Posts Tagged ‘Coal’
Buried Blackwater: Revealing Coal’s Dirty Secret
By Brian Sewell No one knows exactly when the industry began injecting coal slurry, the toxic, semi-solid waste that remains after mined coal is washed, into networks of abandoned mine shafts throughout Appalachia. But it was sometime after a disaster on a cold morning in 1972, when 132 million gallons of blackwater erupted from a…
Read MoreDespite Court Ruling, Obama Administration Can Still Protect Streams from Mountaintop Removal Mining – And Should
Environmental and community advocates got some jarring news Tuesday when a federal judge rejected EPA’s “guidance” on surface mine permitting in Appalachia — the centerpiece of its 3-year effort to curtail the environmental damage caused by mountaintop removal coal mining. While it was unwelcome news, it was not as devastating as portrayed in the initial…
Read MoreSustainability: What it Means and How to Achieve it.
By Erin Burks Red, White and Water intern, Summer 2012 On Monday I had the opportunity to hear Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute Amory Lovins speak at the campus of Appalachian State University. The lecture took place in the midst of the Appalachian Energy Summit, presented by Sustain Appalachia. If you missed the…
Read MoreVICTORY: Alexander, Hagan, Rockefeller vote for Clean Air
Inhofe Resolution fails despite support of Virginia Senators Webb, Warner Big news out of the Senate as Senator Inhofe’s most recent effort to stop clean air protections (SR 37) was killed by a vote of 46 to 53. Much more on the specifics of the legislation here. A handful of Republicans, including Senator Lamar Alexander…
Read MoreSpeaking Out At EPA Hearings in Kentucky
Upon our arrival, we definitely stood out. I wondered if we exuded “tree hugger,” but it’s more likely that the “I Love Mountains” buttons gave us away. While no one approached us directly to ask what we were doing there or to start an argument, the rally cries and fire-and-brimstone speeches in the background gave…
Read MoreCoal Generated Electricity Drops To All-Time Low in First Quarter
By Jessica Kennedy Data released in early May show that coal’s current share of U.S. electricity generation is at an all-time low. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook report, coal made up only 36 percent of the country’s electricity in the first quarter of 2012, a drop of more than eight…
Read MorePlundering Private Property Rights
By Paige Campbell Half a dozen generations ago, when a coal-mining boom first enticed southwest Virginians to sell the rights to minerals beneath their land, the deal they were making concerned the coal itself. At least, that’s how Virginia’s courts have defined mineral ownership through most of the state’s mining history. But on April 9,…
Read MoreFront Row Seats at the Political Theater in Abingdon, VA
Last Saturday, June 2nd, FACES of Coal and Americans for Prosperity held the “Rally for Appalachian Coal Jobs” in Abingdon, VA. The flier for the rally touts the usual “War on Coal” rhetoric: “Appalachian Coal Jobs have been under regulatory assault from the bureaucrats in Washington D.C. It’s time we stand up and defend them!”…
Read MoreReflecting on Gainesville Loves Mountains
————————————————————————————————————————————– We’re happy to share this guest blog post by Kathy Selvage. Last month, Kathy traveled to Florida to speak at Gainesville Loves Mountains. There she found engaged citizens with open hearts and minds. ————————————————————————————————————————————– I landed at the airport in Jacksonville, FL., on Saturday afternoon, April 14, 2012 at the behest of Jason Fults…
Read MoreRebranding Bank of America’s Responsibility
————————————————————————————————————————————– Join us in Charlotte on May 9 to remind Bank of America, the largest financier of the U.S. coal industry, of their responsibility to citizens and the environment. Visit our action page for more info and to sign up. ————————————————————————————————————————————– “BREAKING: Daring Action at Bank of America Stadium,” read the first email in my…
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