This just in from the Coal River Mountain Wind Project – the thousands of emails and calls you sent in September temporarily saved Coal River Mountain from Massey’s explosives for almost two months, but today the outlook just started to look a lot worse. We need you to call Governor Manchin at 1-888-438-2731 and remind him that thousands of people across America are watching West Virginia–and waiting for Governor Manchin to choose long term prosperity and clean energy over mountaintop removal and Massey Energy’s profits.
Read more about it on Grist here:
In what may be an effort to sneak in bad news right before a major holiday, Massey, one of the worst coal companies on earth, received their final approvals for mining the first phase of the Bee Tree permit yesterday, which means they are now set to begin blasting on Coal River Mountain. Coal River Mountain is slated for a 6,600 acre mountaintop removal site, but local residents have found that it is an ideal site for a wind farm, which would save the mountain from blasting, allow for permanent, safe jobs in the community, as well as provide clean, renewable energy to over 150,000 homes.
Previously, the spotlight that the phone calls and emails put on the issue exposed a few key flaws in the permits, but the DEP has “fixed” those and is again allowing Massey to blast. The Governor has the power to rescind the permits — or to require that the DEP take the local citizen’s plan for a wind farm on the mountain into account. So far he has refused to do either.
For months, we’ve been meeting with community members and county leaders, many of whom are excited about the job opportunities and tax revenues from the wind farm, and the possibility for it to lift a local economy that has been crushed by mountaintop removal.
However, the Governor and the Department of Environmental Protection are ignoring these voices, and instead choosing short term profits for Massey Energy over the long term prosperity for the community.
This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for the thousands who have signed the petition, donated funds, emailed the Governor, and called his office to let the world know that West Virginia — and people around the world– are ready for Clean, Renewable Energy, Safe, Permanent Jobs and Intact Mountains and Communities.
We need you to help us again, by calling the Governor at 1-888-438-2731 and telling him to Save Coal River Mountain from blasting. Remind the Governor that it is his decision to do the right thing and rescind the permits, and that the time has run out for him to do so.
Thanks to Jeff Biggers for all of his help in bringing attention and support for the Coal River Mountain Wind project, and to DanaWV for being a justice bada** and posting this blog. I had to extend my own personal invitation to Al Gore here in the hopes that he is a regular reader.
Personal Invitation to Al Gore
Dear Mr. Gore,
As a member of Coal River Mountain Watch, I urge you to come and visit Coal River Mountain and to learn more about our campaign. In my opinion, the battle we are waging to save Coal River Mountain symbolizes the very battle you are waging to save the Earth from the devastating impacts of climate change. The battle against climate change can only be won by transitioning the Central Appalachia coalfield economy away from coal mining – especially the devastating method known as Mountaintop Removal – and toward a cleaner, green, sustainable economy that will help stabilize these rural areas and create new economy opportunities that communities here so desperately need.
Folks in the Coal River Valley are waging a campaign to get a wind farm developed as a viable and necessary alternative to a proposed ten square mile Mountaintop Removal mine. THe mining will lead to the release of millions of tons of carbon through the decomposition of the ten square miles of forest that will be destroyed. The coal from the MTR mining will end up contributing over 100 million tons of CO2 to the atmosphere. The valley fills will permanently bury over 20 miles of stream while contaminating another 40 to 60 miles with sediment and toxic heavy metals. The blasting will ruin the foundations of nearby communities, while the mining and valley fills will place thousands in danger of massive flash floods. Finally, by reducing the ridges by hundreds of feet, the mining will destroy the 400+ Megawatts of clean wind energy potential that currently exists.
The wind farm, by contrast, will generate clean energy forever, thus preventing the addition of hundreds of millions of CO2 to the atmosphere. It will provide local residents with permanent, safe jobs, forever. It will contribute over $2 Million in tax revenue for Raleigh County – one of the poorest counties in the nation – and this money could be used to stimulate the creation of other economic development projects that will futher diversify the economy and help break the coal stranglehold.
This area needs this wind farm to be developed. Coalfield residents need us to win, in order to spark some hope that things can and will change in the Central Appalachian coalfields. And everyone needs your help. We need you to help convince Governor Manchin that the wind farm is a far better option for the local communities, for the economy, and for West Virginia as a whole.
So again, we urge you to get involved and help us get a wind farm on Coal River Mountain. If we lose this one, there is little hope that we will ever be able to stop MTR and begin transitioning the local economies away from coal. PLease visit the Coal River Valley, talk with the residents here, learn about our campaign and then meet with Governor Manchin and help us get this wind farm. The choice being made here perfectly reflects the choices we must make as a nation if we are going to win the climate battle. All change comes from the bottom up, and the change here begins in the valleys, but its success depends on saving the peaks.
Thank you,
Rory McIlmoil
Coal River Mountain Wind Project