It’s Getting Hot In Here

Written by Sam McCreery and Jen Osha.

In southern West Virginia, the people and the land are paying the price so the rest of the nation can have cheap energy from mountaintop removal coal mining. Here in Rock Creek, men and machines are working 24-7 to remove the “overburden” over the coal seams. What many people don’t realize is that the “overburden” that is removed includes every living thing on the mountaintop, including the animals that can’t escape.

The Black Bear is the state animal of West Virginia. Mountaintop Removal is decimating their habitat by the thousands of acres. Long time resident of Rock Creek, WV, avid hunter and woodsman, Ed Wiley knew the site of a black bear den where the overburden was being shoved over. It was springtime, and he knew that the mother would still be inside nursing her cubs, so he hiked up to take a look.

“They had done cut all the timber off of the site,” Ed remembers. “I got to sit there lookin. Dozers were pushing the soil off. I saw that the momma bear had poked out her head, heard the dozer, and then gone back inside. They kept gouging her way… and then I watched them doze her in.” As Ed watched, the momma bear was buried alive with her cubs at her side. Continue reading ‘Black Bears Bulldozed in West Virginia’

Youth unite for environmental justice in Appalachia! Whether you live in the heart of coal country or thousands of miles away, what happens in West Virginia and its surrounding states matters to your future. Wednesday is a national day of solidarity with communities in Appalachia that confront many consequences of our fossil fuel addiction.  Coalfield communities affected by mountaintop removal and other forms of coal mining are faced with toxic coal slurry disposal, valley fills, blasting and many additional environmental burdens. The Mountain Justice Day of Action, part of the Week of Action, is an opportunity for young people to speak out against these injustices.

TAKE ACTION: Call Senator Robert C. Byrd and demand he fulfill his promise to Ed Wiley and that he protect the health and safety of the kids at Marsh Fork Elementary School. His number is (202) 224-3954. Marsh Fork is one of the most blatant examples of coal companies’ disregard for human health and safety. This school is located beside a coal silo, a coal preparation plant and below a huge coal slurry impoundment. For more info and resources, including talking points, handouts and a press release, go to www.climateaction.net/mjdoa. Continue reading ‘Wednesday: A Vision for Our Mountains’

Youth unite for environmental justice in Appalachia!

Wednesday, January 31, will be a Mountain Justice Day of Action! Local hero, Ed Wiley walked all the way from WV to D.C. and met with Senator Byrd about the dangerous situation at Marsh Fork Elementary School, which is located beside a coal silo, a coal preparation plant and below a huge coal slurry impoundment. Byrd promised to look for funding for a new school and “leave no stone unturned.” Yet to this date, the dire situation has not improved. In support of Ed Wiley, we will call Senator Robert C. Byrd on this day and demand that he fulfill his promise to protect the health and safety of the kids at Marsh Fork Elementary School. His number is (202) 224-3954. To watch a video on Ed’s story and his epic journey click here.

The Mountain Justice Day of Action, occurring during the week of climate action, is an opportunity for young people to speak out against social injustice taking place in southern Appalachia. Coalfield communities affected by mountaintop removal and other forms of coal mining are faced with toxic coal sludge disposal, valley fills, blasting and many additional impacts that our fossil-fuel dependency is currently having on the land and people of Appalachia. Marsh Fork Elementary School is one of the most blatant examples of coal companies’ disregard for human health and safety. Continue reading ‘Mountain Justice Day of Action - January 31, 2007′