$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/
Saturday, January 30, 2010
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.”
Photo by Paul Corbit BrownThat 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.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.
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.
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
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
Sunday, January 3, 2010
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