Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Flyover Images

 Got a free flyover of the Coal River Valley.
 This is the Bee Tree Site on Coal River Mountain.
  
And the Brushy Fork Impoundment.
 

Oberlin Strikes Again!

Hey ya'll. Just thought I'd post a link to an article a friend of ours at Oberlin wrote a while ago on Mountaintop Removal.
Ethan's Article
And mention that there have been an overwhelming amount of MTR articles on the NYT lately.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Activists Stop Strip Mining Machine on Coal River Mountain

“It was usually around July you could go up there and sit and it was like the annual bear gathering up there… The whole area was full of laurels. The bears had tunnels through them, it was so thick…What’s going on today you know with the Brushy Fork of course, that whole area has just about been stripped out now, and that’s all been taken away.” Ed Wiley on Coal River Mountain

MARFORK, W.Va. – Protestors associated with Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice have locked to and shut down a highwall miner on Coal River Mountain today. Colin Flood, 22, and Katie Huszcza, 21, are locked to the mining equipment on Massey Energy’s Bee Tree Surface Mine, near to the Brushy Fork Sludge Impoundment.  Their banner states “Save Coal River Mountain” alongside images of ginseng, a morel, a deer and a black bear, the West Virginia state animal.

The human rights activists locked down in order to bring attention to the many local resources that will be lost if blasting on Coal River Mountain continues. This destruction led the four protesters, including 22-year-old Jimmy Tobias and 20-year-old Sophie Kern, both of whom acted as direct support, to take part in the action. “These mountains are home to some of the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world and contain a variety of precious flora and fauna including edible and medicinal plants that can save lives, a wide array of extremely nutritious mushrooms, old growth forest and an abundance of deer and trout,” Huszcza said, “Coal River Mountain is priceless.”

Local resident Ed Wiley laments the loss of wildlife caused by the construction of the Brushy Fork Sludge Impoundment, built in what was once some of the densest, oldest forest on the mountain.

“You could look off through the woods there and see a big Mamma bear with three or four cubs,” he says “But now they go on in there and remove the timber, and then start removing the overburden, and Momma bears with their cubs don’t come out of their dens until about the end of May, so they’re getting buried alive.”

“When the timber is gone, when the topsoil is gone, when the air and water are destroyed, the less than 4 percent of our nation’s energy needs that mountaintop removal provides will be small consolation,” said Flood, one of the four protestors, “The coal companies and land companies are blasting this land, ruining its rivers and poisoning its people for the sake of flat screen TVs, pick-up trucks and profit margins.”

The activists are spotlighting dangers associated with the massive Brushy Fork Sludge Impoundment, which is permitted to contain 8.2 billion gallons of toxic coal waste and estimates put the current level at seven billion gallons.  Brushy Fork’s foundation is built on a honeycomb of abandoned underground mines. If the foundation were to collapse, as in Martin Co., Ky., the slurry would engulf communities as far as 14 miles away, according to Marfork Coal Co.’s emergency warning plan regarding the impoundment.

“The Brushy Fork sludge dam places the downstream communities in imminent danger. The threat of being inundated by a wall of toxic sludge is always present.  Blasting next to this dam increases this risk at the same that it destroys the opportunity for renewable wind energy,” said Vernon Haltom, co-director of Coal River Mountain Watch, in reference to the Coal River Wind Project.

“The protesters expect a long fight before blasting on Coal River Mountain stops and they remain committed to that fight,” said Tobias, one of the members of the support team. “This is a fight for the heart of Appalachia and the soul of America,” he said. “Land and freedom have always gone hand in hand. When you strip bare the land, you strip bare freedom. We won’t stop until the land is safe in the hands of those in the community who care for it.”

“It [the destruction of wilderness] makes mountaintop removal an act of treason,” Flood said.
Climate Ground Zero’s action campaign, begun in February of last year, has kept up a sustained series of direct actions since that time, continuing decades-long resistance to strip mining in Appalachia.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Closure on the Clear Fork

Follow up info for the black water spill on the Clear Fork of the Coal River.

Pioneer Fuel was fined $1000.

A fine so low even I could have paid it.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Spring is here, So am I.

I know it's been a minute, but I'm still here for any that follow my blog. Still living in Rock Creek and fightin' the fight.
The Community Greenhouse in Arnett (put together by members of SEEDS of Hope and Unity for Coal River) is up and close to functional. Will be posting photos soon!!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Steepleton

The other day while on the porch, Raleigh county sheriff pulled up and began to read a list of names. Unfortunately Laura Steepleton was second on the list. Without a formal warrant or even a reason for arrest (a mumble about failure to appear) the sheriff carted Laura away. As it just happened to be just after 4, there was no magistrate on duty. From there, without arraignment, Laura was booked and jailed, and told that she would be held until her hearing on charges from the DEP lock-down for violating her bond agreement. Might I mention this action was in Kanawha.
All night and the next day we got the run around from cops, judges, secretaries, and jail personnel trying to clear up Laura's charges.
After getting Laura's original public defender on the case, we got the charges dropped and Laura released that evening.
She is now safely at home, no worse for wear, and claims to have recruited new folks while in jail.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Black Water Spill, Clear Fork River

 
Taking water samples from a massive blackwater spill in the Clear Fork of the Coal River today. Spilled from a surface mine up Horse Creek owned by Pioneer Fuels. 
The last photo is of the affected river, running into an unaffected river. You can really see the contrast between the green water vs. the blackwater.

Monday, February 8, 2010

A Day in Charleston

 
Today we had some laughs...

 
...in court.

 
A circus from start to finish.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Please Donate

$9,625 total bail cost, please donate to legal fund
Saturday, January 30th, 2010


Amber Nitchman, Eric Blevins, David Aaron Smith, David Baghdadi, Benard Fiorillo, Josh Graupera and Isabelle Rozendaal stopped a blast site on Coal River Mountain for nine days, now their total bail amounts to $9,625.00. Nitchman and Blevins are still in jail, held for a combined cash-only total of $5,000.

Please donate to the Mountain Justice legal defense fund: Paypal, or another method.

Thank you everyone who has supported us for almost a year on the front lines. Friends have loaned thousands of dollars to get people out of jail, but those loans must be repaid soon. Some people are also not able to pay all the fines that judges gave them after arrest.

It’s equally important, in order to maintain a robust action agenda, to continually raise legal funds as we stick it to mountaintop removal and the largest coal mine operator in Appalachia: Massey Energy.

You can also support us in a more indirect fashion through the purchase of the critically acclaimed Still Moving Mountains CD, or the long-awaited photography exposé, Dragline.




Video courtesy of Jordan Freeman
http://climategroundzero.net/2010/01/treesitii-please-donate/

Friday, January 29, 2010

Sitters Finally Come Down

 

Amber and Eric descended from the Trees today.



Smiles and Cheering quickly ensued.



For some reason they seemed to think Amber needed more supervision than Eric.



Eric walked freely from the police vehicle to the station for booking.
Nine days of forceful non-violent resistance.
We won't stop until you do.

(these photos were later shown on the 6 oclock news. fuckin' sweet)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Six In


Day six is beginning to pass more quickly than I thought it would. A sleepless night and a light snow find me today. I hope our tree friends are safe and warm.



Eric Blevins sent us a photo from inside his tarped platform yesterday. It seems that he has been spending his time fasting and praying.
Keep he and Amber in your thoughts, they are brave, and they have halted blasting on Coal River Mountain for nearly a week now.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Jailbird



David Aaron Smith,
$2500 cash only bail, charged with Trespassing B, Obstruction, and Conspiracy.

A Planet leaves the trees.



This morning we heard from David Aaron Smith, he was cold, wet, and numb.






In fear of hypothermia, he came down from his tree and was promptly arrested by the West Virginia State Police.


 
It seems that his spirits were not dampened by the ride to the station.

 


I can't wait to see him back in Rock Creek.




A Prelude to the Circus

For anyone interested in following my legal battles, here is an update on my case. The prosecuting attorney filed a motion to combine not only the 8 Kanawha haul road cases but also the 5 auxiliary arrests linked to the Senior March and the Walker Cat banner drop.
These five persons were arrested on warrants that were filed months before they had ever heard a whisper of them. The five allegedly trespassed on Walker Cat property the day of the banner drop during the Senior March, however we have video evidence proving that several of them were not. Regardless, as it goes Jacqueline Quimby is the proud owner of both sets of charges and therefore seems to be the crazed justification for the mass consolidation.
After a meeting with some public defenders on the case, I have learned that the prosecutor plans to not offer us any pleas in an attempt to force us all to trial. I don't know what his reasoning is, but it seems that he does not understand the circus that he is about to induce with his actions. He is gathering 12 of the most stubborn and uncooperative persons I know in the same room, at the same time, for what is intended to be a session in a court of law.
If you understand West Virginian law in the slightest, you can understand this: February 8th at 1:30pm there will be a performance like no other I've attended in the Kanawha County Magistrate Court. We would appreciate as many fans as would like to attend. No tickets necessary.

Day 5

It's an early morning, or late night, in Rock Creek, WV.

http://climategroundzero.net/images/treesitcloseup_large.jpg
We are entering Day 5 of the tree sit on Coal River Mountain, hoping the sitters are still doing well. Isabelle is still in jail, looking to get her out soon.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Tree Sit on Coal River Mountain!

It's Day Three of the tree sit on Coal River Mountain. Sitters are cold and wet but seem to be okay, let's hope that they can weather the upcoming storm.

Below are some recent photos texted to us by the sitters. The first is of the cherrypicker leaving after threatening the sitters, the second is of the sitters covered in their tarps.
Below is the original press release from the CGZ website.


Thursday, January 21st, 2010


UPDATE – Photo from the trees:





FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 21, 2010

Contact: Kim Ellis – 304 854 7372

Email: news@climategroundzero.org

Note: www.climategroundzero.org and http://www.mountainjustice.org/

“Coal River Mountain was the last mountain around here that hasn’t been touched and they could’ve been using it for windmills…But Massey wants to get that coal. It seems like they just don’t care about the populace. Just the land and their checkbook.”

– Richard Bradford
MARFORK, W.Va. – Protestors associated with Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice halted blasting on Coal River Mountain today with a three-person tree-sit. David Aaron Smith, 23, Amber Nitchman, 19 and Eric Blevins, 28 are on platforms approximately 60 feet up two tulip poplar trees and one oak tree. They are located next to where Massey Energy is blasting to build an access road to the Brushy Fork Impoundment on its Bee Tree Strip Mine. Their banners state: “Save Coal River Mtn.,” “EPA Stop the Blasting” and “Windmills Not Toxic Spills.”


“Massey Energy is a criminal corporation with over 4,500 documented violations of the Clean Water Act, yet the government has given them permission to blast next to a dam full of toxic coal waste that will kill 998 people if it fails.” said Blevins. This action comes at the heels of a rigorously peer-reviewed study published in Science Magazine which states “Mining permits are being issued despite the preponderance of scientific evidence that impacts are pervasive and irreversible and that mitigation cannot compensate for the losses.”


The sitters are calling for the EPA to put an end to mountaintop removal and encourage the land-holding companies to develop clean energy production. The lack of EPA enforcement in mountaintop removal encouraged Josh Graupera, 19, member of the support team, to take part in this action “I knew that until I took an active role in the struggle to end MTR, I was passively condoning the poisoning and displacement of countless communities and in the obliteration of one of the oldest and most diverse ecosystems on this continent.” Graupera said. Nitchman added, “I act out of personal concern for the safety of water from toxic sludge, air from smog, and mountains from annihilation.”

The Brushy Fork Impoundment is permitted to contain over nine billion gallons of the toxic coal waste, and currently contains 8.2 billion gallons. Brushy Fork’s foundation is built on a honeycomb of abandoned underground mines. If the foundation were to collapse the slurry would blow out from all sides of the mountain. According to Marfork Coal Co.’s emergency warning plan regarding the impoundment, in case of a frontal dam breach, a 40 ft wall of sludge, 72 ft at its peak height, would engulf communities as far as 14 miles away.


“Brushy Fork sludge dam places the downstream communities in imminent danger. The threat of being inundated by a wall of toxic sludge is always present. Blasting next to this dam increases the risk as well as destroying the opportunity for renewable wind energy,” said Coal River Mountain Watch’s Vernon Haltom. According to the Coal River Wind Project, the wind energy produced by a turbine farm on Coal River Mountain could power 70,000 homes, provide more permanent jobs for local residents and annually bring over a million more dollars in tax breaks revenue to Raleigh County than coal currently does.


The sitters plan to remain in the trees as long as it takes to stop blasting on Coal River Mountain. Climate Ground Zero’s action campaign, begun in February of last year, has kept up a sustained series of direct actions since that time continuing decades-long resistance to strip mining in Appalachia.




Here is a link to some videos from CGZ's youtube:
Multimedia release (quotes from sitters, pictures, etc)
Tree Sit Set-up

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Its Still Snowing


Photo credit: Erika Zarowin

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Science has finally come out and said it. MTR is bad.

Bombshell study: MTR impacts ‘pervasive and irreversible’

“Mining permits are being issued despite the preponderance of scientific evidence that impacts are pervasive and irreversible and that mitigation cannot compensate for the losses.”
mtr_pcbphoto.jpg
 Photo by Paul Corbit Brown
That quote above is the conclusion of a blockbuster study being published tomorrow by a group of the nation’s top scientists, detailing the incredibly damaging environmental impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining and the failed efforts at reclaiming mined land or mitigating the effects.
Based on a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific findings, the paper calls on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the federal Army Corps of Engineers to stay all new mountaintop removal mining permits unless new mining and reclamation techniques “can be subjected to rigorous peer review and shown to remedy these problems.”
According to the paper:
.. Clearly, current attempts to regulate MTM/VF practices are inadequate … Regulators should no longer ignore rigorous science.
A press release explained that:
In their paper, the authors outline severe environmental degradation taking place at mining sites and downstream. The practice destroys extensive tracts of deciduous forests and buries small streams that play essential roles in the overall health of entire watersheds. Waterborne contaminants enter streams that remain below valley fills and can be transported great distances into larger bodies of water.
The peer-reviewed paper, “Mountaintop Mining Consequences,” is being published in Science, which is considered one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals. Science is the academic journal for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has an estimated readership of more than a million people.The paper was authored by a dozen scientists from various fields — from biology and hydrology to forestry and ecology — including several members of the National Academy of Sciences. A summary of the paper is available here for free. The full thing is subscription only.
It is without a doubt the most significant paper on mountaintop removal to ever hit a scientific journal. It cites nearly three dozen previously published peer-reviewed papers, government studies and a first-ever detailed analysis of West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Water quality data:
Despite much debate in the United States, surprisingly little attention has been given to the growing scientific evidence of the negative impacts of MTM/VF.
Our analysis of current peer-reviewed studies and of new water-quality data from WV streams revealed serious environmental impacts that mitigation practices cannot successfully address. Published studies also show a high potential for human health impacts.
The authors note that the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act imposes requirements to minimize impacts on the land and on natural channels, such as requiring that water discharged from mines will not degrade stream water quality below established federal standards.
Yet mine-related contaminants persist in streams well below valley fills, forests are destroyed, headwater streams are lost, and biodiversity is reduced; all of these demonstrate that MTM/VF causes significant environmental damage despite regulatory requirements to minimize impacts.
Current mitigation strategies are meant to compensate for lost stream habitat and functions but do not; water-quality degradation caused by mining activities is neither prevented nor corrected during reclamation or mitigation.
Lead author Margaret Palmer of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science said:
The scientific evidence of the severe environmental and human impacts from mountaintop removal is strong and irrefutable. Its impacts are pervasive and long lasting and there is no evidence that any mitigation practices successfully reverse the damage it causes.

Mountain Justice Spring Break

In March, MJSB will bring hundreds of young people face to face with the impacts of mountaintop removal and coal industry abuse – and give us the skills and knowledge we need to fight back! Through education, community service, speakers, hiking, music, poetry, direct action and more, we will learn from and stand with Appalachian communities in the struggle to maintain their land and culture.

MJSB is planned by a collective of folks from around the US. We need your help right away bottomlining and supporting media, groundwork, logistics, outreach, fundraising and more. This is a great opportunity to work with amazing people, network with great community organizations and learn new skills.

We are also looking for Campus Coordinators who will, with the assistance of the planning collective, organize a crew of people from your school or community. If you're interested in being a Campus Coordinator, feel free to contact us for a campus coordinator resource packet.

Come and bring your friends! We are committed to learning a lot, getting involved in ending mountaintop removal, and having tons of fun!


When? March 13th - 21st
Where? Southwest Virginia