It’s Getting Hot In Here

The youth organization of the most powerful political party in West Virginia passed a multi-pronged resolution on coal & green jobs that included a call for No New Mountaintop Removal Permits. Our generation knows that Mountaintop Removal takes mining coal too far and we have safer ways to mine it as we transition to renewable energies & energy efficiency. This resolution passed in the midst of an above-the-fold article in the Washington Post, the Presidential Campaigns closing in on the May 13th WV Democratic Primary, and a record showing of grassroots involvement in the WV Democratic County Conventions. The political machine in West Virginia is getting scared of what true grassroots organizers are building here in West Virginia and we are in the year of a lifetime to build our movement for justice here!

The February 10th “Young Dems on Kayford” event that brought more than 35 Young Dems onto Kayford Mountain to see the effects of Mountaintop Removal was a crucial event in the organization learning about the issue and taking a stand.

This resolution on Mountaintop Removal was passed as a result of years of building awareness and involvement on the issue. This resolution passed with the solid margin of 32 votes in favor and only 10 votes against (with 2 abstaining votes). The WV Young Democrats have been a focus of education throughout the past year as we organized events to show both the leadership and the membership what Mountaintop Removal is doing to the people and land of Southern (and increasingly Central) WV. The resolution was formed and revised to its final content by a room of high schoolers, college students, deep miners, organizers, and concerned citizens to its final form. This resolution is causing reverberations through the WV Democratic Party and WV politicians (who have long been kinder to the coal industry than citizens) are taking notice.

Volunteer SEACers in WV were crucial in pressuring and educating the WV Young Democrats on Mountaintop Removal and other coal issues. We are not, by any means, associated with the Democratic Party, but have done the day-to-day youth organizing and event organizing that has raised the profile of this issue in WV to be able to pass the Young Dems with the overwhelming margin that it did. Mountaintop Removal is increasingly discussed as part of the national climate movement, which is good, but it’s going to take growing political support in Central Appalachia to end it. This resolution is an incredible step towards that goal and is an incredible showing that grows political support in WV for environmental justice.

Here are the measures the WVYD called for in its “Healthy Jobs, Healthy Communities, Healthy Mountains Resolution:

See the “Whereas” section
Be It Resolved by the West Virginia Young Democrats

That the WVYD supports enforcement of set regulations around safety and environmental laws with respect to mountaintop removal and if necessary implement new legislation around concerns

That the WVYD opposes a high concentration of mountaintop removal sites in a geographic area

That the WVYD supports a moratorium on new permits until further study can be done on the effects of mountaintop removal while active sites which comply with current regulations remain active

That the WVYD supports further investigation into the long term ramifications of continued coal mining on the health of communities surrounding mining

That the WVYD moves that the reapportionment or increase of the coal severance tax should be reviewed in order to provide additional investment in renewable energy

That the WVYD supports alternative methods of mining coal

That all Democratic legislators on all levels of government publicly, vigorously, and quickly act to protect safety standards in deep mines and bring good paying green jobs through reclamation, renewable energy, sustainable industries, and other areas of the economy to all areas of WV