Monday, July 12th, 2010

How was your weekend, America? Any hot dates? You’re still involved with Big Coal?! Unbelievable. (Sigh) You do love when that industry talks clean to you, don’t you? All those sweet little lies…

Always the same story. You throw on your finest duds, but no longer expect anything new. Maybe you go out on your rapidly depopulating mining town and try to forget that you’re condemning your prospects with other industries there in the future? Knock back a drink or two of water contaminated with heavy metals and chemicals to help with the forgetting? Seriously America, what could possibly make this lousy relationship worse?

How bout the fact that time after time Big Coal is leaving you to take care of the ENORMOUS check?

Multiple reports and studies are showing how the coal industry receives billions of dollars in direct and indirect subsidies from US taxpayers.

A 2009 Environmental Law Institute study entitled “Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2002-2008″ (pdf) shows that the U.S. coal industry benefited from subsidies of around $17 billion between 2002 and 2008. In addition to federal support, coal is getting plenty of help from state and local governments as well. Another 2009 report (pdf) written by Dr. Melissa Fry Konty and Jason Bailey found that in Kentucky, for instance, the coal industry receives $115 million in subsidies per year. In Virginia, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the industry receives $44.5 million annually.

A 2010 Synapse Energy Economics report entitled Phasing Out Federal Subsidies for Coal (pdf) concludes that:

There remain certain distinct areas where federal financial policy implementation is not consistent with, and is even in conflict with, clear federal efforts to adapt to a carbon constrained future. Inconsistencies in federal policy require federal administrative intervention; private companies will not necessarily remedy the inconsistency. The disconnect between federal policies not only sets the nation back in achieving energy and environmental policy goals, but also places taxpayer dollars at risk. As regulatory policy changes, as financial circumstances change, so must the administrative financial policies of the federal government.

And let’s not forget about externalities: those negative impacts coal has on third parties that end up being paid for by taxpayers. These include costs associated with poisoned streams, deforestation, air pollution and global warming to name but a few. According to 2009’s Hendryx study, coal mining costs Appalachia $42 billion every year as a result of negative health impacts and loss of life. The Environmental Law Institute found that impacts to miner’s health such as, black lung disease, for instance, costs taxpayers around $1.5 billion, in addition to the incalculable suffering it exacts on the miners themselves and their families.

Unbelievably, the infatuation lives on.

Today, there are tremendous coal industry subsidies in the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), H.R. 2454. This legislation, which has passed the House though not yet the Senate, includes $60 billion in support of carbon-capture-and-sequestration technology.

Aaaaahhhh!

COME ON America. You deserve so much better. And PS, Big Coal is seeing other folks behind your back anyway.

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

The following email was sent to the 42,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.

A citizen speaks to their Senator about
the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696)

As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and as the Obama administration continues to approve new mountaintop removal coal mining permits, it has never been more obvious that America needs to aggressively pursue a clean energy future.

A critical first step in pursuing that future could be achieved if the Senate passed the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696), which would sharply curtail mountaintop removal in the United States and protect the valleys, streams and communities that are being devastated by this destructive form of mining.

You can help make that happen. Could you take just a moment today to contact your Senators, and ask them to become a co-sponsor of the Appalachia Restoration Act?

Click here to contact your Senators today:
http://www.ilovemountains.org/write-your-senators/

There’s never been a more critical time to drive home the point about how mountaintop removal coal mining and a clean energy future don’t mix. Please, contact your Senators today and ask them to become a co-sponsor of the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696).

Thank you for taking action.

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Making good on a promise made back in April, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) will begin holding a series of open houses to accept public comments on Stream Protection Rule revisions currently in development by the agency.

The proposed revisions are intended to change stream protection in regards to surface mining, with regulating mining activities in and near streams, cracking down on monitoring of surface and ground water quality during and after mining, and revising approximate original contour restoration requirements among the items on the table.

Open houses will take place at the following locations in July:

July 19, 2010, 3 p.m. – Carbondale, IL, Southern Illinois University Student Center
July 20, 2010, 3 p.m. – Evansville, IN, Holiday Inn Conference Center North
July 20, 2010, 3 p.m. – Fairfield, TX, Fairfield Elementary School
July 22, 2010, 3 p.m. – Birmingham, AL, Embassy Suites Birmingham – Hoover
July 26, 2010, 3 p.m. – Hazard, KY, Hazard Community College
July 27, 2010, 3 p.m. – Beckley, WV, Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center
July 27, 2010, 3 p.m. – Farmington, NM, Farmington Civic Center
July 28, 2010, 3 p.m. – Morgantown, WV, Mylan Park
July 29, 2010, 3 p.m. – Gillette, WY, Campbell County Library

If you are unable to attend an open house, be sure to submit your comments via email to sra-eis@osmre.gov. Comments will also be accepted via mail, hand delivery, or courier. Send comments to:

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Administrative Record
Room 252–SIB 1951
Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20240

OSM will post updated information as it becomes available via Twitter and on the OSM web site. For additional information on the Stream Protection Rule, see OSM’s special section entitled “Building A Stream Protection Rule.”

Thanks to the folks at Powder River Basin Resource Council for the alert!

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

An Alliance for Appalachia partner organization, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and ENGAGE ( Educational Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange) have joined together to create a new report with stories concerning human rights violations associated with the process of mountaintop removal in Floyd County,Ky.

According to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights are clearly defined as the belief that everyone deserves access to basic human needs such as: food, water, shelter, and a safe living and working environment.

It is when those needs are blatantly ignored or interfered with that human rights are violated.

The process of mountaintop removal contaminates these basic human needs as it poisons the water, land and lives of those it comes in contact with.

The Voices from Appalachia report is compiled of both a history of coal in the region and personal accounts from citizens of Floyd County.

It addresses specific instances of violations of their economic, social and cultural rights and what individuals, communities and organizations are doing to push for positive change.

The compilation is refreshing in the sense that it is aimed at making the public aware of rights which are currently being demolished in the Appalachian Mountains, while enlightening and outlining a framework for those wishing to speak out against human rights violations on both a national and global scale.

The intro to the report mentions the fact that as families in Appalachia struggle with effects of mining, thousands of individuals throughout the world face comparable situations of exploitation, whether due to mining, other large scale development projects, urban poverty, or systematic discrimination.

“To achieve the greatest possible strength organizations and individuals must reach out to one another and work together.”

According to ENGAGE “The process of creating the report fostered a stronger community identity and helped the community understand the rights they share.”

Going into the future, both KFTC and ENGAGE will determine the best ways to apply the messages and lessons of the report in community outreach and educational and legislative settings.

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Last April, the EPA announced new guidance standards for new and pending surface mine permits in Appalachia. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson stated “Coal communities should not have to sacrifice their environment or their health or their economic future to mountaintop mining. They deserve the full protection of our clean water laws.” The Administrator proclaimed “You’re talking about no or very few valley fills that are going to meet standards like this.”

While Jackson made it clear that the new guidance would not ban all mountaintop removal, the guidance and the Administrator’s strong statements, it seemed, did move Appalachia one step closer to the just and sustainable future our region needs and deserves.

Last week, though, the EPA quietly made its first decision under the new guidelines and APPROVED a permit allowing three new valley fills in Logan County, West Virginia.

In other words:

They’re still blowing up our mountains, and we still need a law.

The EPA approved Pine Creek Strip Mine (pdf) would impact over two MILES of already suffering headwater streams, create three new valley fills (each over 40 acres), and further endanger local communities already suffering from increased flooding due to strip mining. As deforestation on the Arch Coal mine site would continue to dismantle an important global carbon sink, the mine itself would produce over 14 million tons of coal, which when burned in power plants, would contribute over 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas pollution to the planet’s atmosphere.

Vivian Stockman of Logan County, West Virginia expresses frustration with the agency: “In approving the Pine Creek permit, the EPA has failed our community. Any more mountaintop removal mining in Logan County is going to further degrade the watershed, increase pollution-related health impacts and increase the likelihood of more flooding.”

Again, we need a law. In this April Huffington Post piece, Matt Wasson, Director of Programs for Appalachian Voices, outlined 5 reasons for the need:

1. The EPA’s action will not affect permits that have already been issued. Moreover, an excellent piece of reporting by Charleston Gazette reporter Ken Ward revealed that those existing permits will allow some companies to continue mountaintop removal operations without a hitch for the next couple of years.
2. Not all mountaintop removal mines require valley fills and coal companies are already using loopholes by which they can obliterate miles of streams without the need to obtain a valley fill permit. The million or so acres of wholesale destruction that coal companies drove through a narrow loophole in the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act since 1977 is testament to their skill and creativity at exploiting loopholes.
3. Some valley fills will still be allowed under this guidance and the EPA even provided a set of “best practices” by which companies can do mountaintop removal in a manner consistent with it. Moreover, there are a number of recent cases where coal companies went ahead and constructed valley fills without even bothering to obtain a permit.
4. While the guidance takes effect immediately, it is a preliminary document released in response to calls from coal state legislators and coal companies for greater clarity on how the EPA was basing its decision whether to grant a valley fill permit for an Appalachian surface mine. The EPA plans to initiate an extended public comment period before the guidelines will be finalized.
5. An agency guidance document is different from a formal rule and can be easily overturned by a new administration. Even if this guidance proves to be effective in curtailing mountaintop removal, environmental and community advocates still need to ask what happens when a hypothetical President Palin enters the White House in January of 2013 or 2017.

Please take a moment to ask your Congressman to support two bipartisan bills aimed at sharply curtailing mountaintop removal: the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310) in the House and the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696) in the Senate. The health and heritage of Appalachia is at stake, where a “few valley fills” is a few too many.

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Remember FACES of Coal? The less than bona fide astroturfing organization whose members keep turning up on iStockphoto.com?

Well, the antics continue as they’re none too pleased with the EPA these days. It seems the EPA has got it in for Apple Juice creeks and Gatorade streams. Typical right?! Far as we know, Lisa Jackson and Obama don’t yet mind Willa Wonka’s chocolate river, but we’ll keep you posted.

You see back in April, the EPA took a major step toward ending the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining when it introduced new guidance standards for new and pending surface mining permits in Appalachia. The guidance establishes a range of acceptable levels of conductivity, an indicator of the presence of salts and heavy metals, in waters below mountaintop removal operations. Levels of conductivity beyond 500 microsiemens are considered harmful and grounds for the EPA to deny mining companies a Clean Water Act permit. Levels between 300-500 microsiemens are considered suspect.

FACES of Coal doesn’t like this. Hey, they argue, Apple Juice and ‘good ol’ Gatorade have higher conductivity levels than the EPA’s limit! The fact that Apple Juice and Gatorade wouldn’t sustain life in a stream, and the fact that streams below mountaintop removal operations have been found to be dangerously toxic don’t seem to enter into FACES logic.

A new video on the FACES website explains, “We all need and expect clean water but water in streams is complicated and sadly there are some people right now who are telling us that mining pollutes our streams.”

Well, FACES wants you to know “The Truth about Stuff in Streams.”

Not the truth about heavy metals and chemicals like arsenic, lead, mercury, and selenium in streams, but the truth about “stuff” in streams. Does FACES anonymity and innocuous, unscientific language ignite your trust? If not, perhaps the following statement from their video will:

“Some of the things that might be in the water from a mine site, might be iron, you might have some zinc, you might have copper, selenium,” Ben Faulkner explains to a group of young students in the FACES video. “By the way where did I get these what are these?” Faulkner asks holding up some bottles, “They’re vitamins!!! So don’t let people tell you that iron and zinc are toxic chemicals cause you got to have em. If you don’t have em in your body and you don’t take a vitamin you get sick!”

It’s almost as if the coal industry wants us to thank them for making our headwater streams a part of a balanced breakfast.

Mmmm… SeleniO’s.

FACES has other complaints as well.

They argue:
- “No evidence has been presented that uniquely correlates higher conductivity levels with coal mining or valley fills.”
- “The necessary scientific analysis, including collecting sufficient data, has not been conducted to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between conductivity and adverse effects on water quality” and;
- “EPA presents no evidence that the designated uses of these waters have been harmed.”

But unsurprisingly, there is a wealth of scientific evidence and analysis that supports EPA’s guidance.

In the opening sentence of the 2008 report, “Downstream effects of mountaintop coal mining: comparing biological conditions using family- and genus-level macroinvertebrate bioassessment tools,” the EPA notes that, “many studies have shown that coal mining activities negatively affect stream biota in nearly all parts of the globe.” The report then references five such reports and itself unambiguously proclaims “surface coal mining with valley ?lls has impaired the aquatic life in numerous streams in the Central Appalachian Mountains.”

Two additional, new, peer reviewed studies entitled: A Field-Based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams (External Review Draft) and The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields (External Review Draft) have also been made available by the EPA.

As the new guidelines themselves note:

Recent studies, as well as the experiences of Appalachian coalfield communities, point to new environmental and health challenges that were largely unknown even ten years ago. Since 1992, nearly 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams have been filled at a rate of 120 miles per year by surface mining practices. A recent EPA study found that nine out of every 10 streams downstream from surface mining operations were impaired based on a genus-level assessment of aquatic life.

Another federal study found elevated levels of highly toxic and bioaccumulative selenium in streams downstream from valley fills. These impairments are linked to contamination of surface water supplies and resulting health concerns, as well as widespread impacts to stream life in downstream rivers and streams. Further, the estimated scale of deforestation from existing Appalachian surface mining operations is equivalent in size to the state of Delaware. Appalachian deforestation has been linked to significant changes in aquatic communities as well as to modified storm runoff regimes, accelerated sediment and nutrient transport, reduced organic matter inputs, shifts in the stream’s energy base, and altered thermal regimes. Such impacts have placed further stresses on water quality and the ecological viability of watersheds.

Alright FACES, put that in your cup and drink it!

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Robert C. Byrd “may come closer to the kind of senator the Founding Fathers had in mind than any other.” — Almanac of American Politics

Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) passed away early this morning at the age of 92. Senator Byrd is the longest serving member of the United States Congress in American history, and as the Senate’s “President Pro Tempore,” Senator Byrd was third in line to the Presidency. According to his website, he cast more than 18,680 roll call votes — more votes than any other Senator in American history — compiling an amazing 97 percent attendance record in his more than five decades of service in the Senate. He ran for office 15 times and never once lost a race.

Driven by desire to see life improved for those in the coalfields where he was raised, Senator Byrd used his position as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee to bring billions of dollars back to his home state. During a life of high achievement and leadership, he considered this his greatest achievement. When a balanced budget amendment was defeated in 1994, Senator Byrd said, “The basic power which is probably more fundamental than any other power in the Constitution is the power of the purse. That power of the purse belongs to the people, and that is where it is vested.”

In 1937, at the age of 19, Senator Byrd married his high-school sweetheart Erma Ora James. The two were married until her passing in March of 2006. They are survived by 2 children, 5 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. A consumate musician and entertainer (listen to him play Cripple Creek), Senator Byrd was also a prolific writer, publishing on topics from Senate History to life in the coalfields. He was famous for his knowledge of the United States Constitution and was known to carry a pocket copy with him at all times, often waving it in the air during impassioned speeches on the floor of the United States Senate. Although Senator Byrd was a Democrat, his non-partisanship impressed his colleagues, and he was even considered for a spot on the Supreme Court by President Nixon, a Republican.

As recently as last month, Senator Byrd was demanding that the coal industry respect the miners, land, and people of West Virginia.

The industry of coal must also respect the land that yields the coal, as well as the people who live on the land. If the process of mining destroys nearby wells and foundations, if blasting and digging and relocating streams unearths harmful elements and releases them into the environment causing illness and death, that process should be halted and the resulting hazards to the community abated.

At the urging of many of his constituents, Senator Byrd’s position regarding coal’s place in West Virginia changed slowly over the years. Senator Byrd called our mountains God’s Gift to West Virginia, and spent his final years urging the coal industry to Embrace the Future.

…

In recent years, West Virginia has seen record high coal production and record low coal employment … The increased use of mountaintop removal mining means that fewer miners are needed to meet company production goals.

…

It is also a reality that the practice of mountaintop removal mining has a diminishing constituency in Washington. It is not a widespread method of mining, with its use confined to only three states. Most members of Congress, like most Americans, oppose the practice, and we may not yet fully understand the effects of mountaintop removal mining on the health of our citizens. West Virginians may demonstrate anger toward the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over mountaintop removal mining, but we risk the very probable consequence of shouting ourselves out of any productive dialogue with EPA and our adversaries in the Congress.

Some have even suggested that coal state representatives in Washington should block any advancement of national health care reform legislation until the coal industry’s demands are met by the EPA. I believe that the notion of holding the health care of over 300 million Americans hostage in exchange for a handful of coal permits is beyond foolish; it is morally indefensible. It is a non-starter, and puts the entire state of West Virginia and the coal industry in a terrible light.

To be part of any solution, one must first acknowledge a problem. To deny the mounting science of climate change is to stick our heads in the sand and say “deal me out.” West Virginia would be much smarter to stay at the table.

His Senate staff remain some of the hardest working people on Capitol Hill, and have made enormous efforts to find out the facts about the impacts of mountaintop removal on coalfield communities. He proudly stood up against Don Blankenship and the arrogance of Massey Energy. One of his last public actions was to publicly blast Don Blankenship and Massey’s record at Upper Big Branch at a recent Senate hearing on May 20th. You can see the webcast of that here.

From a young age, Senator Byrd was an outstanding fiddler, gracing the stages of the Kennedy Center, the Grand Ol’ Opry, and Hee Haw, even releasing his own album called “Mountain Fiddler.
“Click “PLAY” on the slideshow below to hear the Senator play a few wonderful tunes.

Rest in peace Senator. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family, friends, staff, and your great state of West Virginia.

For more on the life and times of Senator Robert C Byrd, please see the WV Gazette, NPR, MSNBC, and the New York Times. WaPo has gathered reactions from Washington insiders.

But better yet, add your own thoughts/links in the comments.

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Appalachian Voices traveled to eastern Kentucky to show Reuters the impact of mountaintop removal.Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, a partner organization, helped to coordinate the trip.

The video focuses on the impacts of mountaintop removal in eastern Kentucky and the great strides Google Earth has made in communicating the scale of the devastation it is causing.

“What Google Earth allows you to do is to show this is millions of acres,” said Matt Wasson referring to how important a tool Google Earth is in showing the bird’s eye view of the immense destruction spreading across the Appalachian Mountains.

Rick Handshoe, resident of Floyd County Kentucky and member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth shares Wasson’s concern.

In the video he vividly describes the pollution that mountaintop removal mining has caused in streams while the camera pans slowly across the creeks gurgling brown down the hillside. The land has been in his family for nearly 200 years.

Dr. Matthew Wasson, an ecologist and the director of programs for Appalachian Voices, also took some still shots of mountaintop removal and valley fills while there.

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

You’ve heard of the dirty dozen? Well, thanks to Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, we now have the Clean Water Dozen! That’s 12 Senators supporting the Appalachia Restoration Act, and in so doing, standing up for clean water and against mountaintop removal coal mining.

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is a 4th term Democrat from Maryland, who signed on as a cosponsor of the act on June 21, 2010. Both Senators from Maryland - Mikulski and Cardin - now support the legislation.

Senator Mikulski serves on the; Appropriations Committee where she is the chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies subcommittee, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee where she is the chairwoman of the Retirement and Aging subcommittee, and the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Make sure the Senator knows we appreciate her support! You can send her a message on Facebook or Twitter.

Hats off to our dedicated activists in Maryland who made this possible.

Check out all Appalachia Restoration Act Cosponsors below:

Benjamin L. Cardin - MD
Lamar Alexander - TN
Dianne Feinstein - CA
Robert Menendez - NJ
Richard Durbin - IL
Kirsten E. Gillibrand - NY
Barbara A. Mikulski - MD
Sherrod Brown - OH
Sheldon Whitehouse - RI
Amy Klobuchar - MN
Frank R. Lautenberg - NJ
Bernard Sanders - VT

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Mounting evidence shows mountaintop removal is detrimental to the health of local communities, to the land it flattens, and to the water it buries and pollutes, but the industry loves to tout that coal is good for local economies.

But is that really the case?

Two blockbuster reports released today by Downstream Strategies reveal that every year the coal industry costs West Virginia and Tennessee millions more than it brings in. Examining the revenues and expenditures of coal industry employment, taxes and subsidies in Tennessee and West Virginia, the reports confirm the suspicions of many skeptical of Big Coal’s tired talking points.

Like this one from FACES of Coal:
“Economically healthy coal mining equals a healthy community.”

Well, besides the fact that I doubt you or anyone you know wants to live or work near this:

While contending with this:

Downstream Strategies now points out that in West Virginia the coal industry brought $600.7 million in revenues to the state in 2009, which turns out to be $97.5 million less than the $698.2 million the industry cost the Mountain State in the same year. In Tennessee, the bottom line amounted to an estimated net economic loss of $3 million.

In other words, coal actually costs these states money.

So what does the coal industry mean when they say “healthy”? They don’t mean healthy waterways, like this “stream”, do they?

What about the overall health of coalfield communities? The Gallup-Healthways’ Well-Being Index shows that Appalachian congressional districts where mountaintop removal is most prevalent are the unhealthiest in the nation year after year.

FACES of Coal! You lovably, anonymous “people” are such cut ups!

In any case, lead author of the Downstream Strategies reports, Rory McIlmoil notes, “While the coal industry provides significant benefits for state budgets, the industry also imposes substantial costs that impacted the budgets of both states in 2009. These are costs that, lacking a change in state policy, will be paid by the citizens of Appalachia for decades.”

The reports are two in a series of studies on coal’s impact to the economy of Central Appalachia. Another was released on Kentucky last year, and an evaluation of Virginia is expected in the future. Copies of both reports can be found at www.downstreamstrategies.com.

Click here to go directly to a pdf of the the WV report.
Click here to go directly to a pdf of the TN report.