DRAFT: Blair and Beyond by Chuck Keeney
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Archive for June, 2011
Help block the Dirty Water Act of 2011 (HR 2018)
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Yesterday in the House of Representatives, a bill was passed out of committee that would gut the EPA’s ability to regulate mountaintop removal coal mining and instead turn that authority over to individual states. We have witnessed the overarching influence that the coal industry has had on state elected officials and regulators in Central Appalachia. Giving over the power to regulate mountaintop removal coal mining to the states would ensure the continued devastation of the region and the communities that have lived there for generations.
We need your help to protect EPA’s ability to enforce our nation’s clean water laws:
http://ilovemountains.org/dirty-water-act-2011
The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act would gut the Clean Water Act by giving the states, rather than the EPA, the ultimate decision-making authority over our nation’s water quality standards. This would spell disaster in states where mountaintop removal coal mining is practiced, as seen by the states’ abysmal record on permitting and enforcement.
In Kentucky and West Virginia alone, companies commit tens of thousands of violations of water quality standards that go unnoticed and unpunished every year by state regulators. EPA oversight is vital to ensure some layer of protection for communities and the environment.
Take action today- ask your Congressional Representative to vote NO on this blatant attempt to weaken the Clean Water Act:
http://ilovemountains.org/dirty-water-act-2011
Big Coal’s allies in Congress are determined to undermine the EPA, not just on coal mining, but on greenhouse gas regulations, water quality standards, and clean air act laws. Your dedication has made all our progress in protecting Appalachia possible. Don’t let Congress take that all away with one vote. Please ACT NOW and call your Congressperson and urge them to oppose on HR 2018, The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011.
For the mountains,
Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org
Labor and Environment — A Match Made in “Almost Heaven”
Something extraordinary is happening this week in southern West Virginia. For the first time in years, the United Mineworkers of America (UMWA), the largest union representing coal miners, has found common cause with environmental and community advocates who are seeking to end mountaintop removal coal mining.
Some UMWA miners have joined hundreds of environmental and Appalachian community advocates who are marching to Blair Mountain on the 90th anniversary of one of the greatest labor battles in American history.
Both groups want to protect this historic mountain from the efforts of coal companies to obliterate parts of the battlefield in order to conduct mountaintop removal coal mining operations.
Here’s a great (and brief) update on the march from the team at iLoveMountains.org that is well worth a watch:
In fact, the march to Blair Mountain is only one of several recent examples where the interests of labor and environmental advocates are closely aligned. For instance, last week’s buyout of Massey Energy was another recent event celebrated by environmentalists, community groups and organized labor alike. Massey was not only reckless, negligent and probably criminal in last year’s disaster at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, but the company was by far the largest operator of mountaintop removal coal mines in Appalachia and a notorious scofflaw in regard to environmental laws like the Clean Water Act. Massey had also long been known for its union-busting practices.
A third – and by far the most important – factor linking the struggles of these groups is an almost existential crisis they are facing as a result of America’s recent, acute attack of what I like to call “Deficit Attention and Hypocrisy Disorder” (hat tip). The takeover of many state legislatures and governors’ offices by anti-government and anti-union ideologues last November has resulted in bills to strip collective bargaining rights of public employees in states from Ohio and Wisconsin to Florida and Tennessee — all of which, of course, is taking place under the false pretense of reducing the deficit.
Environmentalists got a similar wake-up call when the new Republican majority in the House sought to eviscerate EPA’s ability to enforce the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts through amendments to the House Budget bill last February. Again, this was all done under the false banner of reducing the deficit.
If we are going to avoid disaster in this next election cycle, then we need to break out of our circular firing squad and do our part to change the narrative – and thus the mandate of whoever controls the reins of government after the next election – away from “Deficit Attention and Hypocrisy Disorder” and back toward creating jobs and protecting the health and safety of workers and the environment in which they live.
Why can’t we all just get along?
Community organizers, environmental groups and the UMWA once worked shoulder to shoulder to pass regulations on strip mining. Those efforts culminated in the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in 1977. Unfortunately, a lot of resentment has developed between these groups over the past 15 years, mostly stemming from divergent positions on the environmentally devastating and job-destroying practice of mountaintop removal. While UMWA does not have an official position on mountaintop removal, a number of public statements by UMWA President Cecil Roberts have been explicitly supportive of the practice.
Ken Ward at the Charleston Gazette has written a lot about the complex balancing act that Cecil Roberts must perform in order to represent all UMWA members (a small proportion of which work at mountaintop removal and other types of surface mines in Appalachia) while not entirely alienating his union from other progressive causes and constituencies that are natural political allies of the union (see here, here and here). The problem is that stopping the destruction caused by mountaintop removal is among the top priorities of many progressive groups in Appalachia, whose feelings toward the UMWA now range from frustration to rage.
Of course, the attitude of some union miners toward environmental groups and community activists is equally venomous, but that does not appear to be representative of the feelings of most UMWA members (many of whom are retired). For instance, a 2008 poll of likely voters in the specific region where mountaintop removal occurs showed that opposition to mountaintop removal mining was even greater among union households than it was among the general population of the region. In fact, it’s well worth taking a look at the key findings of that poll, which was commissioned by my organization in advance of the 2008 elections [a portion of the results, summarized by the polling firm Gerstein and Agne, is available here]. According to the pollsters, the key results included:
- Voters in the Appalachian region oppose mountaintop removal mining and are more likely to support presidential candidate who similarly opposes the method
- Majorities of two key audiences – Independents and union households – oppose mountaintop removal
- Voters reject jobs vs. environment frame of mountaintop removal supporters
- Renewable energy seen as long-term key to energy security, economic growth, and quality of life of local communities
- Overwhelming support for Clean Water Protection Act – even after opponents say it will mean an end to mountaintop removal mining in their state
It would not be fair, however, to put all of the blame for the sour relationship onto UMWA leadership. While most local opponents of mountaintop removal mining are not opposed to all coal mining, the attitudes and statements of some outspoken opponents of mountaintop removal have been distinctly anti-coal. That’s not a message that resonates well with rank-and-file members of the UMWA. Moreover, while there are a growing number of environmental and community groups promoting economic development around renewable energy and weatherization in the region, creating new jobs and new industries has never been the core strength of environmental groups.
That said, there is increasing evidence that moves by the EPA to rein in the permitting of the most destructive new mountaintop removal mines are creating jobs, not destroying them. It turns out that mining jobs have been a real bright spot in the national and regional employment picture since the start of the Great Recession. As shown in the graph below, the number of mining jobs in Appalachia has increased by 8.5% over the same time period that the overall US economy shed more than 5% of its workforce. In fact, the number of mining jobs has increased substantially since the EPA started it’s “enhanced review” of mine permits and since their new guidance on surface mine permitting went into effect in April of last year.
In short, it seems that much of the reason for the past friction between UMWA and environmental groups stems from false perceptions and poor communication rather than from fundamentally divergent interests. Following are my humble suggestions for a road map to repair and expand the natural alliance between environmental and labor organizations in Appalachia.
1. Get the facts
The perception created by the coal industry that the EPA is destroying mining jobs and causing an economic crisis in Appalachia is entrenched firmly enough in the public discourse to withstand a mountain on contrary evidence. However, the unions should know better than to believe this kind of rhetoric from coal companies and trade associations that have used the same “sky-is-falling” estimates of job losses to oppose every effort by the unions to strengthen workplace safety laws and strengthen the enforcement of those already on the books. The UMWA knows well that this rhetoric is false and that stronger safety laws actually create more jobs. They should also know that the same principle applies to health and environmental laws – and there’s plenty of evidence to show that strengthening them is already creating new mining jobs and helping to save existing ones.
On the other hand, environmental and community advocates have also been pretty loose with the facts at times. One particular example is a lot of counter-productive rhetoric about coal from mountaintop removal mines being mostly shipped overseas. This rhetoric is presumably used in an effort to play on the populist xenophobia that has won many an election for unscrupulous politicians, but it is simply untrue — almost all of the coal shipped out of eastern ports is metallurgical coal used for steel-making, which is mined almost entirely underground. Drumming up opposition to exports of metallurgical coal is counter-productive for environmental advocates – and anathema to unions and potential allies outside the region that depend on shipping revenues – because it undermines the most immediate opportunity to replace jobs in mountaintop removal mining.
While there are certainly environmental, health and safety problems at underground mines and processing facilities that produce metallurgical coal, the high price that met coal commands compared to steam coal (i.e., coal used to produce electricity) can support far more environmentally responsible mining and waste disposal practices. In addition, the sky-rocketing price of metallurgical coal can support bigger payrolls, safer mines, higher wages, and better benefits for miners. Ultimately, it may very well help the effort to unionize mines, which creates even more jobs and better safety practices.
2. Embrace the future
Shortly before he died, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia wrote a powerful op-ed urging the coal industry in his state to “embrace the future.” As the late Senator wrote:
The truth is that some form of climate legislation will likely become public policy because most American voters want a healthier environment. Major coal-fired power plants and coal operators operating in West Virginia have wisely already embraced this reality, and are making significant investments to prepare.
…The greatest threats to the future of coal do not come from possible constraints on mountaintop removal mining or other environmental regulations, but rather from rigid mindsets, depleting coal reserves, and the declining demand for coal as more power plants begin shifting to biomass and natural gas as a way to reduce emissions.
Whether or not one believes that stronger regulations on CO2 emissions and other coal-related pollutants are inevitable, there is one simple reality brought up by Senator Byrd that residents of Appalachian coal mining states cannot afford to ignore. America’s demand for Appalachian coal is going nowhere but down, not because of the EPA or environmentalists, but because the high cost of accessing dwindling reserves make it uncompetitive with alternative sources of energy (see graph below for historic and projected future trends).
Given that declining demand is the bottleneck for Appalachian coal production, as evidenced by the fact that existing mines are operating at historically low capacity levels, there is really nothing that the EPA or environmental groups are doing in regard to mining rules, or even could do, that would actually decrease coal production in the short term. For instance, consider the chart below, which summarizes information from the Federal Reserve about the productive capacity of already permitted and active coal mines and the level at which that capacity is being utilized.
This highlights the absurdity of blaming the EPA policies on mine permitting, or environmental groups working to end mountaintop removal, for recent declines in coal production. In fact the capacity of the US fleet of active coal mines has never been higher, while the proportion of that capacity that is actually being utilized has never been lower. I’ve written elsewhere about how this simple fact undercuts every argument made by coal industry supporters about how the EPA is threatening jobs, electricity supply and national security. But the point here is that the efforts of unions to eliminate permitting bottlenecks accomplishes nothing to increase production or mining jobs.
Environmentalists, on the other hand, also have some embracing of the future to do. Firstly, while most acknowledge that coal use won’t go away overnight, we haven’t really taken to heart the simple fact that this means coal will have to be mined somewhere. Supporting responsible mining practices can be as important as opposing irresponsible ones, and it could go a long way toward building bridges with unions and other potential allies. There has thus far been little enthusiasm among environmental advocates to wade into those difficult and controversial waters, and I’m as guilty as any for avoiding the issue, but perhaps the time has come for us to take a position on what responsible mining practices are, as well as irresponsible ones, and work together with unions to ensure that it’s the most worker-friendly and environmentally responsible mines that get permitted to meet the declining demand for coal.
As mentioned previously, we’d also be wise to acknowledge the fact that production of metallurgical coal in Appalachia is likely to increase in the next few years, even as overall production continues its precipitous decline. Is it really impossible to embrace that as a good thing, even as we work to improve the waste disposal practices of coal processing plants and reduce the damage caused by underground longwall mines?
3. Communicate regularly and collaborate when possible
I speak for many of my colleagues in saying we yearn for the day when we’re not in the midst of a pitched battle to prevent the immediate destruction of dozens of mountains and streams and can begin working on legislation that we half-jokingly call the “Central Appalachian Economic Diversification and Jobs Bonanza Act.” We spoke many times with Senator Byrd’s office about developing and introducing some such bill, and had Senator Byrd lived a little longer, one may actually have been introduced by now. But it’s pointless to work on an economic development and diversification bill that lacks the support of local workers and elected officials. Collaborating to promote worker retraining programs and federal and state incentives to bring new industries to Appalachia would be an excellent way for labor unions and environmental and community advocacy groups to work together to accomplish common goals.
But the most important thing, especially as we get into the next election cycle, is to ensure that the UMWA and environmental groups don’t unnecessarily work at cross-purposes and thus inadvertently play into the hands of the anti-government and anti-union radicals that are working to deepen our nation’s “Deficit Attention and Hypocrisy Disorder.”
This week’s march on Blair Mountain is a timely reminder of just how much organized labor, community advocates and environmental organizations have in common. And the stark post-November realities that we are facing should provide a lot of incentive to not forget it again.
To take action to help protect Blair Mountain and other mountains and communities threatened by mountaintop removal coal mining, visit iLoveMountains.org.
We are not “Environmentalists”
We love our mountains. We love the beautiful mixed mesophytic forest that blankets their surface, the pristine headwaters that pull and tumble throughout them, and the majestic and diverse creatures that inhabit these hills and hollows. We love our mountains’ shape, are drawn in by their corporal topography, respecting their inherent values that in turn shape and color who we are as individuals and as a regional community.
But the Blair Mountain March proves that when it comes to mountaintop removal, there are no “environmentalists.” The Blair Mountain March makes clear, that to simply call this an “environmentalist” march is lazy. To call opposition to mountaintop removal an “environmentalist” position is inaccurate. There is a national coalition of opposition to mountaintop removal that consists of Democrats, Republicans, faith leaders, civil rights leaders, conservationists, union workers, economists, underground coal-miners, health care professionals, scientists, journalists, me, you, and just about everybody who understands the issue. Together we form a majority of citizens who oppose the permanent destruction – by a few – of a special, historic, ancient mountain which so many of us hold dear. This is much more significant than just trying to protect a few trees, or a stream, or even an ancient mountain. The March on Blair Mountain crystallizes a moment when a broader coalition of Appalachian citizens have come together organize ourselves into a bigger tent to protect ourselves from the abuses of an overzealous and arrogant coal company. We are working to protect each other.
This moment is yet another key turning point when the majority of the Appalachian people stand up against the few who would destroy what we hold dear. The proposed destruction of Blair Mountain is not just an attack on our environment, it is not just an attack on our economy, it is not just an attack on our history, it is not just an attack on our health, it is not just an attack on working men and women. This is an attack on us, our very selves, and the heritage of generations that binds us to our families and to each other.
That is why we have come together. Labor, citizens, “environmentalists,” remember this. We don’t march for the environment. We march for each other and for our future.
Please listen to the citizens who have joined the march, and take a minute to take action*.
* -even if it’s only for “the environment”. 🙂
[VIDEO]: Be a Redneck: Protect Our Mountains, Protect Our History
The following email was sent to the 49,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.
This week, hundreds of people from Appalachia and the nation are peacefully marching toward Blair Mountain in the heart of southern West Virginia.
The march marks the 90th anniversary of the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, when 10,000 coal miners rose up in opposition against the inhumane treatment they received from coal operators and demanded basic and decent working conditions. The miners were called “rednecks” for the red bandannas around their necks.
Appalachia Rising: March on Blair Mountain is a return to that call for justice – the marchers this week are asking for an end to mountaintop removal mining, sustainable jobs in Appalachia, and stronger labor laws.
Blair Mountain, like so many other historic mountains throughout the region, is currently threatened by mountaintop removal coal mining. But Blair Mountain also serves as a symbol of hope – that, together we can end mountaintop removal and stop people’s personal history, as well and our nation’s cultural history, from literally being blown off the map.
Join the Appalachia Rising marchers in their fight – help us end mountaintop removal coal mining today. Contact your member of Congress and ask him/her to cosponsor the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1375), legislation that would help to end mountaintop removal mining.
www.iLovemountains.org/Blair-Mountain
Thanks for all you do,
Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org
P.S. If you can, please join the marchers for the June 11th rally on Blair Mountain:
www.MarchonBlairMountain.org/?page_id=554
Blair March in Pictures: Day 1
We’ll be posting more as these come in.
Blair Mountain strikers were often referred to as “red necks” by the press, on account of the red scarves they wore around their necks to symbolize solidarity against the coal company police. Participants in the modern Blair March wear red scarves in memory.
A strong coalition of impacted residents, citizens opposed to strip-mining, conservationists, union members, historians, and progressive activists have come together to oppose the destruction of this historic mountain.
While what happened at Blair was historic in size, its important to remember that this anti-miner violence did not happen in a vacuum. The mine wars lasted intensely for decades, and their memory lives on in the intensity of those standing up to coal company abuses. Watch Harlan, USA or Matewan for other stunning examples of just how far the coal companies would go to keep miners and communities down.
Please see more at Appalachian Voices Flickr feed.
Falling behind: life expectancy in US counties from 2000 to 2007 in an international context
In this study, an analysis of life expectancy on the county level showed that all of the eight counties in Kentucky where ICG and Frasure Creek operate mountaintop removal mines are among the bottom 10% of US counties in terms of life expectancy, and all but two of these counties have seen a decrease in life expectancy over the past 10 years. Two of the counties, Perry and Pike, which happen to be the two biggest coal producing counties in Kentucky, were both among the bottom 10 (out of 3,147 counties) for trends in life expectancy between 1997 and 2007. While nationwide life expectancy increased by 1.5 years over the decade, average life expectancy in these two counties actually decreased by about a year. In West Virginia, Mingo, Logan, and McDowell counties (all of which are heavily burdened by mountaintop removal) are in the bottom 1% in the nation. The surrounding counties including Lincoln, Boone, and Wyoming are in the bottom 10%.
Kulkarni, SC., A. Levin-Rector, M. Ezzati and C. Murray. “Falling behind: life expectancy in US counties from 2000 to 2007 in an international context”. Population Health Metrics. 9(2011): 16.
Severe Occupational Pneumoconiosis Among West Virginia Coal Miners: 138 Cases of Progressive Massive Fibrosis Compensated Between 2000-2009
A study conducted by West Virginia University concluded that despite existing regulations on dust levels, coal miners continue to die from black lung disease. In the details of the study, it was revealed the black lung developed in 138 West Virginia coal miners at a mean age of 52.6 years after an average of 30 years work tenure. In addition, overall lung function declined dramatically, especially among individuals who were engaged in work tasks that put them in direct contact to dust exposure. The authors state that “virtually all these miners’ dust exposures occurred after the implementation of current Federal dust regulations.”
Wade, AW., E.L. Petsonk, B. Young, and I. Mogri. ”Severe Occupational Pneumoconiosis Among West Virginia Coal Miners: 138 Cases of Progressive Massive Fibrosis Compensated Between 2000-2009.” CHEST.. 139, 6 (2011): 1458-1462.
Congressman Wolf, Cosponsor the Clean Water Protection Act
[Friends, we are fortunate today to share the voices of two of the leading advocates for Virginia’s mountains; Kathy Selvage of Wise County and Parson Brown, Director of the Topless America Project. Kathy and Parson join us today in unison to ask Congressman Frank Wolf to continue his cosponsorship of the bipartisan Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1375). Congressman Wolf is a northern Virginia Republican, who has previously cosponsored the CWPA, and who voted with Appalachian Voices against all four bad amendments to the budget bill passed by the House earlier this year. Kathy and Parson, thank you for sharing your voice with us, and please encourage your friends in Northern Virginia to contact Congressman Wolf’s office TODAY! – jw]
Dear Parson and Friends in the 10th District of the Commonwealth of Virginia,
Please encourage your Representative Frank Wolf to return to the fold and proclaim that he has regard for the integrity of water once again by being a co-sponsor on the Clean Water Protection Act in the 112th Congress. I know that you and colleagues in the 10th love mountains and clean water as much as we do in the 9th District; please share that with Representative Wolf to encourage him to be a co-sponsor once again.
Parson, we were proud to have this picture taken with Rep. Wolf in 2010 when he affirmed his commitment to clean water for all Virginians even those tucked in the far southwestern corner where we mine coal and have sacrificed greatly for the energy needs of this country. But we also live with 300 million + year old mountains that willingly give drinking water to many eastern cities of the United States, and have a rich treasure of great biological diversity (plant and animal) that is admired by the entire world.
Those who live in the ancient, wise mountains of southwest Virginia are daily confronting the ravages of mountaintop removal that decapitates our mountains for the coal beneath them and then heaps the waste, their remains, into our stream beds and upon our watersheds.
No matter how we feel about the extraction process of coal, we must understand the full benefits of another of our most precious resources—water. The very requirements for the sustaining of human life—namely, relatively clean water and clean air—are being destroyed daily in southwest Virginia. How can this be, I often ask myself.
We cannot stand for and should not tolerate the desecration of our most precious resource — water. Nature provided us with an abundant supply of water but we have squandered the use of it through waste and contamination. 
We can no longer afford to do this! We do not want to have to explain to our grandchildren one day that we were concerned about energy production and the economy when they have no safe water to drink.
Parson, please have all our friends in the 10th District contact Representative Wolf and ask him to reaffirm his commitment to clean water by again becoming a co-sponsor on the bill in the House. Tell him all Virginians must unite and stand together for the protection of our most valuable resource, water.
Sincerely,
Kathy Selvage
———————————
Dear Congressman Wolf,
I grew up along the banks of the Shenandoah River in Front Royal, Virginia. The historic Blue Ridge Mountains are my home. Our town has been named Tree City U.S.A., the Canoe Capital of Virginia, and gateway to the renowned Skyline Drive. In the Shenandoah Valley our mountains and river are part of our culture and our spirit. It is without doubt that my upbringing in Virginia’s 10th District has led me to oppose the highly destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal extraction which is destroying the land, heritage, and health of communities in central and southern Appalachia.
The Clean Water Protection Act would prohibit mining waste, including toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and other pollutants from being dumped into national waterways, and restore the original intent of the Clean Water Act. Passage of the bill would not only make the practice of mountaintop removal illegal, but would also protect sources of drinking water everywhere in the United States. After five years of support you are no longer co-sponsoring the Clean Water Protection Act. What changed?
When I first learned about mountaintop removal I was outraged and began to lobby for an end to the process. As your constituent I was truly impressed and grateful—I never had to question your integrity on the matter. This allowed me the opportunity to advocate for the Appalachian Mountains and for clean water with many of your colleagues representing other regions of the country. I cannot tell you how many times I have boasted of my Shenandoah Valley roots and my well-respected Republican congressman who was one of the first to take a
stance in support of the Clean Water Protection Act. My only visits to your office have been to introduce you to other proud constituents and thankful residents. People like Kathy Selvage from southwestern Virginia, who live with leveled landscapes and undrinkable water. Every time I have visited your office I have been genuinely appreciative.
In March of this year, I noticed that you had not yet joined the list of returning Clean Water Protection Act co-sponsors. I tried to set up appointments with your office to no avail. I stopped by with a handful of fellow constituents, hoping to briefly express our thanks, as well as
a friendly reminder that you had not renewed your co-sponsorship of the bill. Several weeks elapsed into several months. I made numerous attempts to contact you in regard to this matter. I have yet to hear anything from your office in response to my inquiries. I am at a loss. What has changed?
Being a native Appalachian I feel compelled, if not obligated, to spread awareness of this issue. I have worked hard to advance the Clean Water Protection Act along with similar legislative measures. The injustice of decimated homelands and poisoned water is something that I simply cannot ignore. I have literally watched heroes such as West Virginian activist, Judy Bonds, die trying to pass this legislation. After five years of co-sponsorship, I know my friend Judy would want me to ask—why have you chosen to abandon us now?
The Commonwealth of Virginia’s 10th District hosts many diverse opinions. I believe that the majority of constituents would disagree with your decision not to continue as a co-sponsor of the Clean Water Protection Act. Although we may not all always see eye-to-eye on every issue, we share some very basic qualities. We are Appalachians. We are lovers of the mountains which are our home. Most importantly, we all require clean drinking water to survive. Have you become so disconnected from the mountains and the people who inhabit them that you
would step aside and allow for their destruction? If you are willing to turn a blind eye to the contamination of a universally shared natural resource like water, then perhaps you are no longer the right person to represent us. But, if upon further consideration, you change your decision and continue your co-sponsorship of the Clean Water Protection Act, I believe your constituents will admire you—as will all Virginians and citizens throughout the Appalachian region.
It takes a courageous person to not waiver and to be firm in their principles even when under extreme pressure. I strongly encourage you to reinstate your co-sponsorship of the Clean Water Protection Act.
Respectfully,
Jarred “Parson Brown” Hill
Director, The Topless America Project
www.ToplessAmerica.org
