Stream Buffer Zone Rule Change
October 8, 2008

The Stream Buffer Zone rule has been in effect since 1983 to protect the nation's headwater streams from being buried by valley fills from mountaintop removal and radical strip mining. The current law requires that the impacts of mining be kept at least 100 feet from a stream.  This regulation is often ignored in West Virginia where mine companies get "Variances" for this rule.  In August of 2007 the Bush Administration and the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSMRE) proposed a change to the law that would remove what little protection this rule offered.

In October 2008, after the OSMRE received over 43,000 comments opposing this rule change, we learned that the proposal has been moved out of the OSMRE and must be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency before it can be published into law.  Once again, we can work to stop this rule-change by asking the EPA to reject it and stand up for mountains, clean water, and healthy communities.

Send a Strong message to the EPA that we demand clean water!

 
This is the water quality with the Stream Buffer Zone Rule in place. What will it look like when it's gone?  Tell the EPA we need clean water.

 
Coal River Mountain Wind
July 9, 2008

Windmills at an existing Wind Farm in West Virginia
Coal River Mountain Watch, along with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and Appalachian Voices, has just launched an exciting new campaign to bring a wind farm to Coal River Mountain.

Coal River Mountain is one of the last mountains left intact in the beautiful Coal River Valley of West Virginia. However, Massey Energy has plans to mine 6600 acres of the mountain - almost 10 square miles. 

Fortunately, there is an alternative to mountaintop removal mining – wind power. This is a unique opportunity to move our nation and West Virginia toward the production of clean energy, and to preserve our nation's mountains for generations to come.

This wind farm would:

· Create Jobs 200 local employment opportunities during construction, and 50 permanent jobs during the life of the wind farm. It takes only 27 years for a wind farm to provide a greater number of one-year jobs than the four surface mines combined.

The proposed mountaintop removal mine on Coal River Mountain

· Create Energy – Provide 440MW or enough energy for 150,000 homes – indefinitely, as well as a sustained tax income that could be used for the construction of new schools for the county.

· Create Economic Potential – Allow for concurrent uses of the mountain including harvesting of wild ginseng and valuable forest plants, sustainable forestry, and mountain tourism, as Coal River Mountain is one of West Virginia's finest mountains.

· Preserve Heritage – Coal River Mountain has provided for the people of the Coal River Valley for generations. A mountaintop removal mine would block residents from the mountain and destroy the lands ancestors once lived on, as well as the family cemeteries they rest in.

· Protect the Land and Community – More than 500,000 acres in West Virginia alone have been destroyed by surface mining. Mountaintop Removal mining buries and poisons drinking water, increases flooding, damages homes and personal property, and devastates wildlife habitat.

Please visit www.CoalRiverWind.org for more information and to get involved.  And dont forget to sign the petition and tell your friends to do the same.

Coal River Mountain from nearby Kayford mountain which lost 550 MW of wind energy potential when the 10,000+ acre Surface mine went it.

 
Mountain Justice Coal River Valley and Coal River Mountain Watch host acclaimed artist Franceso di Santis
March 31, 2008

View some of the portraits done so far

For the next 2 weeks, Mountain Justice Coal River Valley and CRMW will be hosting an amazing artist... Franceso di Santis!!!

Francesco is the artist of the Post Katrina Portrait-Story Project.

from his website: "Francesco di Santis is a self taught artist, whose charcoal, carbon, graphite, china marker and pastel drawings have widened the intersection of folklore, oral history, nonfiction, psychology, therapy, fine art and social movement or phenomena."

Check out the website to familiarize yourself with his work, it is very moving...

http://postkatrinaportraits.org/

Francesco will be doing a version of this project for people living in Appalachia that are working to preserve the heritage and land. He will do charcoal drawings and participants  (or a family member who is able) will write a personal narrative DIRECTLY ON THE PORTRAIT in their own handwriting.

Francesco is working with other regional organizations and has already done some work at Mountain Justice Spring Break, the coal fields of Tennnessee, and the Appalachian Studies Association conference.

Here is some general info we first received from our friends at United Mountain Defense:

"I am happy to announce that Francesco di Santis of the The Post Katrina Portrait-Story Project  CONTACTED US and wants to come to Appalachia to start a project here about the mountain justice movement, coal mining, the mountains, and mountain communities."


To date his most noted project is the 2000 drawings that he produced during the year following hurricane Katrina in New Orleans which were compiled into a book containing roughly 400 images at http://postkatrinaportraits.org/  and numerous traveling and publicly displayed shows.  The book is really a wonderful piece of work and most of the books are available IN New Orleans, at local bookstores and through grassroots organizations there.
Anyone of the region who feels they have a story to tell of it is eligible, who can consolidate memories of their experiences into a clear narrative. Anyone may be drawn as many times as they wish to continue participating. Drawings typically take less than an hour.

 A portrait book is one possible outcome of this project and would be called 'Voices for Appalachia - Written and Narrated by Hundreds'. Aside, the portaits will be posted in locations throughout Appalachia, and be available for free download on the the internet at portraitstoryproject.org. The work can also be viewded on websites of other involved organizations, such as Clearfork Community Institute.

We will be coordinating times for people to have their portraits drawn.

I think it is important that we get as many directly impacted people as possible to participate, as well as those involved and/or connected.

We are very excited about this and I hope you all are excited as well! :)

Francesco is here for 2 weeks so let us know if you are interested and what days you are available. I am sure he will do many portraits in our office for this area but is willing to travel to other areas in WV as well.

Please contact us if you would like to be a part of this wonderful experience!


(304) 854-2182

or email Sarah to set up a time and date to participate...

sarah@crmw.net

 
Mountain Justice Spring Break 2008!
February 8, 2008

Mountain Justice Spring Break is back for 2008!  After last years great camp and action, we decided to have two weeks of learning, teaching, networking, and fun.

The first week is March 1-9 at Camp Ahistadi in Southwest Virginia where they are fighting Dominion Energy's proposed 585 Megawatt waste coal plant in Wise County, VA.  The cost of this plant has gone from $800 million to $1.8 billion and is still climbing.  This plant will rely heavily on MTR coal from Virginia.  There is currently a public comment period open on the plant on the plant until March 3.  You can learn more and then comment here.

The Second week will be March 22-30 in Meigs County, Ohio where they are fighting the full life cycle of coal, from harmful mining practices, to burning and waste disposal.  There are currently plans to bump the number of coal fired power plants in and around this rural community up to 8.  The increased mining will cause land subsidence under people homes and the existing power plants have already literally destroyed the town of Cheshire, OH with toxic air pollution.

Contact info@mjsb.org for more information and be sure to register.

MJSB filled the West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin's office last march demanding a New Safe School in the community for the kids of Marsh Fork.

 
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