November 25, 2008
Public participation denied; permanent wind energy jobs threatened
Manchin could still save Coal River Mountain
WHITESVILLE, W.VA. — The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has approved Massey Energy’s revision of a mountaintop removal coal mining permit for Coal River Mountain that will impact over a hundred acres as well as a portion of the available resource for developing wind power.
The DEP has repeatedly denied citizens’ requests for public hearings related to the proposed mining. Community members are again asking Governor Joe Manchin to halt the operation and act on his commitment to renewable energy and to the citizens of West Virginia by rescinding the mining permits.
“Coal River Mountain has enough wind potential to provide electricity for between 100,000 and 150,000 homes, forever, while creating about 50 well-paying, permanent jobs in an area long dependent upon sparse, temporary coal mining jobs,” said Rory McIlmoil of Coal River Mountain Watch. “The wind farm would generate over ten times more county revenue than the mountaintop removal operations would. This additional income would stimulate new economic development projects and the creation of new and lasting jobs for the county.”
“It is time for Governor Manchin to do the right thing for our communities,” said Lorelei Scarbro of Rock Creek. “He has seen research showing that wind is the better economic option for Coal River Mountain, but that depends on the mountain being left intact. He knows that the mining that could begin on the mountain as early as today would immediately impact 24 megawatts of wind potential, and therefore at least two permanent jobs related to the operation of the wind farm.”
Manchin has received over 4,000 emails, nearly 500 phone calls and a petition with nearly 10,000 signatures calling for him to stop the destruction and support wind power.
“More than 30 community members who will be impacted by the mining drafted a resolution in support of the wind farm,” added Scarbro. “It’s clear that West Virginia wants wind for Coal River Mountain.”
After citizens discovered the application for the Bee Tree permit revision, which would greatly alter the original mining plan, they requested that the revision be classified as “significant” and that a public hearing be held. The DEP denied the request.
“In our opinion, the DEP has again clearly violated the intent of the law by excluding the public from the permitting process,” said Vernon Haltom, Co-director of Coal River Mountain Watch. “This is clearly a significant revision that requires public comment, but the DEP chose to shirk its duties in favor of an operation they have no hope of properly regulating.”
Citizens had also requested a hearing on the water pollution permits for the adjacent Eagle II mining permit on Coal River Mountain, but the DEP denied this request on the same day that it granted the permit.
“Now, residents fear that the onset of mining, even for this first phase, will result in the loss of an opportunity to diversify our local economy and protect our homes from the negative impacts of the mountaintop removal mining,” said Scarbro.
“Governor Manchin has ignored the survey results, published on September 25th by the Civil Society Institute and Citizens Lead for Energy Action Now (CLEAN), showing that 62% of West Virginians oppose his decision against stopping Massey Energy from using mountaintop removal coal mining to level a section of Coal River Mountain that could have been used for a wind farm,” said McIlmoil.
“Co-Op America selected the Coal River Mountain Wind Project for the national ‘Building Economic Alternatives’ award for 2008. This award should have been a source of pride for all West Virginians, yet the Governor once again paid no attention,” added McIlmoil.
“After presenting not only the moral, but also the economic arguments in favor of wind power, citizens are wondering what it will take for the Governor to stand behind them,” said Scarbro. “While it is in his power to rescind the mining permits and allow a wind farm to be developed, Governor Manchin has so far refused to intervene.”
“Governor Manchin has been unwilling to make the DEP do its job,” added Haltom. “We hope the new administration in Washington will hold state agencies accountable for upholding and enforcing the law, rather than caving in to corporate pressure.”
Though the approved revision only impacts a small area on Coal River Mountain, Haltom believes that once the mining begins it will be more difficult to stop, and so more of the wind resource will be lost. However, this portion of the mining does not destroy all of the wind potential for Coal River Mountain.
Coal River Mountain Watch and concerned residents of the Coal River Valley continue to ask the Governor to do the right thing for the state and for local residents by preserving Coal River Mountain’s wind potential. They will hold a press conference in both Charleston and Beckley on Dec. 9 to publicize the results of an economic study they commissioned from Downstream Strategies out of Morgantown in June.
The study will show that wind development is a better land use option than mountaintop removal coal mining, not only for Coal River Mountain, but for all areas in southern West Virginia that exhibit good wind potential. Until then, they are asking that the citizens of West Virginia continue to call Governor Manchin to show their support for the Coal River Mountain Wind Project.
More details are available at coalriverwind.org.
Hey Denny,
Here’s a letter I sent to folks today, figured it’d be a great addition to this blog. Also, if you want to head up the mountain for a few hours in the morning I can pick you up. If so, shoot me an email.
Hey Everyone,
Here is a list of the media and blog exposure we’ve received for the Coal River Wind Project so far. As most of you know, Coal River Mountain Watch has been working hard for nearly a year - with the strong and unrelenting support of many of you - to get a wind farm developed on Coal River Mountain as a viable alternative to a proposed Mountaintop Removal (MTR) mine.
The proposed mining would span ten square miles, bury over 20 miles of streams with valley fills, contaminate local water resources, put local communities (who already experienced a deadly flood back in 2001 that has been attributed to clear-cutting and a nearby MTR mine site) in further danger of flash floods, and completely eliminate the available wind resource (to name just a few of the inevitable impacts).
The Coal River Mountain Wind project is a 400 MW wind farm that stands as the alternative that the state has supposedly been waiting for, that they’ve been saying hasn’t existed, thereby suggesting that once that alternative was proposed they would act on it and support it. In pushing for and promoting that alternative, we have been asking Governor Joe Manchin for months to use his power to rescind the mining permits and give wind power a chance on Coal River Mountain. So far, even as we’ve proven that the wind farm is the better moral and economic option for the area, the Governor has refused to “intervene,” stating only that it would be “inappropriate” for him to do so. What this response implies is that:
1) Intervention on the part of the Governor is NOT IMPOSSIBLE, it is only “Inappropriate” in his opinion, and speaking to that, only the coal company, the land company and the Governor are of the opinion that stepping in and helping to protect the local residents and diversify the local economy would be “inappropriate.” Over 10,000 others, including nearly 100 local residents and over 1,000 West Virginians, are of the opinion that government intervention on behalf of the wind proposal would not only be Appropriate, but also urgent and highly necessary for all the reasons that have been presented to him.
2) The Governor has no other answer to our call for a wind farm and a rescinding of Massey’s MTR permits than to say that doing his duty on behalf of the state and the public and acting within his executive powers would be Inappropriate (so why is there even a Governor??). This implies that there is a deeper reasoning, and many of us can only speculate as to what that reasoning is. It could either be that the Governor is afraid of being sued by Massey, in which case there is something seriously wrong with this state and its laws when they hand over all economic and land use decision-making powers - and therefore the future vitality, social welfare and economic health of the state and its citizens - to coal companies that have offices based in other states, and to coal CEO’s that have homes outside of West Virginia.
When our government’s hand are tied for the mere fear of a lawsuit, and lady justice is locked in Don Blankenship’s trunk, then there is truly no hope for this state, and there is no hope for economic transition and diversification in southern West Virginia. Another possible reason that the Governor may be refusing to intervene is related to the fact that we have only seen him standing at a podium decorated with a Friends of Coal placard, but never have we seen him standing in front of a Friends of the Mountains or a Friend of Wind or a Friend of WV Citizens placard. Does this mean that Gov. Manchin relates the welfare of his constituents to that of the coal industry?? If so, that is a scary thought indeed, especially given the fact that the coal industry accounts for only 14% of state economic activity, and less than 1% of its annual General Revenue Fund.
The Governor CAN still intervene, it IS POSSIBLE, and it is the RIGHT THING TO DO for West Virginia and for the Coal River communities. We hope that he understands this, and that come Monday morning he calls Massey and tells them to bring on that lawsuit, he is going with Wind Power for Coal River Mountain. If he were to do that, he would have all the backing and support of folks not only in the Coal River Valley, and not only across West Virginia, but across the entire nation, as the news pieces and blogs listed below suggest. 62% of West Virginians would rejoice at the Governor’s decision to “intervene.” That is what a Governor is supposed to do, protect its citizens and support economic opportunities that are of the most benefit to local, county and state governments. For Coal River Mountain (and for every mountain that has good wind potential), it is clear that wind power is the way to go, so keep up the pressure on the Governor, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT, and lets hope that Governor Manchin decides that rescinding the Mountaintop Removal permits is the “Appropriate” thing to do.
– Happy Holidays from Coal River Mountain Watch –