Fixing What Has Been Destroyed
Activists plant trees on reclamation site while others hold banner reading "Reclmation FAIL." (Credit: Climate Ground Zero)
Archive for October, 2010
This past weekend, activists gathered on Kayford Mountain in West Virginia – home of Larry Gibson, keeper of the mountains. Larry, as well as activists from Mountain Justice and Climate Ground Zero hosted the Mountain Justice Fall Summit – a weekend of education, training, and momentum building to end mountaintop removal.
Coming in the wake of Appalachia Rising – a mass mobilization in Washington, DC attended by thousands – the Mountain Justice Fall Summit aimed to continue to push the momentum of the movement. On Sunday, dozens took part in a beautiful and symbolic non-violent direct action, trespassing on a Patriot Coal Company “reclamation” site in order to plant trees.
On Sunday morning, hundreds gathered in Stanley Heir’s Park, a small grassy park dotted with trees surrounded by 12,000 acres scarred by mountaintop removal mining. The day began with a rally in the park with the audience hearing from speakers like John Johnson – forester and environmentalist, Junior Walk – Coal River Valley resident, Larry Gibson – Keeper of the Mountains and Kayford Mountain resident, and former politician Ken Hechler. Johnson gave a rousing speech about the importance of the forest ecosystem in Appalachia and the need to create jobs in reclamation that will begin to fix what has been destroyed by the coal industry. Johnson stressed that reclamation jobs will be able to provide Appalachia with significant jobs as the region transitions away from mountaintop removal coal mining and the destruction of Appalachia. However, he made it very clear that the act of reclamation in no way negates the impacts of mountaintop removal and should not be used as an excuse for further mining. He said that today, those risking arrest to plant trees on the mine site would be playing an important role in the healing process of Appalachia that both the government and coal industry refused to do.
After the crowd was filled with excitement, Larry Gibson, Ken Hechler, and two Columbian Union coal miners led the march from Stanley Heir’s Park to the reclamation site. The march took the crowd through what remained of the forest on Kayford Mountain. What surrounded us as we marched was one of the most bio-diverse forests in North America and its immense beauty was especially noticeable as the leaves of the trees were painted with nearly every color of Autumn.
Activists marching through the forest, trees and instruments in hand. (Credit: Climate Ground Zero)
Upon arriving at the edge of the property line, dozens of activists crossed the line onto the property, carrying with them shovels, bags of soil, and water that they would use to plant the hemlock, walnut, red oak, and tulip poplar sprouts to begin the healing process. Shortly after the tree planting began, others unfurled a banner upon the hilltop reading “Reclamation FAIL,” calling out the poor efforts of the coal industry to fix the mountains that they have destroyed. After some interactions with mine security, the activists were told they were trespassing and that the West Virginia State Troopers would be arriving soon. However, after a few hours and some further interactions with mine security and the police, the trees were planted, and the activists were free to go, with no arrests being made.
Having watched the action unfold was an inspiring experience. Having watched these activists risk arrest in order to participate in such a beautiful act like planting trees in order to fix something that has been destroyed truly demonstrates the dedication of those involved in this movement. I also feel that it is proof that we will stop mountaintop removal and the poisoning of Appalachia.
See a video of the rally and action here (Credit: Jordan Freeman).
GREAT NEWS! EPA Region 3 Recommends Veto of Spruce Mountaintop Removal Coal Mine
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency took a historic step to protect Appalachian communities from the devastating effects of a mountaintop removal coal mine. After months of consideration, EPA’s Region 3 office announced its recommendation to veto the permit for the monstrous Spruce No. 1 Mine in Logan County, W.V. (PDF) The decision now awaits to be finalized by the federal EPA.
This precedent setting decision could not have been possible without actions taken by the iLoveMountains.org community, and citizens like you.
Just two weeks ago, thousands of people like yourself rallied in DC to demand that the President and Congress put an end to mountaintop removal. Earlier this week 50 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives wrote to EPA supporting the agency’s actions to regulate mountaintop removal, and West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall was quoted as saying that there are now 400 bipartisan votes in the House to end the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining.
And then, today we get the news that the EPA has heard us, and is taking their responsibility to protect Americans from the impacts of the largest mountaintop removal site in West Virginia’s history.
The Spruce No. 1 mine would bury almost 7 miles of essential, high-quality headwater streams, damaging and killing native wildlife and stream ecology.
While this news is great for the communities adjacent to the mine, there are hundreds of similar communities being polluted and poisoned every day by other mountaintop removal mining operations. We need to create a law to permanently curtail the devastating effects of mountaintop removal coal mining. Contact your Senators today and ask them to sponsor the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696) to end valley fills and protect our water.
We will keep you updated as we look for the federal EPA to finalize this important decision for our region.
NOW HIRING: Organizations in the campaign to end mountaintop removal seek to build their teams
For those of you ready to take your campaign to end mountaintop removal coal mining to a more full-time level, three regional organizations working on the issue are hiring in Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, a group based in the southwestern corner of Virginia, is currently seeking a Field Organizer to promote the SAMS agenda of ending mountaintop removal coal mining, economic transition and community empowerment. The position does require some travel, and applicants should possess good people skills and enjoy working with others. Visit the SAMS website for a complete list of requirements and information on how to submit your resume.
The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) based in Berea and Paintsville, Kentucky, is looking to fill several positions, including Research and Policy Associate, several positions for the Enterprise Development team, a Human Resources and Compliance Coordinator and an Office Manager. For more information on these positions, visit the MACED website.
Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) is currently hiring two community organizer positions, one in the Upper Cumberland area and the other in Middle Tennessee. Both positions offer full benefits and are very people-oriented. To read more and apply, visit SOCM’s website.
