It’s Getting Hot In Here

Last June, a daring team of 14 people shut down a dragline on a Massey owned mountaintop removal site in Twilight, WV.  The team included 4 climbers that went up the 20 story piece of equipment to deploy a banner.

The police and Massey confiscated all their camera and video equipment and this week it was returned to the activists.

Here are the pictures from the climbers up on the dragline.

Notice the sheer devastation that you can see in the back ground as the climbers are on the machine.

Companies like Massey Energy have declared war on the forests and mountains of Appalachia.

This action was one in thirteen that have happened this year with over 100 people being arrest resisting mountaintop removal.  Continue reading ‘Photos: Climbers on Twilight MTR Site Dragline’

Glenn Beck has repeatedly used outrageous statements and race-baiting to attack President Obama and now Van Jones.  Read the July 23rd attack on Jones, courtesy of Media Matters:

This guy wasn’t a radical, then was arrested. Spent six months in jails. Came out a communist. Then he was a communist-anarchist radical. And then he decided — he found the eco-movement and decided green is the new red. He then went on to become a green expert.

Then, as if that wasn’t enough, on September 1st, Beck dug up video of Powershift 2009 – yes, the very same one – to ‘prove’ that Jones is a communist and a revolutionary. Skip to minute 4 if you can’t take all the craziness and just want the relevant stuff.

Why these attacks? Because one very bad-ass organization is running a very effective campaign to starve Beck of advertising money (i.e. his reason to be on the airwaves).  Color of Change, with its campaign “Stop the Race Baiting” Oh, and Van Jones is one of the founders of Color of Change.  Glenn Beck is lashing out because he’s hurt – Oh no, Glenn, are the angry liberals starting to get under your skin?

The most important thing you can do this week is join this campaign.  Then put it on facebook.  Then tweet it.  Use the hashtag #supportvan and get this out there.  We know how effective these campaigns can be – why else do conservatives fear MoveOn.org like its the devil?  And we also know that our generation gets its news primarily from social media – friends.

Sign the petition, get the word out.  Yes We Can take away Glenn Beck’s microphone.

Continue reading ‘Yes We Can Stop Glenn Beck and Save Van Jones’

Today, a coalition of over 20 environmental, community and faith groups called on Verizon Wireless to end their support for the Massey organized Friends of America rally and officially announce their opposition to mountaintop removal.

Yesterday, Greenpeace launched a phone-in action on Verizon Wireless’ executive offices.  During the day, operators told concerned callers that Verizon’s corp mothership didn’t even know about the sponsorship. I guess they know now!

Here’s the press release, the letter is further down.

Groups Ask That Verizon Wireless Withdraw Support of Controversial, Climate-change Denying Labor Day Event

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Today a coalition of groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter to Verizon Wireless asking the corporation to withdraw its sponsorship of a Labor Day rally being held in West Virginia to support mountaintop removal coal mining and oppose climate legislation . The groups represent millions of members and include Natural Resources Defense Council, Defenders of Wildlife, Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace USA, Friends of the Earth, Appalachian Voices, Christians Caring for Creation, and many others. Continue reading ‘Coalition Calls for Verizon Wireless to End Support for Pro-Mountaintop Removal Rally’

Rising Tide is proud to announce the release of Deal or No Deal, a 16 page newspaper exploring issues surrounding the upcoming UN climate talks in Copenhagen from an anti-capitalist, climate justice perspective.

Deal or no Deal is an in-depth and highly accessible read that covers the history of international climate negotiations and what’s going on with them in the present. Deal or No Deal delivers a scathing critique of carbon trading, the corporate takeover of the UN climate talks, and the obstructionist role that rich nations play in the talks; while providing insight and inspiration for what we can do to fight back. And of course, it comes complete with pithy cartoons and a slick design.

Download a copy here: http://alturl.com/yvpm

(A re-sized printable version is here)

Or better yet get the real thing by emailing distro-AT-RisingTideNorthAmerica-DOT-org!

Please include how many copies you want and an address to send them to. We are happy to provide Deal or No Deal free of charge.

As an all volunteer, and rather poor collective we would greatly appreciate donations large and small to help cover printing and shipping costs, especially for larger requests! DONATE HERE

-Rising Tide North America

In 3 weeks, 18 of the most powerful men and 2 of the most powerful women in the world will meet in Pittsburgh for the G20 summit. Their combined voices will direct hundreds of billions of dollars, set policy and effect not only the residents of their countries, but all 6.7 billion of us. They have a pretty loud voice.

The rest of us are working to amplify our voice to call for a bold global climate treaty, and end to current wars, and more money for human needs. In order to raise that voice, activists need to use all the tools at their disposal, and exercise their full 1st amendment rights. Those rights are under attack right now from the City of Pittsburgh and the powers above their heads.

1. No permits for any demonstrations, marches or events of any kind have been granted. The only permit issued so far is to the police to camp (military encampment?) at Point State Park – Pittsburgh’s iconic downtown green space.
2. Proposed ordinances 1708 and 1709 which criminalize intent when carrying certain materials or wearing masks. link
3. The city recently passed a resolution for a $19 million security budget ($0 for amenities for visiting demonstrators, $0 for local failing schools, underfunded public health programs, etc.) and is bringing in 3,100 extra police officers. link
4. The secret service has yet to announce what the security perimeter will be. The 64+ hour perimiter is rumored to shut-down all of downtown, including all bridges and public transportation. But the details are unknown. Delaying with the details is an impediment to the planning of peaceful protests, thereby decreasing the volume of our free speech. Continue reading ‘Our Voice at the G20: Free speech with the volume muted’

I really savor those moments where corp PR hacks screw up.  Really I do.

While CREDO and the Center for Biological Diversity have turned up the heat on Verizon Wireless in the blog-o-sphere over the company’s sponsorship of the anti-environmental anti-union Friends of America labor day rally, their corp communications VP James Gerace decided that mountaintop removal and climate change were not important enough issues and sent (mistakenly, I assume) a off color dismissive email to CREDO’s Political Director after what had been a cordial communication over the issue.

“This is how our response is going over with the activists. Becky once lived in a tree for a while. At least now I know where the emails are coming from.”
— James Gerace, VP of Corporate Communications at Verizon Wireless

Hmmmm, Verizon maintains that they have been thrust into a political argument and their participation is non-political. Gerace’s comments towards people opposing mountaintop removal, climate denial, anti-enviro extremism and right wing demagoguery sounds political to me. Continue reading ‘Verizon Wireless: Open Mouth, Insert Mountain’

Mountaintop Removal Blasting Sends Boulder Into Local Home:  EPA Considers More Permits for Mountaintop Removal in the Region

Last week Frasure Creek Mining Company set off a mining blast that dislodged a massive boulder sending it cascading down the mountain into a nearby home.

The dislodged boulder rolled directly into the bedroom of two local Floyd County residents, who were away from the home at the time of incident.  According to state mining officials, the company has been assessed charges of around $10,000.  For the coal industry, this equals about 2 coal train car loads of coal in profit.

The incident comes at a time when the EPA is reviewing dozens of proposed Mountaintop Removal permits, including more for Floyd County where the boulder rolled into a home.  The EPA is anticipated to release their decisions on the pending permits as soon as mid-September.

To see the full list of pending Mountaintop Removal permits under consideration by the EPA, see: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Coal_Mining_Tracker&autologin=true

Take urge the EPA to deny any further Mountaintop Removal permits, you can take action, here: https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2313

Want to connect with young climate leaders around the country? Looking for an exchange of ideas, skills and resources?

Sign up and be part of the Sierra Student Coalition’s Peer 2 Peer Exchange Program by September 14 (deadline)!!!

Peer 2 Peer Exchange Program
Sponsored by the Support, Outreach, and Community Subcommittee [SOC SUB] of the Sierra Student Coalition

Want to hone your organizing skills, share insights and goals, get support in your region, talk organizing, commiserate with a fellow climateer, or just link into the wonderful community that is the climate movement??
Well, the P2P program is for you!

Goal: To strengthen the movement around the country, build personal relationships and develop leaders, and reach our campaign and personal goals.

Registration period: Sign-up is now available online and will be open until September 14! You will find out who your partner is on October 1!!!

Hope you’ll join us!

UPDATE:A volunteer lawyer got the two $25,000 bails reduced to $1,000 each. Both have been bailed out and are home safe and sound. Thank you everyone for all your support so that we can continue this campaign to stop mountaintop removal.

Climate Ground Zero’s tree-sit in the Coal River Valley of southern West Virginia ended today as one climber, Nick Stocks, descended voluntarily and the other Laure Steepleton did so when Massey Energy Security began cutting Nick’s tree which was attached to hers threatening her safety.

They have been preventing more blasting from rocking the homes of Pettry Bottom because harmful government inaction has failed to do so.

Through the course of the week, Stocks and Stapleton endured physical threats and verbal abuse at the hands of the security guards, as well as constant noise and lights in attempts to force them down.

Now upon their descent and arrests they each have $25,000 bail for littering, trespass and obstruction. 

Please donate NOW to get Nick and Laura out of jail.

Treesitters descend, threatened with chainsaw, $50,000 bail

PETTRY BOTTOM, W.Va.—The two Edwight tree sitters, Nick Stocks and Laura Steepleton, came down from their 80-foot tulip poplar perches this afternoon and were taken into State Police custody. They have been preventing more blasting from rocking the homes of Pettry Bottom because harmful government inaction has failed to do so. They have both been charged with trespass, obstruction and littering, and their bail has been set at $25,000 each. For the past five days, they endured psychological torture, verbal assault and threats. Continue reading ‘Coal River Valley Tree-Sitters Descend’