This post obviously does not account for all of the news over the last 30 days, it is just the news I have been paying particular attention to.
First of all I was glad to see Senator Brown from Massachusetts get elected. I didn’t like how the Senate was trying to push a 2008 page health reform bill through the Senate with only one side of the aisle voting for it and some of those votes being bought and paid for. That tells me there is something seriously wrong with the bill and/or something seriously wrong with the process. I think in the case of health reform it was both. Senator Brown changed the process now they will probably have to change the bill.
On the eve of that seemingly minor victory for democracy the U.S. Supreme Court blocks a ban on corporate spending in candidate elections. I’m really surprised this bit of news is not getting more attention… people marching in the street kind of attention. In West Virginia it means that all of those politicians I perceive as being bought and paid for by the coal industry can now be bought and paid for by the coal industry. If there is a battle going on in Washington, there should be, where the peoples voice is fighting for survival from the onslaught of corporate politics then the peoples voice took a major hit with this Supreme Court decision.
If the disturbing allegations about an appalling lack of judgment are accurate, Elliott “Spike” Maynard, chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court, should have resigned on Friday instead of recusing himself.
Justice Maynard and Don L. Blankenship, a powerful coal company executive, had met in Monte Carlo in the summer of 2006. They shared several meals even as Mr. Blankenship’s companies were appealing a multimillion-dollar jury verdict against them to the state Supreme Court, according to The New York Times.
Spike is running on basically a coal platform. I think Elliot “Spike” Maynard getting elected into Congress as an obvious friend to big coal would be another slap to the face of democracy especially here in West Virginia.
With the US Supreme Court decision I mentioned earlier I expect to see plenty of ads for Spike in the coming months. I would also venture to guess the ads will be heavily supported by the Friends of Coal. Just remember… resistance is not futile.
———
With the current state of the economy I think Big Coal is really going to start trying to justify mountaintop removal with jobs. I can totally understand the need for more jobs in this country and a better economy but for the life of me I just can’t see blowing up the mountains as any part of the solution. We can come up with a better way.
I think folks really need to be paying attention right now. Less to what is going on with Tiger Woods and more to what is going on in the Government and our own back yards.
Coal production in the Appalachian Region reversed a two-year declining trend and ended 2008 at 389.8 million short tons, an increase of 3.2 percent, or 12.0 million short tons. The growth in 2008 in coal production in the Appalachian Region was primarily driven by the large increase in U.S. coal exports, which are predominantly produced in this region.
U.S. coal miner Massey Energy Co (MEE.N) sees opportunities to export more coal to Europe and Asia as global steel production and power generation are starting to pick up, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
“We are obviously encouraged by the positive news we are hearing out of the Asian markets,” Don Blankenship told Wall Street analysts. “China reported economic growth of 7.9 percent in the second quarter.
“We have seen some estimates recently that China may be a net inporter of as much as 50 million tons of met (steel-making metallurgical) coal for the year. This news has helped solidify and improve met coal prices,” he said on a conference call to discuss Massey’s second-quarter earnings.
Blankenship noted Indian steel production was up 9 percent in May from a year earlier and total production for the first five months this year exceeded the same period last year.
“As a result, we are seeing increased demand for our met coal products in this important market,” he said.
Asked how much of the roughly 40 million tons a year Massey produces would be exported, Blankenship said: “I would say we’re going to get close to 50 percent moving to Asia as opposed to sometimes there wasn’t anything going to Asia.”
——
“As China and India consume more coal, we believe our opportunity may be greater to sell our coal directly into these markets or to displace Australian and South African coal in the market,” he said.
Global demand for coal has increased largely due to the rise of developing markets like China and India, heightening interest in U.S. coal — previously deemed too expensive — especially coal from the Appalachian Mountains in the east.
As a result, Appalachian coal prices have soared. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, on June 6 Central Appalachian coal sold for an average $108.25 per short ton, and Northern Appalachian coal at $105.00, more than double the price from a year ago. Much of the increase has been fueled by the overseas demand.
Currently, direct and indirect coal mining jobs make up about five per cent of the labour force of West Virginia, which produces 15 per cent of coal in the US, and makes up 50 per cent of the US’ coal exports.
With the amount of devastation brought on Central Appalachia by mountaintop removal both environmentally and culturally can the practice be justified to satisfy coal exports? I think the obvious answer to that would be a resounding NO.
The largest practitioner of mountaintop removal coal mining in Central Appalachia is Massey Energy. Nearly 50% of Massey’s coal reserves are metallurgical.
Massey Metallurgical Coal is the largest supplier of high volatile coking coals in the U.S. and Canadian metallurgical markets. The company also serves the export metallurgical market.
Massey Energy is the fourth largest coal company in the US and the largest in Central Appalachia. The company is continuously making acquisitions of coal mining assets and reserves. The Dante Coal acquisition has raised the company’s current total coal reserves to 2.3 billion tons. Of the total current reserves, 1.0 billion ton is metallurgical coal.
Metallurgical coal (definition) — Coking coal and pulverized coal consumed in making steel.
———
As we move forward in the mountaintop removal debate I respectfully request that you ask yourself – why are we really destroying vast areas of the Appalachian Mountains? Is it for energy security (coal keeps the lights on) or something else entirely?
The fact is that coal is an important resource, fueling nearly half of the nation’s electricity. The fact is that mountaintop removal mining does change the contour of the land and poses threats to residents in the vicinity. Both factors should be taken into account as policymakers weigh the issue.
The fact is not all of the coal fueling the nation’s electricity comes from mountaintop removal. The fact is mountaintop removal is not the only form of coal mining. The fact is to say we should weigh the issue of coal-fired electricity versus threats to residents via mountaintop removal is totally asinine.There is no doubt the author of that article is not one of the threatened residents.
———
Something I really get tired of hearing is when friends of coal turn the battle against mountaintop removal into a battle for the survival of coal which happens every single time. It would only be true if mountaintop removal were the only form of coal mining conducted in the coalfields. It is not, that is a fact.
The basis for many arguments, mine included, is that mountaintop removal is way to destructive and simply not necessary.
We have been doing underground mining since the beginning of coal mining. Why do we need mountaintop removal now? Because it is the only way to get the thin seams near the top? Why do we need the thin seams near the top? To keep up with demand? If we are going to make this an argument about coal and electricity for this nation then instead of blowing up the mountains why don’t we take some of the coal we are shipping abroad and reroute that to our needs? You simply cannot say we have to do mountaintop removal to feed our growing energy demand when we ship to and continue to look for markets overseas. This is the point where patriotism and energy security for the nation leaves the fight against mountaintop removal and greed combined with corporate profits an political corruption shows up. I simply can’t understand why more folks don’t see it.
I have no doubt the tons of coal we are shipping to overseas markets outweighs the tons of coal from mountaintop removal used for electrical generation in this country. The only way to turn this fight against mountaintop removal into a fight against coal for energy would be to eliminate shipping coal abroad.
The fact is mountaintop removal is not necessary. The fact is this is not a battle against coal for electricity, it is a battle for our home against corporate and political interests. It is nothing more complicated than that and that’s a fact.
In 1977, The Clean Water Act was enacted by Congress to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” For 25 years, the Clean Water Act (CWA) allowed for the granting of permits to place “fill material” into waters of the United States, provided that the primary purpose of the “filling” was not for waste disposal. As such, the CWA prohibited mountaintop removal operations from using the nation’s waterways as waste disposal sites.
That changed in 2002, when the Army Corps of Engineers, under the direction of the Bush administration and without congressional approval, altered its longstanding definition of “fill material” to include mining waste.
The purpose of the Appalachia Restoration Act is to restore the original meaning of fill material to the Clean Water Act (CWA). The change by the Bush Administration to the CWA is the primary reason mountaintop removal coal mining is so rampant today.
Valley fills are a necessity for mountaintop removal coal mining. When you blow up a mountain you have to have a place to dispose of the huge amount of waste generated. But when you fill a valley with mine waste you also fill head-water streams in the valleys with mining waste.
More than 1,200 miles of streams have been degraded by mountaintop removal mining. At least 724 miles of streams were completely buried by valley fills.
The Appalachia Restoration Act would essentially make valley fills illegal under the Clean Water Act. This in turn would make it much more difficult/costly for mining companies to conduct mountaintop removal operations.
————
There is a drive going on right now by the coal industry to try and defeat the Appalachia Restoration Act. As it is normal for the industry to do, they are attempting to use fear as the primary motivator.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee could soon vote on legislation introduced by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) that could eliminate or severely restrict all types of coal mining.
ACT now and contact your Senators and urge them to oppose the so-called “Appalachian Restoration Act” (S. 696).
This bill jeopardizes the future of domestic coal mining and will saddle American consumers and businesses with massive energy price hikes. Hundreds of thousands of mining jobs could be lost and many projects intended to stimulate the economy will never be brought to fruition.
There are a couple of things I would like to point out about this alert. The first is this, “could eliminate or severely restrict all types of coal mining.” All types of coal mining didn’t begin at the change to the CWA, nor were all types restricted before the change… only mountaintop removal coal mining.
Massive energy price hikes – hundreds of thousands of mining jobs could be lost… this is classic coal industry fear mongering. It is statements like these with absolutely no basis in fact that creates an unstable atmosphere in the coalfields and a reluctance to intervene in the eyes of those willing to take the information at face value.
The coal industry simply would not have the support they need for mountaintop removal coal mining if, from their point of view, it were only the mountains at stake. They have to up the ante with threats and fear in order to have anything resembling credibility in their battle against residents opposed to mountaintop removal coal mining.
————
Please help us protect our homes, our heritage, and our culture from an industry out of control. Supporting the Appalachia Restoration Act would not only do those things but would also help to ensure clean water continues to flow from the Appalachian Mountains.
In reading the text of this legislation one can easily tell nothing in the bill would effect traditional forms of coal mining. For the coal industry to say it could effect all types of coal mining is totally unfounded.
It comes as no surprise that a coal-to-liquids plant is on the slate for West Virginia. I’ve been reading articles lately about the proposed plant for Mingo County. A word of advice – if you are opposed to the devastating effects of mountaintop removal coal mining, you better not take this lying down.
The last thing this state needs is another reason to keep us locked into the cycle of coal. Particularly in a county already devastated by coal mining, Mingo County.
Forgetting about the added pollution from a coal-to-liquids plant for a second, think about the added coal mining/mountaintop removal it would take to feed a coal-to-liquids plant.
Regardless of what some folks will say, one of the primary reasons mountaintop removal is beneficial to the industry is because blowing the top off the mountains allows the coal industry to get more coal faster and cheaper.
With growing markets for coal abroad and coal-fired domestic markets, the demand for coal is growing. If you add the coal-to-liquids market into that mix, imagine the explosion in coal mining, pun intended. There would be no stopping mountaintop removal coal mining. Traditional mining methods simply would not be able to keep up with the added demand.
A coal-to-liquids plant is a bad deal. It will do nothing but keep us trapped in the vicious cycle of coal. It would also be just another tool for our coal industry corrupt politicians to keep the cash pouring into their pockets… gotta get re-elected.
Already justification for the coal-to-liquids plant centers around jobs and the economy. It is quite clear our elected officials are puppets for the coal industry. They are spineless without honor or integrity.
“So I would guess that Mingo County would be very much appreciative of a new plant that would bring these jobs to the area particularly given the economic recession that the country continues to suffer from.”
A coal-to-liquids plant is not a road we want to travel. Like any road into coal, it is a dead end for the Appalachian Mountains and for those of us who call the mountains home.
——
The video below was created in response to a proposed coal-to-liquids plant in Pennsylvania. The facts are the same it is just the location that is different.
To replace just 10% of the oil we use in this country with liquid coal we would have to increase coal mining by more than 40%.
What we need now is a strong leadership to bring about a new energy future for America and the world.
A leadership financed by industry is only as strong as industry allows.
In my opinion, if this coal-to-liquid plant in Mingo County is allowed to proceed the battle against mountaintop removal and dirty politics is lost.
If an innocent bystander is in court testifying to a murder he or she witnessed, is the bystander guilty of murder? Blaming these layoffs on the environmentalists/residents is like the murderer trying to convince a jury he is completely innocent, the witness made him do it.
The coal industry is a conglomerate. They are a corporation composed of corporations. It is the nature of the beast to fight new regulations or the enforcement of old ones. CEO’s of these corporations see the word regulation and before even reading it they wonder, “how much is this going to cost me?”
If the coal industry were doing so much to benefit the community, as they claim, they would try their best to help these coal miners by putting them to work at another mine site or even starting one of the many idled underground mines instead of possible unemployment. Or, God forbid, just by following regulations and adapting. This is precisely why a transition in this state is going to be tough, to put it mildly.
The coal industry is fighting new regulations and the enforcement of old ones and they are holding West Virginians hostage. ‘Let us do what we want, or we will economicallydestroy the hostages starting with these 500.’
As far as I know, we do not negotiate with terrorists.
To the 500 workers/hostages: Your jobs are going to be sacrificed… if the industry demands are not met on time.
As climate talks began in Copenhagen today, a rally to save Coal River Mountain was being held in front of West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection. Activists from all across the region and other parts of the country called on the WV DEP to stop the blasting by Massey Energy on Coal River Mountain.
Coal River Mountain is the last intact mountain range in the Coal River Valley. The mountain range became a sign of hope for local residents when a wind potential study showed the range was capable of supporting a wind farm that could provide permanent jobs indefinitely and provide clean renewable energy to upwards of 70,000 homes while still allowing for underground mining.
The concerns are not only centered around the loss of clean energy and a sustainable future on Coal River Mountain to mountaintop removal coal mining but also to the integrity of the Brushy Fork Slurry Impoundment located just a few hundred feet from the blast zone.
The impoundment holds back approximately 9 billion (9,000,000,000) gallons of toxic coal slurry and by Massey Energy’s own admission, an estimated 998 people will die should the dam fail. Without a doubt it would be a man-made disaster of phenomenal proportions.
———
Before starting this blog I was not an activist in any sense of the word. Were it not for witnessing the devastation of mountaintop removal coal mining I could safely say I still would not be an activist. However, I do witness the destruction on a daily basis and having a pretty high moral standard I was propelled into action fueled by a need to do the right thing. Now… I am proud to be an activist fighting for the sanctity of the Appalachian Mountains right along side my friends and neighbors.
The following photos are from the rally in front of the WV DEP and this marks the third rally I have attended since becoming an activist. The second in direct support of saving Coal River Mountain. One thing is evident, we will no longer be ignored.
It was no surprise the friends of coal had their own contingent present at the rally doing what they do best, attempting to disrupt an otherwise peaceful rally. I have to give credit this time to the West Virginia State Police for keeping a neutral zone between the two groups. At least someone is doing there job, even if reluctantly.
A prominent sign from the friends of coal was the inevitable reference to coal keeps the lights on or variations of that such as “don’t like coal? turn off your lights.” I have said many times I will gladly turn my lights off if you stop blowing up the mountains. And therein we come to an impasse. No matter whether my lights are on or off mountaintop removal will go on. Mountaintop removal is not about energy, it is about corporate greed and political corruption.
There is nothing good about mountaintop removal coal mining. There is no justification whatsoever for mountaintop removal coal mining.
———
The video below is going to be presented at the climate talks in Copenhagen. It is proof that the destruction of Coal River Mountain is a local problem with worldwide implications. The battle for clean renewable energy begins on Coal River Mountain.
When I began my battle against mountaintop removal coal mining, the motivation was not environmental. It had nothing to do with mayflies, streams, or valley fills. As a matter of fact I was completely ignorant of the environmental impacts until after my battle had already begun.
My problem with mountaintop removal coal mining was and still is the devastating effects the practice has on our mountains and the rural communities that reside within the hollows between the mountains.
Today I had the opportunity to visit Lindytown, WV. Lindytown is located in Boone County just a few miles from Twilight and just across the mountain from where I live now. It is an excellent example of why I get so frustrated when I hear about the supposed good things MTR does for West Virginians.
Welcome to Lindytown, West Virginia.
In the next photo the mountain behind the church has been clearcut and prepped for mountaintop removal.
The following photo is a boarded residence located beside of a very old cemetery within the Lindytown community or ghost town would be a better description now.
The next couple photos show the reason why the folks who once resided in Lindytown were forced to move. Massey Energy has moved in and they are here to take the mountains.
This is just a mile or two up the road from the ghost town that was once Lindytown and will eventually, sooner rather than later, occupy the mountain in the photo behind the church.
Some folks call it progress, others call it a necessity for the economy, and still others say it makes West Virginia better. I wonder what the good folks of Lindytown would call it? I wonder what the folks buried in the old cemetery would call it were they able to see it? This much I know, prosperity or eternal peace are not to be found in Lindytown, West Virginia.
———
Recent articles about Lindytown in the Coal Valley News.
“The[y] bought the entire town of Lindytown out,” says one disgruntled resident, “And though I don’t have anything against mountain top mining, I think it’s terrible that Massey won’t allow families to go back in to get all of their belongings after they promised the families that they could. They said they were interested in the land only, and that if we could move our houses on our backs, we could take anything we wanted. Now, they’re telling us we can’t get our stuff out, and they’re calling the law on us when we do go to get our things out.”
The increase in mountaintop removal has impacted southern West Virginia not only environmentally, but socially and culturally as well.
Lindytown is a prime example of one Appalachian community that has experienced this ever-encroaching presence of mountaintop mining.
As the Coal Valley News reported last week, a drive through Lindytown looks more like a wild west ghost town than the once rugged and rural Appalachian community that dwelled in the narrow holler.
Continual blasting to the area prompted several area residents to verbalize their complaints – and this newspaper ran their stories of frustration.
Today, those same residents have relocated their homes, opting for a payout from Massey Coal, opting for relief from the constant blasting and dust that had become a part of their daily routine.
Recent Comments