In 2008, the United States stand to lose Blair Mountain,WV. Our loss may very well be at the hands of our own coal companies that want to see this special place turned into a mountaintop removal mining site. But before we can save it, we want people to understand why we believe the mountain deserves to stay.
…
On August 25th, 1921 in Logan County, West Virginia, began a skirmish which would quickly swell into the largest armed labor conflict in American history. On the 1,600-acre Spruce Fork Ridge of Blair Mountain, there was a showdown between an army of as many as 15,000 pro-union miners and a federally backed 2,000-man defensive force. The miners – abused, exploited, and upset by lack of decent working conditions, living conditions, and lack of collective bargaining ability, had taken up arms.

[Miners were] seeking the right not only to unionize but also to exercise civil liberties such as freedom of speech and assembly.

The United Mine Workers of America had been working to organize workers in the coalfields, due to constant oppression and tight control of coal-towns in Appalachia, and a long-simmering tension exploded into armed conflict upon to the murder of pro-union Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield.

The anti-union defensive force was led by Logan County Sheriff Don Chafin and other law officers, many of whom were on the coal companies’ payrolls. Chafin’s men were “bolstered by private planes that dropped homemade bombs on the miners.” Blair Mountain remains the only place in our country where American’s have dropped bombs on other Americans from the air.

The New York Times archives reports: (9/3/1921) (html/.pdf)

Upon the arrival of federal troops, these coal-miners were quickly out-manned, outgunned, and surrounded. Enmeshed in the largest post-Civil War battle ever on American soil, the miners relented – refusing to fight their fellow veterans, whom many considered their fellow “brothers-in-arms” from WWI.

Across the invisible barriers of race and ethnicity, these coal-stained warriors had gathered enough support to be kept from unionizing only by the United States Army.

It turns out, however, that they may have ended up saving Blair Mountain. These days, the only way too keep Blair Mountain from being destroyed by the coal companies are by keeping it preserved as a historical site. In Fact, The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently recognized the Blair Mountain Battlefield, along with the neighborhoods of New Orleans, and the Vesey St staircase at the WTC, as one of the 11 most endangered historic places in the entire country.

Over the years, various local efforts to preserve the battle site have been blocked by the coal companies that own or lease the property where the conflict occurred. Now coal companies appear intent upon strip-mining Spruce Fork Ridge, which would completely obliterate the well-preserved and intact site. Only by drawing national attention to the importance of the events at Blair Mountain is this threatened battlefield likely to be saved.

Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers great perspective on the importance of this battle, and of the miners’ struggle because of its relation to current mining struggles.

“It is particularly important, given the recent mining tragedies in West Virginia, that we not lose this symbol of the bravery and determination of union miners to improve their working conditions.

Fierce opposition from the coal companies that own or lease most of the ridge – Hobet Mining, Arch Coal, Massey Energy Company and Aracoma Coal Company, among others – have stopped previous preservation attempts. The coal companies are intent on strip-mining, which would destroy the battlefield.

By increasing public awareness of the significance of the Blair Mountain battlefield, preservation advocates hope to win support for permanently protecting the site with easements and developing a economically sustainable interpretive program, possibly through the National Coal Heritage Area, which would allow the region to take advantage of West Virginia’s fastest-growing industry – tourism.

Protecting Blair Mountain is important because of the fact that, besides being one of the oldest and most beautiful mountains in the world, its historical significance is unparalleled. A historic site that would bring tourists to this breathtaking place is a far better long-term solution than simply blowing up the mountain for coal, as Massey Energy would have us do. We owe it not only to the mountain herself, but to those who gave their lives.

Wikipedia:

Up to 30 deaths were reported by Chafin’s side and 50-100 on the union miners side, with many hundreds more injured. By September 2, however, federal troops had arrived. Realizing he would lose a lot of good miners if the battle continued with the military, union leader Bill Blizzard passed the word for the miners to start heading home the following day. Miners fearing jail and confiscation of their guns found clever ways to hide rifles and hand guns in the woods before leaving Logan County. Collectors and researchers to this day are still finding weapons and ammunition embedded in old trees and in rock crevices. Thousands of spent and live cartridges have made it into private collections.

Which leads us to the discoveries of Kenny King and many many others. Harvard Ayers tells us that archeology may yet have a lot to tell us about the Battle of Blair Mountain that we do not yet know.

Dr. Harvard Ayers:

But the archeological record does more than simply corroborate the historical accounts. It adds considerable depth to our understanding of the battle. Whereas the history tells us that heavy fighting occurred at the three key locations, it does not tell us much about how these areas were defended. It documents in a broad sense the number of combatants, the main types of armaments (machine guns are frequently mentioned), and the broad ebb and flow of the battles. But it does not tell us for instance, the exact locations where the defenders made their stands. It does not detail how many of what weapons were used or the likely number of combatants at the defensive positions. The archeological record for the Battle of Blair Mountain has already yielded important information that fills some of these gaps in the historical record and has the potential to add even more to our understanding of the battle with future research.

… Of the thirteen archaeological sites documented by the reconnaissance surveys of West Virginia University and Appalachian State University, all are stated to have potential for yielding further important information about the Battle of Blair Mountain.

The story of Blair Mountain deserves to be told fully. To learn more about what you can do to help, please visit FriendsofBlairMountain.org

1. Featured Activist: Kenny King
For over 17 years, one man has really been at the forefront of the charge to preserve Blair Mountain, and that is Kenny King. Mr. King has been the most passionate voice to fight for the preservation of this historic place, to tell people about the important battle that occurred there, and the attempt to ultimately list the 1,600-acre Spruce Fork Ridge on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. As a proud worker in the coal industry, he understands the significance of West Virginia’s coal heritage to the history of our country. Like many of us, he has a personal connection to the events at Blair Mountain – namely, relatives who fought on both sides of the battle. Please see the new America’s Most Endangered Mountain video about Blair Mountain to hear Kenny talk about his work to save Blair Mountain. A resident of Blair Mountain since 1962, Kenny explains how this historical site is threatened by a 333 acre mining permit. (h/t Greg Coble)

2. Virtual Flyover of Blair Mountain / Permit Area
As it is now, before the proposed mountaintop removal operations have started.
The boundaries of the historic area are outlined in yellow.

3. Appalachian Music of the Week
I just caught my first Martha Scanlan show last week and she was amazing. You may recognize her from the Reeltime Travelers, but I prefer her album West Was Burning. Live, her accompaniment (the Stuart twins) masterfully showcase a number of fiddle and old-time tunes, which makes their live show a real treat for anyone who likes contemporary or old-time acoustic music.

The West Was Burning:

There have been some remarkable happenings in the last two weeks in the fight against mountaintop removal.

For the first time EVER, both major Presidential candidates are publicly against mountaintop removal coal-mining. Last week at a town hall meeting in Orlando, Florida Senator McCain re-iterated what he told Appalachian Voices back in February. When asked if he supported a ban on mountaintop removal mining, the Senator bluntly said “I do.” McCain raised the ire of many of the more anti-environmental members of his caucus, including WV-02 Representative Shelly Moore Capito. McCain’s response “caught me off guard,” and said “such a stance could hurt McCain in West Virginia.”

Senator Barack Obama first indicated his opposition to mountaintop removal last year, when asked by Appalachian Voices. Obama said:

We have to find more environmentally sound ways of mining coal, than simply blowing the tops off mountains.

(The Green and Libertarian party candidates also oppose mountaintop removal.)

In another HUGE testamant to the success of the national netroots and the barrage of regional activism and citizen lobbying, the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169), just hit 150 co-sponsors last week. That is 150 people from 30 states, 1 territory, and the District of Columbia. This legislation is now supported by 142 Democrats and 8 Republicans from Maine to Hawaii to Florida to Washington state, and that list is growing every week. See if your Representative is a co-sponsor of the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169).

In an important development in the fight for Coal River Mountain, local activists have proved that we could provide more jobs and more energy by using Coal River Mountain for industrial wind energy rather than turning it into a mountaintop removal site. Due to overwhelming public pressure, blasting was averted last week, and citizens are working with state and local officials to deliver sustainable solutions in the heart of coal country. Please drop Governor Manchin a line and let him know you support the efforts to put clean energy on Coal River Mountain instead of turning it into a mountaintop removal site.

Also, for the first time to my knowledge, a court ruled that global warming bore a higher cost than the operation of a coal-fired power plant. Six activists who wrote the Prime Minister’s name down the side of a smokestack with the intention of shutting down a coal-fired power plant in the UK had the “lawful excuse” that they were protecting the planet from global warming.

Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a “lawful excuse” to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent to prevent even greater damage caused by climate change. The defence of “lawful excuse” under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 allows damage to be caused to property to prevent even greater damage – such as breaking down the door of a burning house to tackle a fire.

Actions for this week:
1) Ask your Representative to join 152 members of Congress and co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169), to protect America’s headwaters from mountaintop removal mining waste.

2) Ask Governor Manchin to support clean, green, renewable wind energy on Coal River Mountain. With wind we can create more energy and more jobs than is possible with mountaintop removal.

There, wasn’t that easy!? Y’all have a great Monday

Thats all for this week!

peace,
jdub

Protesters From Across the Country Join Wise County VA Residents to Oppose Power Plant’s Impact on Environment and Health, and to Demand a Clean Energy Future

Wise County, VA — At 6:00am this morning around 50 peaceful protesters entered the construction site of Dominion Virginia’s (NYSE: D) Wise County coal-fired power plant. Almost twenty protesters locked their bodies to eight large steel drums, two of which have operational solar panels affixed to the top that illuminated a banner reading “renewable jobs to renew Appalachia.” In addition to those locked to the construction site, over 25 protesters from across the country convened in front of the plant singing and holding a 10’x30’ banner, which said “we demand a clean energy future.”

In this event—the first protest at Dominion’s $1.8 billion new coal-fired power plant—local Wise County residents have joined hands with those fighting mountaintop removal coal and climate change from Tennessee to California. Those young and old, from cities and from rural communities have come together because the construction of this 585-megawatt power plant not only poses a massive risk to the health of Appalachians, but it also stands in stark opposition to the national move to a clean energy economy.

“Coal is in our blood but we’re realizing it’s also in our lungs and in our drinking water,” said Hannah Morgan, Wise County landowner and one of those locked to the construction site. “We are here because now is the time to take greater action as individuals, a community, and a country to create a sustainable future and stop the destruction of our homeplace.”

“I’m here from Coal River, WV to support my fellow Appalachians in our shared struggle to end coal industry abuses,” said Bo Webb, resident of Coal River, WV and member of Coal River Mountain Watch. “We are not going to continue to stand idly by and watch our children be robbed of their right to clean air and clean water. This is no longer an Appalachian problem, it’s an American problem.”

With very few jobs going to local residents for construction or long-term plant operation and without any means to capture its carbon dioxide pollution, the Dominion plant represents a remarkably bad deal for Virginia. “With all the billions of dollars that have rolled out of Appalachia in the last 5 years, it should look like Dubai but instead it looks like Guatemala,” said Jane Branham, Wise County resident and nurse. “My dad was a coal miner. As he says, ‘it’s not the same as it used to be—there’s no profit in coal for the people here anymore there’s only devastation.’”

This event comes on the heels of Dominion’s groundbreaking ceremony for the plant on August 14 and continues almost two years of opposition to the project. Nearly 45,000 Virginians have signed a petition against the construction of the plant, three lawsuits were recently filed challenging the state’s approval of the plant as its permits fail to adequately control emissions of hazardous toxins, such as mercury, which can cause severe neurological deficits in developing fetuses and young children.

“Embracing clean energy is not a sacrifice, it is an opportunity,” said Rebecca Tarbotton of Rainforest Action Network, a California group that is pressuring Bank of America and Citi, leading financiers of Dominion, to stop funding coal plants and to start investing in clean energy. “This Dominion protest is part of a rapidly growing movement of people across the country who are willing to put their bodies on the line to ensure a clean energy future.”

Opponents to the plant believe Virginia should be leading the country in renewable energy; Virginia’s skilled labor force could be at the forefront of the burgeoning green jobs movement. Leaving Appalachia’s mountains intact could support a 2,000 megawatt wind farm, almost four times the amount of energy generated by this plant.

The plant, if constructed, will process largely mountain top removal coal, creating an even bigger incentive for the destructive practice that decimates historic mountains and contaminates drinking water. Wise County has already had 25% of its historic mountain ranges destroyed forever to mountaintop removal mining.

For more information or for photos and b-roll, please contact Nell Greenberg, 276-337-3198.

Thanks, Scott Parkin
Rainforest Action Network
Organizer, Global Finance Campaign
sparkin@ran.org

221 Pine St #500
San Francisco, CA 94104 USA
415-659-0524 office
415-398-2732 fax
415-235-0596 cell
www.ran.org
www.dirtymoney.org

http://myspace.com/rainforestactionnetwork

From Rory McIlMoil:

Hey folks,

We wanted to let you know that Coal River Mountain has survived another day! Due to the fact that Massey coal company had not obtained the required permits, they were prevented from starting the blasting yesterday from a legal standpoint. However, it was your calls and emails to Governor Manchin that pressured him into sending his own team of inspectors down to the mine site to make sure they didn’t blast. So for the residents of the Coal River Valley, and for the future of West Virginia, we wanted to say THANK YOU!!

Since Tuesday morning, nearly 2,500 of you have emailed the Governor, and the emails are still going through at a steady pace. From what we can tell, the Governor also received hundreds of calls, and about 600 of you signed our petition (if you didn’t do so, please sign the petition, http://www.coalriverwind.org/?page_id=28). This was a great push, and the pressure on the governor is vital to winning this campaign and bringing wind power to southern West Virginia. He now knows that people all over West Virginia and all over the nation are watching to see if he’ll let Coal River Mountain – and the potential for clean energy development in an economically depressed, coal-dependent area – be destroyed for only 14 years of coal mining, or if he’ll do the right thing and rescind the permits altogether. He may have helped stop the blasting, but he only did so for legal reasons, and you can bet that Massey is pushing hard to get the required blasting and mining permits, so We Still Need Your Help!!

Can you forward this email to at least 5 friends, asking them to help save Coal River Mountain for wind power? We need to ramp up the pressure, and keep the calls and emails coming in, for once Massey gets those permits, only Governor Manchin can take them away. Have them visit: http://www.coalriverwind.org/?page_id=119 to send Gov. Manchin an email, and to find info on how to call his office.

Also, if you are in the area, come join us on September 16th as we celebrate the opportunity that exists here on Coal River Mountain, as well as all over West Virginia, to transition away from a heavy dependence on coal and toward a cleaner, greener energy and economic future. We’ll be holding a “Rally for Green Jobs and Healthy Mountains” on the steps of the State Capitol building in Charleston, WV from 5:00-6:30pm, and we would love to have all of you there if you can make it (for info, http://www.coalriverwind.org/?page_id=117). Pass the word around, because the more people that attend, the louder our message will be, and Governor Manchin will hear it ringing through the halls of the Capitol.

Thank you for all of your support, and for helping save Coal River Mountain for a little while longer.

Lorelei, Rory and the Coal River Wind Team.

Bees, Trees, Wind and Dynamite by Kevin Grandia over at Huffington Post

There’s a showdown in West Virginia today pitting old dirty energy against renewables — and one side is armed with explosives.

Can Massey Break the Law with Impunity by David Roberts over at Grist:

Massey wants to start blowing the mountain up as early as today, but according to state Department of Environmental Protection secretary Randy Huffman, “If they blast, they do so illegally in our opinion.” Seems they lack the requisite permits.

Despite the impending lawbreaking, WV governor Joe Manchin has refused to intercede, rejecting a request letter sent yesterday from citizen groups. Manchin, apparently not in touch with his own DEP, says Massey has the permits they need.

As Massey well knows, it’s easier to break laws today and pay small fines tomorrow than it is to wait for permits. All about creating “facts on the ground,” you know

Kate Sheppard with On a wind and a prayer at Grist:

For years, local activists from Coal River Watch have been fighting against MTR and other harmful coal industry practices. But in 2006 WindLogics and advocates from the group Appalachian Voices conducted a study and found that a wind farm on the mountain could provide enough energy to power 150,000 homes. They’ve now formed a new group, Coal River Wind, and outlined a proposal to build 220 292-feet-tall wind turbines on the mountain, which would provide a sustained tax income for Raleigh County and at least 250 local jobs. There are three wind companies interested in the proposal.

“This is the first alternative ever proposed that has a strong economic component, that has real benefits to it that could be brought to local communities,” said Rory McIlmoil, campaign coordinator for Coal River Wind. “The wind potential would be destroyed if they continue with the strip mining.”

The Wonk Room at ThinkProgress with Coal Crimes: Saving the Planet or Blowing it Up:

Today brings news of two acts of criminality on either side of the Atlantic Ocean involving coal, the fossil fuel with the highest global warming pollution intensity. In the United Kingdom, activists who shut down a coal plant have been acquitted by a jury of all charges of property damage. In the United States, right-wing coal company Massey Energy is planning to start illegally destroying a mountain to extract its coal. Our two nations are evidently separated by more than an ocean — one is breaking from the destructive dependency on fossil fuels, while the other is digging in deeper.

In the United Kingdom, a jury decided the threat of burning coal was much greater to the planet than the damage caused by six Greenpeace activists who painted a coal chimney with UK prime minister Gordon Brown’s first name

DanaWV over at ItsGettingHotInHere gives us marching orders:

Could you call Governor Manchin, today, and ask him to issue a “stay of execution” for Coal River Mountain? He already knows that there is a real alternative to Mountaintop Removal here, and he knows it is the better option, now he needs to hear it from you! He needs to know that the state and the nation are watching him, and that you know that the decision is HIS to make. The Coal River Mountain Wind Project is such a great alternative that it was awarded Co-Op America’s “Building Economic Alternatives” Award, and is also being highlighted for the national Green Jobs Now! Day of Action on September 27th. But without your help, all of this will be lost for short-term, destructive coal mining.

Please pass this around to your friends, family, colleagues and email lists. The louder the voice, the better the chance of stopping the blasting. YOU can help by:

* Watching the Online video to see what’s is at stake. This home page and the rest of the website will also give you more information about the campaign, and presents a comparison between the benefits of Wind Power versus Mountaintop Removal coal mining.
* Sign the Petition!
* Pass Around the Press Release to your local media – Available on our media page.
* Come to the Rally on September 16th – Information about the rally is available on the website. Please come support the residents of the Coal River Valley, and the creation of a new, clean economy and Green Jobs for West Virginia and the nation.
* Calling Governor Manchin Today!! His phone number is 1-888-438-2731
* Email Governor Manchin! It’s easy. Just go to www.CoalRiverWind.org and let him know how you feel

We’ve reached a cross-roads in Appalachia. We can choose between the economically and environmentally destructive resource of coal, or clean, green, economically invigorating industrial wind power. Right now there is a battle going on at Coal River Mountain to decide whether to turn the mountain into a mountaintop removal site or an industrial wind farm (learn more), and in order to save this mountain and the surrounding communities, we need your help.

1) Visit CoalRiverWind.org to get involved!
2) Sign the petition to save Coal River Mountain, and help us start up the first industrial wind power site in the coalfields of West Virginia.
3) Join 600 other bloggers in the iLoveMountains Bloggers Challenge and help us spread the word about mountaintop removal

Lowell at RaisingKaine has an appropriate post this morning called “Wait, Wasn’t Coal Supposed to be Great for Southwest Virginia?” which is Virginia specific, but supplies an apt description for a plurality of the Appalachian coalfield communities.

Isn’t it wonderful how, when debating mountaintop removal or new coal-fired power plants in southwestern Virginia, the argument that seems to trump all others is the “economic benefit” all this coal digging and burning will bring to SWVA communities? Well, so much for that theory:

The coal-fired power plant under construction outside St. Paul, Va., was not the first to promise jobs, economic development and prosperity for Southwest Virginia. The same promises were made here 50 years ago when the Clinch River Plant was built.

“The coming of the plant into Southwest Virginia will stimulate other plants to locate in the area and to utilize the vast natural resources. It will mark the beginning of a new era,” said American Electric Power President Philip Sporn at the plant’s groundbreaking on May 16, 1956.

[...]

In half a century, the jobs have not materialized, and there is a sharp difference in opinion on whether the company has kept its promises.

The people who live here in the shadow of the smokestacks say the plant’s negative effects go beyond dust and noise. They say it has destroyed their community’s spirit and reduced its numbers, and many claim that there are high numbers of cancer cases among Carbo residents.

Einstein famously said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

More investment in coal means more mountaintop removal.
More mountaintop removal in Appalachia means more poverty.
More mountaintop removal in Appalachia means fewer mining jobs.
More mountaintop removal in Appalachia means more toxic waste our drinking water.
More mountaintop removal in Appalachia probably means more toxic waste in your drinking water if you live in the eastern US.
More mountaintop removal in Appalachia means fewer mountains.
More mountaintop removal in Appalachia means more global climate change.
Its established that there are NO good consequences for this pillaging of our homeland.

So why in the world, in the face of skyrocketing coal prices and decreasing production, should we blow up Coal River Mountain? Especially when we have a chance to create more energy and more jobs with industrial wind at the same site. Please join the fight and help us change Appalachia and move our country away from mountaintop removal coal.

Thats it for this morning. If you care to add a link to, or video of your favorite Appalachian music in the comments, I’m sure we’d enjoy hearing it.

peace,
JW