Thanks for helping make “Our Water, Our Future” such a huge success!
The Alliance for Appalachia was honored to host dozens of Appalachian community leaders in DC this September, along with allies from across the country, to fight for our water and our future.
These mountain leaders, pictured below, were our delegates to an inter-agency meeting with the Obama Administration. While there, residents presented stories of impacts at home and as well as simple policy changes that would limit the destruction of mountaintop removal and go a long way towards protecting our communities.
While it was clear from our inter-agency meeting that the Obama Administration’s Council on Environmental Quality was unprepared to report its progress and defend its shortfalls since its 2009 commitments, we were blown away by the strength of mountain leaders who traveled many hours from many states to share our own evaluation. It was great to see all the work of our different committees and different organizations come together.
Our organizing team assembled a great training that introduced emerging leaders to the policy recommendations that our Federal Strategy team has developed for the Obama Administration. These administrative changes include a Conductivity Rule and strong Selenium Standard from the US Environmental Protection Agency and a strong Stream Protection Rule and Mine Fill Rule from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation Enforcement.
We summarized the basic asks in a Report Card that graded the Obama Administration on their efforts to stop mountaintop removal, then printed out the reportcard to present to the CEQ following our big meeting. You can see that the Administration has much more to do in the next two years–they got an I for “Incomplete” in most areas.
In addition to sitting down with agency officials, groups met with Congressional Representatives, worked with EQAT to demand that PNC bank divest from mountaintop removal, celebrated with allies and friends at our Moonshine Mixer, and took small actions around DC.
Oh and did we mention the powerful day of action? More than 100 of us gathered outside the offices of the CEQ and the White House, demanding protections for our water and our future. Residents formed a bucket brigade to gather clean water DC officials have promised us and bring home to our Appalachian communities that don’t have clean water.
In addition, some residents chose to sit in on the front steps of the CEQ to deliver our report card, while others joined in a joyful square dance on the front walk of the office.
Our efforts only grow from here! We will continue to build power and design opportunities for action around these rulemakings in 2015, including releasing a “Grassroots Progress Report: The Obama Administration and Mountaintop Removal” that outlines our member groups’ evaluation of the Obama Administration’s progress to address strip-mining, and offers a two year workplan for action.
Updates from the Movement: Campaign Victory from Gainesville Loves Mountains!
The Florida based Gainesville Loves Mountains has been working for over three years to pass a an ordinance at the city commission that would ban the use of coal from MTR mines in regional utilities. This month, they won that campaign! This makes Gainesville the first community in the US to ban the use of MTR-mined coal for their electricity! Above, Gainesville Loves Mountains‘ key organizer Jason Fults and Appalachian Voices’ Ann League pose before the hearing. Members of Appalachian Voices traveled to Florida to educate the commission on the dangers of mountaintop removal coal mining and alternatives to using coal from this destructive practice.
Abandoned Mine Lands Research Project Progresses Towards a Campaign
Our Highlander Center AppFellow, who began working with us in June, is partnering with a fellow at the Appalachian Citizens Law Center (ACLC) to conduct primary research on the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Fund–a body of federal funds set aside to clean up pre-1977 abandoned mines sites. The fellows are working on a white paper with policy recommendations which will be presented at an AML regional gathering on October 27th at the Breaks Interstate Park. This meeting is a first step to influence the way in which AML funds are managed in the region, to put unemployed miners back to work through reclamation and reforestation efforts, and to begin to foster creative, community-led reclamation solutions that will benefit communities that have seen up to 25% of our land destroyed by mountaintop removal.
People’s Climate March includes a strong contingent from across Appalachia
Mountain leaders joined 400,000 in New York City for the People’s Climate March. Those fighting mountaintop removal were among some of the frontline communities to lead this historic march for climate protections.
Appalachian Voices did a great write up and captured the photo above. Media resources across the world captured this event, including this Grist article that features several voices from Kentucky leaders. Through the Climate Justice Alliance, key representatives from frontline communities directly affected by climate change and the destructive practices that fuel climate change acted as media spokespeople for the march. Read Stanley Sturgill’s powerful statement on the march here.
In addition to the record breaking event, residents participated in a People’s Climate Summit and the Flood Wall Street action which made the link between climate chaos and the industries that are making massive profits off the destruction of our communities.
These events were an important opportunity not only to raise the stakes for world leaders to finally act to fight climate change, but also a chance for community leaders from California to Appalachia to connect the dots on the challenges and opportunities facing our communities and discuss how we build power from the grassroots up.
Remembering Those We’ve Lost
It is with heavy hearts we say goodbye to our dear friend and mentor Lenny Kohm. Appalachian Voices has a beautiful tributeto the fun-loving, hard working chief. Please keep Lenny’s Appalachian Voices team, family and many friends in your thoughts. Details about a celebration of his life should be announced sometime this week, but in the meantime a memorial facebook page has been set up for folks to post their remembrances of Lenny.
Another hero, Jimmy Weekley, an early leader in the efforts to end mountaintop removal, has passed on. Jimmy fought since the late 90s against the Spruce #1 mountaintop removal site above his home in Pigeon Roost Hollow near Blair, WV. You can read more about his impact here and in this powerful NPR story here. Photo by Mark Schmerling.
This last week we also lost one of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards’ (SAMS) most beloved and valuable members, Judiana Stines. She has been on the board of SAMS since 2010 and was one of the groups most dedicated workers. She will be sorely missed.
Most coal mines, coal processing facilities and coal slurry impoundments in Kentucky are currently covered under a 5 year single general permit, which expired in at the end of July. Despite strong citizen testimony at a public hearing.the Beshear administration this week issued two new general permits for coal facilities that fail to fully address the ongoing and substantial harm to humans and aquatic life from polluted mine wastewater.
Banner Hung in Protest Of Jim Justice
Members of Mountain Justice, Rising Tide North America and RAMPS hung a banner in downtown Roanoke in support of community demands in Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee that billionaire coal baron Jim Justice stop poisoning water. The banner reads; “Jim Justice Profits, Appalachia Pays.” and “Jim Justice, Toxic Spill Billionaire”.
SOCM Plans Annual Meeting
On October 18th SOCM members will gather for a day of fun, fellowship and planning for the future of the organization.
Appalachia’s Bright Future 2.0 Huge Success
This event brought together a diverse group to dream and plan for the future of the region. ABF 2.0 was less a conference and more a tour of good things happening to build a strong local economy in the mountains. It included structured conversations and “choose your own adventure” tours of exciting economic transition projects across Eastern Kentucky.
Mountain Justice Celebrates 10 Years
Over 100 attended a recent event to celebrate 10 years of organizing and actions with Mountain Justice. Past and current volunteers gathered at the Appalachian Folk Life Center, pictured above.
Mountain Justice Fall Summit Planned
RAMPS and Keepers of the Mountains are hosting the 9th annual Mountain Justice Fall Summit on Kayford Mountain, October 24th-26th to show the problems of mountaintop removal first hand.
Black Lung Continues to Increase
Incredibly, basic protections for our miners do not exist to stop the spread of this preventable and devastating disease.
Continued Violations on Strip Mine Near Popular Park
Careful citizen monitoring has resulted 5 violations and one Cessation Order in 5 months on a surface mine near Charleston, WV. Community members are appalled by the irresponsible behavior of the company and the WV Department of Environmental Protection.
We summarized the basic asks in a Report Card that graded the Obama Administration on their efforts to stop mountaintop removal, then printed out the reportcard to present to the CEQ following our big meeting. You can see that the Administration has much more to do in the next two years–they got an I for “Incomplete” in most areas.
We’re grateful to all the volunteers who made this event happen on a shoestring budget and our many partners that donated to support scholarships for Appalachian leaders to attend. Beautiful photographs of the planning process 
Another hero, Jimmy Weekley, an early leader in the efforts to end mountaintop removal, has passed on. Jimmy fought since the late 90s against the Spruce #1 mountaintop removal site above his home in Pigeon Roost Hollow near Blair, WV. You can read more about his impact 
