"If not ME, then WHO?"

Seems to be a lot of name-calling in the West Virginia hills these days. Like "tree-hugger." I'm not one, but I'm flattered to be called one. And I am NOT an OUTSIDER! I'm drawing the line on this one. My family goes back to General Andrew Lewis and the Pioneer Moses Moore. I was born here. I've lived in West Virginia most of my life. And I choose to stay here!

The events that unfolded at the 4th of July picnic on Kayford Mountain really kicked up this "outsider" thing again. As much as I respect their need to have a job, the coal supporters made it clear that if you're lopping off mountains, mucking up the drinking water and killing people with coal dust then you're a native - you belong here. To the contrary, if you dare stand up against these blatant violations of the earth and people on it - if you stand up against mountaintop removal coal mining - then you're an outsider. Oh! Or you're a hippie. That's a cute one.

The people attending this event were not hippies. Most were people who have lived in coal country all their lives - or they were college students, from Shepherd, WVU and the like - or they were volunteers with Christians for the Mountains and other such groups.. There were librarians, ministers, coal miners, mothers, housewives and children of miners. The people who attend these events and rallies in Appalachia are not vigilantes.


Christians for the Mountains, for example, has opened a house in Ansted, WV, where volunteers come to learn and give of their time helping people in the coal field communities. They help them through hard labor and friendship. They build fences, plow gardens, paint houses - and they pray. They happen to oppose mountaintop removal.

I have visited Able Families in Kermit, WV. They operate a true community center that provides clothing and food for poor families. They hold classes and teach parenting, how to cook meals, how to "construct" a casserole, how to inspire children to get an education and find a job. They too oppose mountaintop removal.

My point is that we are not a bunch of crazed hippie environmentalists. We know what the problems are. And we know from past history that the government has never done what is required to bring stable jobs and healthy, viable communities to those living in the shadows of King Coal.

We're not perfect and we're not aspiring to be martyrs. But we all pick up and do what we can. The common thread that binds us is the belief that there is a better way - a new way - to do things. And we're trying.

The nay-sayers see us as trouble-makers. The politicians view us as a nuisance. We see ourselves as sisters and brothers united for a common cause. We stand with our fellow mountaineers in the coal fields because we know the answer to the question "if not me, then who?"

Mountain Madness

Mountaintop Removal opponents gathered at Kayford Mountain in West Virginia on the 4th of July for the Mountain Keepers Music Festival. CNN Hero, Larry Gibson, hosted the 23rd annual picnic on land that has been in his family for over 200 years.

Mountaintop Removal coal mining has destroyed all but 50 acres on this site. The coal company wants it all - as do those who work for them. In fact, they not only want the coal but want their opponents to be GONE!

My camera was running when 20 thugs broke over the hill into the picnic shelter on Larry's private property. This video is on YouTube. SHOULD NOT BE VIEWED BY CHILDREN!!! Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjc7Jg_gMy0

Manchin Defends Mountaintop Removal

WV Gov. Joe Manchin defending Mountaintop Removal Mining
Eastern Coal Council Conference May 12, 2009 Source

“Now is the time to bring the facts out. If you want to win this war, the economy trumps everything right now and we’ve got a golden opportunity,” Manchin said. “As soon as this economy turns around, I guarantee you the environment will trump us and we’re dead.”

“If I say in West Virginia that we are basically using every bit of disturbed land to enhance the quality of life … how in the world can a person look at me and say that’s not responsible, you can’t do that, you shouldn’t because you’re altering it,” Manchin said.

“I have a piece of land that produces very little taxes if any, it takes 50 years before you can harvest the timber, and I’ve got no tax base for the school system… . How can anybody tell me that’s what’s best for the people of West Virginia?”

Say What? It's bad enough that he uses the economy, but using the tax base for the school system as justification for mountaintop removal is just plain insanity. One thing's certain: he's got more money in his pocket than he has brains in his head.

But wait! There's more...and it'll leave you speechless - just speechless!

Manchin praised coal companies for helping to clear the roads after “horrendous” flooding in the state over the past few days that he said was caused not by extensive strip mining but by “an act of God.”

Obama Seeks to Reverse Mountaintop-Mining Rule

from The Wall Street Journal Read
By Siobhan Hughes

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration on Monday sought to reverse a last-minute Bush administration rule that made it easier for companies that mine for coal by shearing off mountaintops to dump waste near rivers and streams.

The action is the latest blow to the coal industry, which defends mountaintop mining as a safer, cheaper alternative to traditional underground mining. Coal companies had supported the Bush rule, which permits companies that blow off mountaintops to get at the coal underneath to avoid maintaining a 100-foot buffer zone between nearby waters if it isn't reasonably possible to do so.

At a news conference Monday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he had asked the Justice Department to ask a federal court in Washington, D.C., to throw out the rule and send it back to the agency. Mr. Salazar said the rule "simply doesn't pass muster with respect to adequately protecting water quality and stream habitat" in affected communities.

The decision is likely to have the most effect on central Appalachian surface-mining operations, which account for about 10% of U.S. coal production, according to Energy Information Administration data. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, who received a call on Monday morning from Mr. Salazar, is already trying to gauge the impact on the state's coffers and on future employment.

"The governor shared his concern about the potential effect it could have," said Matt Turner, a spokesman for the governor. "A lot of jobs in West Virginia and throughout Appalachia depend on mining, and certainly our nation depends on coal as an energy source."

The action comes one month after the Environmental Protection Agency under the Obama administration announced that it would scrutinize 150 to 200 mining permits because of concern about waste dumped into rivers and streams. So far, the EPA has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revoke at least one previously granted permit, and to ensure more safeguards before signing off on a handful of other permits.

"We've seen a real change in the EPA," Consol Energy Inc. Chief Executive Brett Harvey said in an earnings call last week. "There's a lot of resistance to mountaintop mining.