Dear Members,
Concerned citizens attended hearings by
the EPA on coal ash and air emissions
throughout the fall to voice their concerns.
News headlines remind us why we must work so hard to protect the communities and ecology of Appalachia. Public agencies entrusted to regulate on our behalf often appear compromised by corporate interests or focused on issues that have little to do with protecting the citizenry.
A too-cozy relationship is now being investigated in Indiana between Duke Energy and the state's Utilities Commission that recently approved a $2.9 Billion ratepayer investment. And, in North Carolina, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is opposing the EPA decision to lower ground-level ozone standards even though unhealthy air is a serious risk to communities and a barrier to economic growth. Does any of this make sense?
You and I must remain vigilant on behalf of clean air, clean water and healthy vibrant communities both to counter the constant pressure from industry to make profit the only priority and to remind government that protecting health and the environment is a high priority.
Thanks for your support.
Willa Mays
Executive Director
Busting Big Coal in Kentucky
This month our Appalachian Water Watch team announced plans to bring litigation against three major coal companies in Kentucky for committing over 20,000 violations of the Clean Water Act between 2008 and 2009 in falsified water monitoring reports. If prosecuted the maximum allowable, the violations could equal up to $740 million dollars worth of fines, holding coal companies accountable for the pollution and damage they cause our waterway. Stay tuned as the case continues...
Photo by Nobu Tanaka
MUSIC TO OUR EARS:
MOTM donates $5,500
to Appalachian Voices
Following the rousing success of August's Music on the Mountaintop festival—which drew thousands of people to Boone, N.C. to enjoy two days of awesome tunes—festival founder Jimmy Hunt donated $5,500 to Appalachian Voices, the festival's 2010 featured non-profit. A big thanks to Jimmy and his team of volunteers and interns for this gracious gift!
Appalachian Roundup....
(More work Appalachian Voices is doing to save mountains)
SPRUCING UP THE EPA: Thanks to comments from people like you, last Friday the Environmental Protection Agency took a historic step to protect Appalachian communities from mountaintop removal when the agency's Region 3 office recommended that EPA headquarters veto a permit for the massive Spruce No. 1 Mine in Logan County, WV, a mine that would destroy nearly 7 miles of headwater streams. [ Full Story ]
Austin Hall speaks to a crowd at the Stage Stop in Rollinsville, Colorado. Photo courtesy of Janet Perry
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: AV's outreach team recently embarked on an Appalachian Treasures tour to the lovely mountain state of Colorado. Field organizer Austin Hall and West Virginia resident Dustin White talked to over 100 people about the devastating effects of mountaintop removal. [ Read | Watch ]
HELP US WIN A $15,000 GRANT: Vote for Appalachian Voices to win a grant of $15,000 for our Open Source Coal project! Voting is open on the YouTopia Grant until October 31, and each person has 3 votes to "spend." [ Vote today and help us spread the word ]
BIONEERS IN THE MOVEMENT: This past weekend, Appalachian Voices took the message of “they’re blowing up our mountains, and there oughta be a law” to the premier environmental event of the year, the Bioneers conference. [ Full Story ]
