Fresh on the heels of a successful fundraiser for Mountain keeper Larry Gibson, an Appalachian hero and leader in the movement to end mountaintop removal coal mining, I feel compelled to address a recent “protest” against Appalachian Voices and our position supporting responsibly sited wind energy development in Western North Carolina and across Appalachia.

I was blessed to grow up on 2000 acres of beautiful mountain land in Western North Carolina. I had unrestricted access to a Southern Appalachian paradise, a place filled with hardwoods, headwater streams, bears, ginseng, turkeys and warblers. My childhood ramblings in those hills set the stage for a life dedicated to protecting these mountains. I cannot and will never be able to describe my love for this ancient mountain chain.

Those lucky enough to call western North Carolina home, generally cannot imagine that just a short distance from our state line, entire mountains are blasted apart for thin seams of coal. I vividly remember the first time I traveled Larry Gibson’s home on Kayford Mountain in southern West Virginia. Larry and his humble cabin are surrounded by 10,000 acres of mountaintop removal mines. Larry was catapulted into activism 25 years ago when the destruction of his ancestral homeland began. Since that time he has invited thousands of visitors, members of the media and filmmakers to witness firsthand the destruction of his mountain for “cheap” coal. As I stared out upon thousands of acres of desecrated mountains, I became entirely committed to ending mountaintop removal.

My home state of North Carolina is the number one consumer of mountaintop removal mined coal. Our “cheap” electricity comes at the enormous cost of destroyed mountains, poisoned water and permanently impoverished Appalachian communities. As a North Carolina based organization we feel we have a moral imperative and duty to rapidly transition away from mountaintop removal coal mining and responsibly develop our own clean and sustainable energy sources. But before we take a position on any sort of energy development, we embark on a painstaking process of vetting scientific information and examining potential community and ecological impacts.

Appalachian Voices got involved in wind policy in North Carolina because we are facing the most extreme anti- wind energy legislation in the country. If passed by the General Assembly, this bill will serve as a ban on commercial and community scale wind energy development in the mountainous region of the state. I, for one, am not prepared to turn a blind eye to our neighboring states that are losing mountains, clean water and healthy communities for my electricity. Appalachian Voices is proud of our position supporting responsibly developed wind energy and is committed to working with a diverse group of interests to ensure a ban does not pass.

The claims made by the protesters – that Appalachian Voices supports blowing up mountains for wind turbines – is ridiculous and offensive. To imply that wind farms cause the same environmental toll as mountaintop removal is illogical. Wind energy is a proven technology that works, and has a relatively light environmental impact. A study conducted by Appalachian State University HERE showed that wind energy development on a small percentage of North Carolina ridges could produce enough clean energy for 195,000 homes, create 350 green jobs, and have a net economic impact of over one billion dollars.

It is unfortunate that individuals would protest our position with such a misguided and untruthful message. Appalachian Voices will choose to stand with Larry Gibson and continue to work towards a just and sustainable energy future. I would urge the members of the recent protest to heed their own advice – GET THE FACTS…