Buffer Zone, a 1983 rule enacted under the Reagan Administration, creates a 100 foot “do not disturb” area around our streams. The Bush Administration would like to see this rule effectively repealed on their way out of office as a favor to Big Coal. This month the final rule was sent to EPA for final approval before it is signed into law. EPA has 30 days to review the rule. So, within days Appalachia stands to lose even more of our beautiful mountains and bountiful headwater streams to mountaintop removal mining. Both Presidential candidates have said they are against mountaintop removal mining, but Senator Obama and Senator McCain have so far been silent on this Bush Administration rollback of our clean water laws.
Action: Please take action by asking the EPA not to finalize this rule. There is too much at stake. You can also send a letter to Senator McCain and Senator Obama asking them to stand up to Bush by publicly opposing this rollback of clean water laws.
Part 2
We are very fortunate today to be able to share this piece by Allen Johnson, head of Christians for the Mountains, on the third “Blessing of the Mountain” event. We covered some of the efforts around Anstead, WV before when speaking about Gauley Mountain, one of America’s most endangered mountains, and I hope you’ll enjoy Allen’s words here below.
Blessing Of The Mountains III
by Allen Johnson
The hardwood trees towering overhead had the yellow tinge that signaled the breath of fall. Sunlight dappling through the leaves of a bright blue sky day glinted onto a cross leading a processional of celebrants (or were they mourners?) up a dirt road.
The procession stopped. A barricade blocked their path, and a sign warned that trespassers would be prosecuted. The coal company that was destroying a mountain which could be viewed at the end of the road had made preparations for the prayer vigil, too. God would not be invoked on their property. “The Earth is the Lord’s and all that it contains” (Psalm 24:1).
A robed priest gave an invocation. A song rang out from 40 throats, giving voice to the silent cry in every supplicant, “God, the mountains you have so wondrously created are being ripped apart. Please, this must stop!”
Blessing of the Mountains III was held near Ansted, West Virginia on Sunday afternoon October 5. The event, simply stated, was to worship God, to thank God for the wondrous creation that surrounded us, to repent for its looming destruction, and to ask God to strengthen us to protect this creation.
A year earlier, the first “Blessing of the Mountains” was held at the end of our now-blocked road a mile or so further up the mountain where an overview of a recently started mountaintop removal operation. Thousands more acres of mountains stand poised to fall to blast, dragline, and bulldozer if this first mine is not thwarted.
The heart of the local economy is the tourism industry due to the nearby presence of the New River and the Gauley River. The rivers are rated among the top whitewater rafting rivers in the East, and have gained federal designation-the New as a National Scenic River, the Gauley as a National Recreation River. Nearby Hawk’s Nest State Park overlooks the infamous 3-mile tunnel whose construction claimed about 700 lives out of 2000 workers by silicosis-due primarily due to the lack of safety precautions by Union Carbide. Many of the victims were poor, African-American migrant workers.
Roy Crist, a local Episcopalian Priest wearing his priestly garb, and an and event organizer, led a liturgy celebrating the goodness of creation. “You [God] make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, giving drink to every wild animal.” The priest continues to read from Holy Scripture, the people respond. “From your lofty abode you [God] water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.” Back and forth the reading flows. “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Psalm 104, selections quoted here).
Blessing of the Mountains prayer gatherings are sponsored by the Ansted Historic Preservation Association. This association is working to protect the local ecosystem from obliteration by mountain top removal. These prayer events are for one purpose-to intercede in prayer for the mountains.
Last April, Blessing of the Mountains II was also blockaded. Furthermore, a large contingent of coal company employees and their families dressed in matching blue shirts had gathered to protest. As the Blessing of the Mountains prayer service commenced, the protestors rudely hooted and cat called. Unfazed, the worshipers continued, which apparently was more than one protestor could stand as he walked up to the speaker to shout his sermon to a stop. The assembled worshipers broke out into the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” which calmed the tension.
This October prayer event was peaceful and hope engendering. Yes, again we confessed our own destructive ways-all of us have complicity through the energy we consume. “Show us, lead us O God, into your right path!” Yet we also rejoiced in the goodness and wonder of God’s creation. “O God, may always remember and rejoice in your marvelous works!”
All of us were freshly inspired to advocate for God’s creation. Certainly much work needs to be done. And we need to continue to pray. There will be more prayer events in the days to come. We concluded the prayer event singing what has become the theme song of Blessing of the Mountains, Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up.”
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up… To more than I can be.
THE END
I don’t have time to do a blog roundup this week, but please check out the amazing work more than 750 bloggers have done in the iLoveMountains.org Blogger’s Challenge.
Thats all for this week. Hope yall have a great Monday 🙂
Kilowatt Ours is simply the best documentary out there outlining how America can get ourselves off of fossil fuels and power this country with clean, green, renewable energy. With a focus on success stories like the Austin, TX conservation power plant, Barrie gives us easy to digest answers using technology and techniques that are already available.
This morning we wanted to share some really exciting news from Jeff Barrie and our friends at Kilowatt Ours!
KILOWATT OURS IS COMING TO PUBLIC TELEVISION
KILOWATT OURS: A PLAN TO RE-ENERGIZE AMERICA is an award-winning film that provides simple, practical, affordable solutions to America’s energy crisis and shows how we can save electricity, save money and make a difference for ourselves and the planet. Visit KilowattOurs.org for a short sneak preview.
The film is scheduled for broadcast on public television stations in more than 50 cities across the United States this October, “National Energy Awareness Month.” See below for details. More stations are added weekly so visit www.KilowattOurs.org or check local listings to see if your station is planning to show the film.
If a broadcast is scheduled in your city, the Kilowatt Ours organization has several opportunities for you to help get the word out about this important documentary:
If the film is not currently scheduled in your community, you may wish to contact the viewer services department at your local public television station to find out if they are planning to show this hopeful film that inspires energy conservation and change for most people who see it.
Kilowatt Ours’ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Sponsors include: Turner Foundation, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, The Sierra Club Foundation, Johnson Controls, Mother Earth News, Utne Reader, Stonyfield Farm, and Renewable Choice Energy. For more information, visit KilowattOurs.org.
Kilowatt Ours Broadcast Schedule as of 10/7/2008
CA
Los Angeles, CA, KLCS & KLCS-DT, 10/6 at 10pm
Sacramento, CA, KVIE & KVIE-HD, 10/8 at 2pm
San Diego, CA, KPBS & KPBS-DT, 10/5 at 4pm
San Francisco, CA, KQED World (Comcast 190), 10/3 at 8am, 10/3 at 11am
San Jose, CA, KTEH, 11/18 at 12am
DC
Washington, DC, WHUT, 10/1 at 9pm
FL
Miami, FL, WPBT-DT2, 10/11 at 8pm, 10/13 at 1:30am
Miami, FL, WLRN & WLRN-DT, 10/9 at 9pm, 10/10 at 2:30am
West Palm Beach, FL, WXEL – 11/15 at 8pm, 11/15 at 8pm
IN
Indianapolis, IN, WFYI & WFYI-DT2, 10/11 at 4pm, 10/18 at 4pm
KY
Bowling Green, KY, WKGB-DT, 10/5 at 12pm Central, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Lexington, KY, KETKY STATEWIDE & WKSO HD, 10/5 at 1pm, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Louisville, KY, WKZT-HD, 10/5 at 1pm, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Paducah, KY, WKMUHD & WKPDHD, 10/5 at 1pm Eastern, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
LA
New Orleans, LA, WLAE, 10/20 at 8pm
MD
Baltimore, MD, WHUT, 10/1 at 9pm
MI
Alpena, MI, WCML, 10/12 AT 3pm
East Lansing, MI, WKAR World Cable 904, 10/9 at 8pm
East Landing MI, WKAR, 10/27 at 11pm
Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI, WCMU, 10/12 at 3pm
Grand Rapids, MI, WGVU, 10/19 at 5pm, 10/16 at 4 am
Traverse City, Cadillac, MI, WCMV & WCMW, 10/12 at 3pm
MO
Cape Girardeau, MO, WKMU-HD & WKPD-HD, 10/5 at 1pm, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Columbia/Jefferson City, MO, KMOS, 10/12 at 11PM
Joplin-Pittsburg, MO, KOZJ & KOZJDT1, 10/19 at 10:00 pm
Springfield, MO, KOZK & KOZKDT1, 10/19 at 10:00 pm
NC
Asheville, NC, UNC-NC, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am
Charlotte, NC, WNSC-DT2, 9/23 at 2pm
Charlotte, NC, WUNEDT5, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am
Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem, NC, UNC-TV, 10/23 at 10pm
Raleigh/Durham, NC, UNC-TV STATEWIDE, 10/23 at 10pm
Raleigh/Durham, NC, UNC-NC & WUNC-NC STATEWIDE, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am
Wilmington, NC, WUJNJ-DT5, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am
NV
Las Vegas, NV, PBS Jackpot Cable111, 10/25 at 4:01 AM, 10/25 at 9am, 10/25 at 2:01 pm,
Las Vegas, NV, KLVX & KLVX-DT, 10/5 at 6:30pm
Las Vegas, NV, PBS Rewind Cable 110, 10/8 at 4pm
Syracuse, NY, WCNY & WCYN-DT & WCYN-OFF, 10/12 at 3pm
OH
Cincinnati, OH, WCVN-DT4, 10/5 at 1pm, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Cleveland, OH, WVIZ, 10/16 at 4am, 10/27 at 1am
Lima, OH, WBGU & WBGU-DT1, 10/5 at 1pm
OK
Oklahoma City, OK, KETA, KETA-DT & KWET, 10/7 at 10pm
Tulsa, OK, KRSC & KRSC-DT, 9/28 at 4pm
Tulsa, OK, KOED & KOED-DT1 & KOED- HD & KOET, 10/7 at 10pm
PA
Philadelphia, PA, WHYY-DT3 Wider Horizons, 10/6 at 1pm, 10/8 at 10am, 10/10 at 1pm, 10/15 at 1pm
Erie, PA, WQLN & WQLNHD, 10/16 at 1:00AM
SC
Charleston, SC, WITV-DT, 9/23 at 2pm
Columbia, SC STATEWIDE, SCETV, 9/23 at 2pm
Columbia, SC, WRLK-D2, 9/23 at 2pm
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, WNEH-DT2 & WNTV-DT2, 9/23 at 2pm
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, WUNFDT4 & WUNDC, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am
TN
Knoxville, TN, WETP, WETP-DT2 & WKOP, WKOP-DT2, 10/9 at 10pm, 10/12 at 2pm
Memphis, TN, WKNO, 10/22 at 8pm
Nashville, TN, WNPT, 10/24 at 7pm
VT
Vermont Public Television STATEWIDE, VPT, 10/28 at 9pm
WA
Seattle, WA, KCTS, 11/14 at 12pm noon, 11/18 at 11pm
WI
Milwaukee, WI, WMVS, 10/15 at 10pm
WV
Bluefield, Beckley, Oak Hill, WV, WSWPDT2 & WVPBS2, 9/30 at 8pm
Charleston/Huntington, WV, WPBY-DT2, 9/30 at 8pm
Clarksburg, Weston, WV, WNPB-DT2, 9/30 at 8pm
Note: times and dates subject to change. Please check your local listing to confirm broadcast information.
Thank you!
The Kilowatt Ours Team
info@KilowattOurs.org KilowattOurs.org
Two ways you can help:
1) Watch it on TV (invite some friends over). If it is not airing in your community, contact your local PBS station viewer services department and ask if they plan to schedule a broadcast.
2) Make a small donation to Kilowatt Ours to support our continued efforts to make this national release a smash hit!
In other news, CNN featured a great story on Coal River Mountain Wind last week, where local citizens are fighting to have job-creating wind power on Coal River Mountain instead of a destructive and economically devastating mountaintop removal site. iLm friend Jeff Biggers has a must-read commentary on the dire situation at Coal River Mountain.
And it looks like the Bush Administration may be trying to take away one of Appalachia’s last legal protections from mining companies – the Stream Buffer Zone Rule – as they leave the White House. Please, please, take a second to send a public comment to the EPA opposing the Administration’s rule change, asking them to enforce the stream buffer zone rule, not undermine it. Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama have stated that they oppose mountaintop removal, and we expect that either one of them will abolish this horrendous practice, which has devastated so much of Appalachia, when one of them takes office. Help us protect ourselves from the Bush Administration’s last attempt to serve our land and people to big coal on a silver platter by submitting a comment to the EPA asking them to enforce the law, not undermine it.
I hope you had a great weekend, and have a fantastic Monday.
Dear [[First_Name]],
Last year, we wrote to tell you about a new rule proposed by the Office of Surface Mining, Reclaimation, and Enforcement (OSMRE) that would legalize and expand the worst abuses of mountaintop removal.
If adopted, the new regulation would be one of the Bush administration’s biggest giveaways to Big Coal, exempting coal companies from a law that prohibits surface coal mining activities from disturbing areas within 100 feet of streams.
Changing this “stream buffer zone rule” would destroy thousands of miles of our nation’s mountain streams and accelerate the growth of moutaintop removal coal mining — destroying another 700 mountains over the next decade, according to one estimate.
More than 43,000 Americans like you spoke out during the public comment period on the new rule, with the “overwhelming majority” of the 43,000 comments opposed to the industry-backed proposal.
Nonetheless, the Bush administration is now trying to force the rule through in the final days of its administration.
The OSMRE proposal must be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency before it can be published into law.
Can you take action today and tell the EPA to stop this give away to Big Coal and instead stand up for mountains, clean water, and healthy communities?
Please, take action today. Don’t let the Bush administration give a parting gift to its friends in the coal industry, by enshrining the worst abuses of mountaintop removal coal mining into law.
Blessing Of The Mountains III
KILOWATT OURS IS COMING TO PUBLIC TELEVISION
