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For the past three days members of Mason’s Environmental Action Group attended Appalachia Rising, an event designed to galvanize people in the fight against mountaintop removal. According to the event’s organizers it was “an unprecedented gathering of Appalachian people and their allies in the movement to abolish all forms of surface mining”. The weekend featured workshops, speakers, and live music all focused on ending the environmental and human health catastrophe that is mountaintop removal coal mining
The event culminated on Monday with a rally, march around downtown D.C., and a protest at the White House with more than 2000 people, including a contingent from the EAG. In order to bring attention to the issue, over 100 people intentionally got arrested for non-violent, civil disobedience, including three Mason students.
Holly Smucker, a first-year music education major was one of those that got arrested. According to Smucker, “Mountaintop Removal is an awful practice that is not only destroying the mountains, but polluting the water and killing the citizens of Appalachia. Our message yesterday to the EPA and to Obama needed to be voiced loud and clear: we weren’t going to move until they abolished mountaintop removal. In fact, if they hadn’t arrested us we might have still been out there square dancing and chanting.”
Allison Rutledge attended all three days of Appalachia Rising but did not get arrested on Monday. That said, she is equally passionate about the issue, “Mountaintop removal is an extremely destructive and devastating practice. It not only destroys mountains but entire communities as well. There are people out there who don't have clean drinking water because of it. More than 500 mountains have already been obliterated and over 2000 miles of streams have been buried forever. This has to be stopped and it’s why I to continue the fight.”
An edited version of this article was published in Broadside, George Mason University's student newspaper on 3/01/10
Over the past month, members of Mason's Environmental Action Group (EAG) have been working hard to help pass legislation to protect streams and mountains in the commonwealth. In particular, one bill, the “Stream Saver" bill would stop coal companies from dumping surface mining waste in streams, effectively ending mountaintop removal in Virginia. The EAG is familiar with the environmental destruction caused by the extraction of coal. Last October, five EAG members traveled to the coal fields of West Virginia for the annual Mountain Justice Fall Summit. The students witnessed the impacts of mountaintop removal, the predominate type of surface mining in Appalachia. Mountaintop removal is the practice of leveling the tops of mountains through massive explosions and dumping the resulting debris in the adjacent valleys, a common location for streams. The waste pollutes the watersheds, decreases biodiversity, and deprives Virginia residents of clean drinking water. This type of mining has already destroyed 67 Virginian mountains. A 2001 assessment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that the waste from mountaintop removal mining has affected 151 miles of streams in Virginia. Many more miles of streams have been destroyed since 2001 and, according to the EAG, will continue to be destroyed if action is not taken. The Stream Saver bill would stop this practice. Mason students Emily Miles and Jason Von Kundra traveled to Richmond on January 18th to voice their opinions to their legislators regarding various environmental bills, including the Stream Saver bill formally known as Senate Bill 564. The students met with four state senators and two legislative aides to ask for their support. They met Senator Chap Petersen, who represents the district where Mason’s Fairfax campus stands. According to Von Kundra, “Senator Peterson seemed sincerely interested in everything we discussed. He admitted he was not familiar with mountaintop removal coal mining which prevented him from taking a stance on the issue. A documentary film about mountaintop removal, Coal Country, explains the issue well and has made a big impact on me. Other members of the EAG and I plan on giving the film to Petersen in the near future.” The two students also met Senator Ticer, the patron of the bill, and Senator Whipple, a co-patron. Von Kundra went to Richmond again on Thursday, February 11th, for a hearing on the Stream Saver bill. Senator Petersen described the hearing as “one of the largest public hearings in the history of the State Capitol.” The hearing room, an overflow room, and the halls surrounding each were packed with people. During the nearly three hour hearing, both supporters and opponents were given the chance to voice their opinions to the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.
To protect their interests, one coal company bussed over a hundred coal workers to speak against the bill at the hearing. Most of the bill’s opponents came in defense of jobs in the coal industry, although this bill only applies to surface mining which, because of its highly mechanized nature, employs far less workers than traditional underground mining. In Virginia, surface mining represents approximately 30% of the total coal industry. Tommy Hudson of the Virginia Coal Association gave the jobs breakdown at the hearing: of the 4,797 coal mining jobs in the commonwealth, 1,433 are related to surface mining.
The supporters of the bill spoke of environmental, economic, and social injustice caused by mountaintop removal; they see this bill as a solution to those problems. Residents from Southwest Virginia, where mountaintop removal is currently taking place, came to protect their communities including the streams and mountains. Kathy Selvage, a Wise County native and co-founder of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards brought water from her tap that had been polluted by mountaintop removal; she urged legislators to support the bill. Another Southwest Virginia resident described the nearly constant blasting from the explosives used to break up the top of the mountains before dumping the debris in the streams. This blasting occurs dangerously close to homes, keeping people up at night and endangering lives. Both sides received 45 minutes to present their case.
Following the hearing, members of the EAG collected photo petitions to send to Senator Petersen, in order to show him that Mason students support the bill. This past Friday they wandered the JC with cameras and signs that read “Save Our Mountains and Streams, Support SB 564” and “Not One More Mile!” taking pictures of anyone that wanted to send a message to their elected official. Before snapping a picture of a Mason student holding one of the signs, Gopi Raghu, an electrical engineering major, explained that “Not One More Mile!” means the polluting of Virginian streams must stop now. On Monday, February 15th, the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee choose to "leave the bill in committee" and postpone the voting of the bill to next year. This is the first time such legislation has been considered in the Virginia General Assembly. The fact that legislation to stop mountaintop removal was considered this year makes this is a historic time for preservation of our natural resources. Opponents of mountaintop removal are pleased with the momentum gained from this bill: support from numerous senators, a productive public hearing, and more attention to the issue. Mason students are proud to be part of the effort.
By attending Week in Washington, Mason students will join over a hundred people living in areas impacted by mountaintop removal to urge federal legislators to stop destroying our mountains, streams, and communities. Organized by the Alliance for Appalachia, the fifth annual Week in Washington is an event with one clear message: stop mountaintop removal by passing the Clean Water Protection Act.
Mountaintop removal coal mining blasts the tops of mountains with explosives and dumps waste into nearby valleys, burying and polluting streams. This practice devastates the region’s ecology and communities. Constant blasting, increased flooding, and polluted tap water has driven residents in the coalfields to cry out, ‘enough is enough, this must stop’. Emily Miles and Jason Von Kundra, two students registered to attend, look forward to the opportunity to speak with their legislators alongside other supporters of the Clean Water Protection Act.
Anyone interested in protecting our nation’s mountains and streams is encouraged to read more about the event at www.ilovemountains.org/wiw and contact Jvonkund@gmu.edu to connect with Mason students who are attending the event.
“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.”
That quote comes from a study published yesterday (January 7, 2010) in the journal Science. The study, conducted by a dozen scientists from universities across the country, clearly shows that mountaintop removal (MTR) is irreversibly destroying large swaths of Appalachia. Furthermore, the authors call for an end to the horrific practice stating, "Regulators should no longer ignore rigorous science. The United States should take leadership on these issues, particularly since surface mining in many developing countries is expected to grow extensively."
Last October, as well as in November of 2008, two separate groups of Mason students visited a mountaintop removal site near Rock Creek, West Virgina. The trip was made as part of the annual Mountain Justice Fall Summit, a gathering of students and young people dedicated to doing their part to end mountaintop removal. The event was hosted by a coalition of environmental groups, including Coal River Wind, who wanted to give the participants the chance to see mountaintop removal up close.
"Seeing first-hand the destruction that occurs in order to get coal was an eyeopening experience. Looking at the barren land that was once a thriving mountain was shocking. It changed my perspective and made me more aware of where exactly the energy I use comes from and encouraged me to conserve more," said NCC student Allison Rutledge.
Gopi Raghu, a Junior studying Business at Mason said that he has never seen anything like it before. "Listening to Larry* speak I had the chance to see and hear first-hand the voice of a strong advocate for saving the mountains, often putting his life at risk to do so. It was a wake-up call for me because I didn't know people felt that strongly. After seeing what used to be a mountain I felt like crying. This was the most important part of the trip for me because I wish more people could see what I saw so they'd be willing to take action against mountaintop removal."
Physics major Jason Von Kundra never truly understood the devastation of mountaintop removal until he saw it first-hand. "Visiting Coal River Valley opened my eyes to communities living with the direct impact of MTR and limited ways of coping. Residents told their stories of polluted water, lowered land value, no economic diversity, and other social and economic issues caused by the coal companies. In addition to damaging communities, MTR ravages the land. Standing on the current top of Kayford Mountain, I looked at the unnaturally leveled plateau before me and had trouble imagining the ancient mountain that once stood there. Without vegetation, MTR sites do not support plant and animal life. Even 'reclaimed' sites have limited biodiversity with only one species of grass being planted by the coal companies. This is a tragedy in Appalachia, the most biodiverse region in the United States. I now know my responsibility to stop MTR on ethical and environmental grounds. By putting pressure on the EPA and congress, we can put an end to this havoc."
Clearly, seeing the devastation that is mountaintop removal first-hand makes people think twice about using electricity unnecessarily. Fortunately, for those of us that can't make the trip to see for ourselves, many organizations have put together videos that show what's really happening in Appalachia. Below is one such video from the organization I Love Mountains.
A growing number of organizations are calling for an immediate end to mountaintop removal. President Obama said in a recent interview, "It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient — especially when it’s inconvenient." Hopefully this study, along with the overwhelming evidence that already exists, President Obama and the EPA will give the political will to end, once-and-for-all, this appalling practice.
*Larry Gibson owns the part of the mountain that hasn't been destroyed. The property has been in his family for generations. He refuses to sell to the coal companies because they will destroy the rest of the mountain.
