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What does the BP leak and mountaintop removal have in common?

Since the BP disaster in the Gulf began I have read numerous articles and watched countless news reports related to this environmental catastrophe. I have also read numerous statements, usually in the form of comments, stating a lack of being able to draw a comparison between the leak and mountaintop removal. I beg to differ…

1. Both are man-made environmental disasters that continue and will continue to unfold for generations.
2. Both kill/displace wildlife dependent on the affected regions.
3. Both are totally destroying complex ecological systems.
4. Both destroy the culture and heritage of American citizens.
5. Both were ultimately created due to an addiction to fossil fuels – non-renewable resources.
6. Both exhibit a lack of regulatory authority (oversight) or a willingness to regulate effectively.
7. Both exhibit a dire need for a transition to clean renewable energy sources.
8. Neither will stop unless we the people recognize our dangerous and sometimes fatal addiction and say in a loud clear voice – ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

I’m quite sure I could draw a few more comparisons but I believe I have gotten my point across.

There are a couple of major differences between the two disasters and I thought it was only fair to point them out…

1. One is on land the other on water.
2. One is recognized as a disaster by both politicians and the people. The other is recognized as a disaster by the people but ignored or openly supported by the politicians.

I started making comparisons after watching Gulf Coast residents near tears at the loss of their culture and heritage on national TV. It is the same fear Appalachia residents have at the loss of our culture and heritage which is being totally ignored by everyone except residents and activists.

I have to wonder when you get in your car and drive to your local market do you think about your contribution to the disaster in the Gulf? When you turn on a light do you think about your contribution to the disaster in Appalachia? To both questions – I seriously doubt it.

The Gulf disaster may have been finalized by a BP mistake and the mountains may be getting blown up by the coal industry but this much I can say for sure, the fault does not lie entirely with them. If the truth were to be told it is we the people who must ultimately take a large portion of the blame. It is our addiction that got us into this mess. Only and not until we recognize that simple fact will we ever begin the road to recovery – transitioning to clean renewable energy sources.

Personally I’m tired of the consequences stemming from this unhealthy addiction. I’m ready to admit I have a problem… are you?

Reclamation FAIL!!

I have quite a few opinions about reclaiming or reclaimed mountaintop removal sites. Before I even really knew anything about mountaintop removal, besides the fact they were blowing up the mountains, I had a big problem with what was passing for reclamation.

First of all I’m just gonna say this and get it off my chest… for man to be so arrogant as to say he can blow up a mountain and put it back to better than what nature and time intended… I’d have to tell him a variation of something my mom always told me, “your actions are writing checks to big for your soul to cash.” There is absolutely know way to restore a mountaintop removal site to better than it was before the mining.

Reclamation as it relates to mountaintop removal is not so much about reclamation as it is justification. We need flat land in the Mountain State.

Let me see if I can put the whole flat land/future economic development thing into perspective for you – the coal industry and all of the politicians who justify mountaintop removal with the flat land/future economic development excuse… they are the house and you are in a loaded craps game. They never have to pay you. All they have to do is convince you to keep playing along by saying maybe someday you’ll win while at the same time trying to gloss over the fact that until then you’ll lose (future economic development). Personally, I think we should just quit playing and kick the houses ass for perpetrating such a scam.

Roughly 1.2 million acres, including 500 mountains, have been flattened by mountaintop removal coal mining in the central Appalachian region. Only a fraction of that land has been reclaimed for so-called beneficial economic uses.

These are the conclusions of two new studies from Appalachian Voices and the Natural Resources Defense Council that combine to debunk one of Big Coal’s biggest lies.

Visit Ilovemountains.org for photos, maps… two new studies, lots of info on Reclamation FAIL!

Mountaintop Removal, My Blog, & Me

I grew up in the Coal River Valley of Southern West Virginia. My Dad is a retired coal miner and was a section boss when he retired. I have been an electrician for all of my working life. I began that career in the 80′s working as an electrician’s helper building new coal processing plants. After about 6 years and a pattern of layoffs I left the state looking for a more certain future. I like to know there is going to be a paycheck on Friday… every Friday. Just didn’t have that in West Virginia. You might be working 16 hours a day one week and looking for work the next. I found it difficult to raise a family on the promise of work to come.

I probably could have gotten a job underground in the coal mines back then but I really didn’t want to go down that road. There were weeks at a time I wouldn’t see my Dad while we were growing up. He always seemed to be sleeping, coming home from work, getting ready to go to work, or at work all the time. When I did see him he had those black circles around his eyes from the coal dust that just never seemed to wash off the first time. To me he always seemed resigned. He wasn’t defeated by a long shot because he supported a family while working in the mines. He never liked working in the mines. He liked the people he worked with. Some of those bonds still tight today. But he had no choice. If he wanted to live here and support a family he had to work in the mines. Coal mining was, has been, and still is the only game in town.

I’ve always wanted to be at least satisfied with my job and I couldn’t see getting that from the mines.

Until 2003 I worked as an electrician mostly in the steel stamping industry in Northern Ohio. I attended Lorain County Community College taking courses in advanced PLC/automated computer programming. Right before I came back here in ’03 I was Maintenance Manager and Chief Electrician at a major steel stamping plant near Cleveland making parts mostly for the automotive industry.

Family issues brought me back to West Virginia in ’03 and I suppose this is where I will stay.

Since I had maintained friendships with guys I use to work with while in West Virginia it wasn’t long after I came back I had a job working for an electrical contractor based out of Kentucky doing work in this area for Massey Energy.

Before I went to work as an electrical contractor on a Massey Energy owned mountaintop removal site called Progress I didn’t have a clue. I had heard very little about mountaintop removal prior to that. I remember thinking there was a certain irony to the name of the site. Yes we are getting more coal with fewer workers but we are destroying entire mountain ranges and communities in the process… can we really call that Progress? I just couldn’t believe the coal industry was allowed to do that much damage to our mountains. Nothing but the sign said Progress to me.

Although I didn’t like being a party to destroying the mountains it was that “only game in town” thing. If I wanted to live here, I had to work for the coal industry. So for awhile I did. I had a unique skill set for the coal industry. I came from an automated industry back into the coal industry which is becoming ever more automated even as I write this… taking the coal miner out of coal mining.

When I stopped working for the contractor I was a start-up tech. My job was to go in after a structure (processing plant, overland belt system, train load-out…) was built for the coal industry. I was the guy that pushed the buttons and made sure everything came on. If it didn’t come on or do whatever it was designed to do I was the one looking for the answer to why.

I love West Virginia and I hate mountaintop removal. I tolerated mountaintop removal for a while selfishly. Mountaintop removal is a disaster there is no doubt about that. I let my co-workers know how I felt about it but as long as it wasn’t happening in my backyard it was easy to not think about at home.

Little did I know mountaintop removal was a lot closer to home than I thought in the form of the Edwight mountaintop removal site operated by Alex Energy a subsidiary of Massey Energy.

If you climb to the top of the mountain right in front of the house I grew up in this is what you would see.

I couldn’t really see what was being lost to mountaintop removal until I looked out across this site. I grew up in those mountains my childhood was there. I can say this, seeing that site compelled me to speak out about mountaintop removal.

All of this destruction for two things – short term gain and a non-renewable resource. It made no sense to me then and it makes no sense to me now.

Maybe I’m more connected to the mountains than some folks. I look at a mountain and a valley and see life. Deer, bear, squirrel, raccoon, coyote, bobcat, fox… turkey, pheasant, cardinal, blue jay, wood hen, hawk, owl… ginseng, mayapple, morel, yellow root, blood root, black cohosh, blue cohosh… oak, hickory, pine, beech, poplar, chestnut, maple… life in some form every where you look.

Mountaintop removal sites are dead mountains, life has been eliminated and/or displaced from those mountains. Mountains and valleys destroyed by mountaintop removal are no longer a part of the eco-equation. In that I mean the plants and especially the wildlife that used to depend on this section of the forest have either died or been forced to move into an ever shrinking habitat.

There is something wrong when we are willing to destroy so much for a product that will literally be here today and gone tomorrow – short term gain, a non-renewable resource.

It also bothered me from the start how the coal industry and others would justify mountaintop removal with future economic development all the while destroying the communities around the mine sites. To me that seems somewhat counter-productive to future economic development. What are they going to put on those mountaintop removal sites to benefit the community when the community is gone?

There are many reasons I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut about mountaintop removal coal mining. There is an overwhelming amount of senselessness associated with blowing up the mountains for a non-renewable resource based on short term gain.

I fail to believe as a society proud of our technological innovations that blowing off the tops of the mountains to help power all our nifty little gadgets is the best that we can do. How innovative are we when 50% of the time those gadgets are powered up or recharged by a fossil fuel, a non-renewable resource, we dug out of the ground? You want your phone to charge when you plug it in? Yes, and in being able to charge it over and over again makes the phone renewable. Wouldn’t you want the energy that charges your phone to be renewable as well? I would certainly think so. For all of our technological advances we are only as innovative as our polluting/depleting energy resource.

It would seem to me that mountaintop removal should be the perfect example of why we need to at least commit to beginning a transition to a renewable/clean energy economy. Mountaintop removal is the very definition of extreme in coal extraction/energy production. For the sake of our children and for the sake of the planet we do need to start a transition to a renewable/clean energy economy and we need to start yesterday. Since we have arrived at the point where we are willing to destroy communities and the environment to keep the lights on then common sense would dictate we have surpassed the point where we should have committed to a transition.

I started this blog because I could plainly see how senseless mountaintop removal was/is. I thought one of the main reasons we were allowing the coal industry to destroy the mountains was that not enough people in their right minds knew what was going on. I grew up here and came back periodically all of my life and I didn’t know about mountaintop removal coal mining. So I started a blog with a mission – education and awareness.

At the onset I made the blog a resource above and beyond my rambling posts. It was important to me that visitors were confident in knowing they didn’t have to take my word for anything I wrote about mountaintop removal. I supplied photos and a multitude of links to other websites about mountaintop removal and related information.

I thought if enough people had the facts and were made aware of the destruction from mountaintop removal that common sense would ultimately prevail. 37,000 unique visitors from nearly 100 countries to this blog and nearly 500,000 page views on the forum later and I’m still waiting for common sense to show up. I still hear the explosions every day and the truly sad part is I don’t think awareness is the issue any longer. I think now it is all about willingness or the lack thereof to transition to a renewable/clean energy economy. It is something we are going to have to do… what are we waiting for? The last mountain to be destroyed for its resources?

The only way we can move forward and get even close to having the inevitable discussion about a renewable/clean energy economy is to stop the extreme destruction from mountaintop removal coal mining.

As long as we are blowing up the mountains for a non-renewable energy source then we fail to make any progress towards sustainability as a society.

It is past time for true progress… STOP MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL COAL MINING!!

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And still the battle rages on…

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This post is going to be part of an About Endmtr.com page on the blog.

This blog came into being in a pretty special, hopefully inspiring way. My name is on here a lot but there are quite a few more people associated with the beginning of this website in the Blogging for Appalachia link list to the left and the Contributing Authors section to the right. That story combined with this post will make up the About Endmtr.com page… just an FYI.

Marsh Fork Elementary – Update

I have written a few times about Marsh Fork Elementary and the battle for a new school, see here and here. Thanks in a large part to my good friend Ed Wiley and his Pennies of Promise campaign the battle for a new safer school has been won.

Victory: New School For Marsh Fork Elementary

I’ve read some articles referring to the new school as the Ed Wiley Elementary School. I don’t think they could come up with a more fitting name. Ed should be remembered for his persistence, determination and dedication in the pursuit of a safer learning environment for the kids.

My hat’s off to everyone involved in the campaign for not giving up and for a job well done.

Advocating For Change

My heart hurts for the 29 miners and their families. In this day and age with the technology available to us there is no excuse for such a horrendous loss of life in the coal mines. There is no excuse for any loss of life in the mine.

Since the mine explosion last week I have had to re-evaluate my position on underground coal mining versus mountaintop removal coal mining. It is hard to say stop MTR and go back to underground mining after those 29 men lost their lives underground.

In my opinion underground mining is as safe as we allow it to be. When shortcuts are taken in a quest for higher production, lives are put at risk.

Talking with Chuck Nelson recently about his time in the mines he described a practice where one of the first things they would do at the beginning of the shift is take all of the line curtains down. These line curtains are used to direct the flow of clean air across the face or working area of the mine. The purpose is to dilute and carry away methane coming from the coal and to carry the coal dust, which is also highly combustible, away from the working area. If you remove those curtains the effect would be similar to hanging a ceiling fan over the working area – the air would be moving but not really going anywhere.

In the past week folks have been asking themselves and others how we can prevent a tragedy such as this one from ever happening again. I’ve heard “new regulations” mentioned in response. Personally I think strictly enforcing current regulations would go a long way towards preventing another disaster. It doesn’t matter how many regulations are put in place or how many laws are passed if they are not being enforced.

I’ve also heard this week about how coal companies use the legal system to avoid a pattern of violations – a condition that could shut a mine down. The indicator for this pattern needs to change in a way that would not allow the coal companies to hide it with litigation. It’s not about money, it’s about saving lives.

The Miner Act of 2006… a complete failure in this case. These 29 miners had no use for reactive actions only proactive actions could have saved their lives.

There should be a new Miner Act and in it there should be a pledge to enforce the very laws and regulations designed to keep the coal miners safe by holding those accountable that break the laws and ignore the regulations.

The laws and regulations need better oversight. I think it defeats the purpose when you put a company employee/official in charge of making sure regulations are followed to the letter when doing so may interfere with production. In my opinion the miners need something similar to the Federal Air Marshalls. They need someone in the mine not connected to or influenced by the company with the authority to immediately shut that operation down if any condition exists that puts lives at risk… a federal safety official.

I wonder how much more devastation we have to endure before we come to the realization we need to find a better way to generate electricity? We see our friends, neighbors, and family members die in the mines. We watch as communities slowly die and we watch our mountains being leveled all with no end in sight.

Coal accounts for approx. 50 percent of the electricity generated in this country. Mining coal is obviously something that is not going away overnight. However, at some point we are going to have to start a transition away from coal to renewable/alternative energy sources. We have to do this because coal is a finite resource. With every new coal-fired power plant we build or with every new coal-to-liquids plant we approve we commit ourselves to not starting a transition away from coal and the bottom line is coal, a non-renewable resource, kills from its cradle to its grave.

Do I still think we should stop mountaintop removal coal mining? Damn right I do. There is no justification for that much wanton destruction.

We have to want to put safety over production underground. We can’t get by with conditions good enough to run coal we also have to have conditions good enough to prevent a tragedy.

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Update -

MSHA’s Joe Main urged to scrap ‘pattern of violations’ rule; mine safety lawyers say operators escaping tougher enforcement Congress intended

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Employee Free Choice Act HR 1409, S 560

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Other Massey mines cited for ventilation problems

Coal Keeps The Lights On

It has just been confirmed that all 29 miners perished in the initial explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine owned by Massey Energy.

I have a lot I want to say about this disaster and Massey Energy in an upcoming post but for now I just have one question – how cheap of a resource do you think coal is now?

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No Survivors Found After West Virginia Mine Disaster

Breaking News: Raleigh County Coal Mine Accident

There has been an explosion in a coal mine here on Coal River. The accident occurred underground in the Upper Big Branch Mine belonging to Massey Energy. One of the portals for this mine is at Birchton, West Virginia.

Birchton is about 2 miles west of Montcoal and 2 to 3 miles east of Whitesville on rt3 and that is where emergency crews were gathering. I counted, give or take one, 25 ambulances on the scene with emergency and mine rescue teams arriving from all over the area constantly.

I’ll update this post with links as the news gets to the point where it isn’t so much a guessing game. I think the best thing we can do right now is pray for the miners that may still be trapped in the mine and for all of the miners families.

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http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/05/explosion-in-west-virginia-mine/ – updated often

Fatalities Reported in Raleigh County Mine Explosion – updated often

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That’s one small step for man…

Breaking news (NOT an April Fool’s joke): EPA actually does take “unprecedented steps” to reduce damage from mountaintop removal coal mining

The EPA clarified the permitting process for mountaintop removal coal mining as it relates to the CWA (Clean Water Protection Act). I think this is a great first step in dealing with MTR. It tells me the EPA is actually making a move to enforce the CWA.

What does this mean for mountaintop removal?

EPA unveils new pollution limits that could curtail ‘mountaintop’ mining

I’m still somewhat skeptical about today’s announcement by the EPA. I think it is great they are finally addressing the impacts associated with MTR. In this case I believe it is actions that will speak louder than words. Hey EPA!!! You’ve talked the talk now can you walk the walk? I guess for that we will just have to wait and see.

Mountaintop removal in my eyes is a form of cancer. It destroys everything it comes in contact with whether that be water, wildlife habitat, communities… whatever. Take Lindytown for example – Lindytown died because it was touched by mountaintop removal. There is nothing sacred and no place safe when King Coal comes to town.

Although the EPA has taken a good first step we need to stop mountaintop removal coal mining taking all of the adverse impacts into consideration. Are we ready to make that leap for mankind? I think yes we are. Some of those fighting mountaintop removal coal mining or dealing with the impacts of MTR have been ready for a long time.

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EPA Sets Scientific Standards to Safeguard Appalachian Streams from Mountaintop Removal

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Just a thought – I read quite a few articles about this move by the EPA and a few of them we’re accompanied by the statement “this is not an April Fools joke.” I kept thinking it would be one hell of a cruel joke if it were one.

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Post Update -

Corps to broaden reviews of valley fill applications

Are we nearing the end of this battle? It feels like it to me and if that is the case there are still some things that need to be done in order to help guarantee that blatantly raping Appalachia for her resources will stop and never happen again…

Support the Clean Water Protection Act HR 1310 and/or the Appalachia Restoration Act S 696.

Strip Mine Roads

Lyrics & Credits

STRIP MINE ROADS
Words by Dick Ochs, to the tune Country Roads by John Denver, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert

No more heaven, West Virginia
Mountaintop removal, poisoning the rivers
Coal is king here, cutting down the trees
Dusty ghost of mountains, blowing in the breeze
____________
CHORUS:
Strip mine roads, took my home
And the place, I once belonged
West Virginia, mountain blasting
Took my home, strip mine roads

All my memories, become forsaken
As the fish and wildlife, habitat is taken
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Barren sight of moonscape, teardrop in my eye

CHORUS

BRIDGE:
Global warming coal plants instead of wind and solar
Power lines remind me of destruction every day
Lookin down the road I get a feelin’ that
We shoulda stopped it yesterday, yesterday

CHORUS

(End: after last line of chorus)
Took my home, Heaven knows

Musicians:
Warren Greenberg
Margie Roswell (Guitar)
Dick Ochs (Washtub Bass)

TAKE ACTION! Call Congress Today

Call Congress Today
202-224-3121

Please call your Representative today and ask them to become a cosponsor of H.R. 1310, The Clean Water Protection Act.