Revolution Begins

Putting out the information, declaration, and representation of the truth that is West Virginia. Blasting apart the negligent lies the media spills and cleaning up the mess movies make for thrills. Here to tell the truth and make it known. On the record books may the facts be shown that I stood because I could to let this land be understood. Save the mountains, stop the blasting, so mountaineers will be everlasting. I have faith the hills can be preserved but only when we with voices stop being reserved! I stand with the miner, I'm not here to steal their jobs, I just want to help the mountains before they're robbed. So check it out, read through my words, and maybe together our force will be heard.

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After a long absence I have returned with an opportunity for us in hand. The above protest is to stop the release of permits for Mountaintop Removal and will take place Monday, March 16th in Charleston, WV. Share the word and bring a friend. Signs will be provided and the first 125 to show up will get a free T-Shirt. the protest will last from 11 to 1. All further information is listed in the article!

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Just a little food for thought as we head into the new year. 

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Is It Really As Beneficial As They Say?!

In the constant argument between Big Coal and the people over mountaintop removal it is often argued that this is a much more efficient way of getting the maximum amount of coal. But is it really as important as they claim? Surprisingly coal from mountaintop removal makes up less than 5% of coal produced every year. What does this mean for us? This means we could do away with the destructive and corrupt method of coal production and it wouldn't so much as put a dent in the system. It's not nearly as helpful as they claim. So why are we allowing it to stick around and continue to level our mountains? Why are we letting them fill our valleys, cover our waterways, and pollute our drinking water? WHY?

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Apologies

Dear followers,

I just wanted to apologize for my extended absence from the blog. Thank you very much for hanging in there. This will be back up and running this week! Time to continue spreading truth! Are you with me?!

-Mountainfighter

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Just so you are aware I will be absent for the upcoming week so the blog will be devoid of posts during that time! If you're new to the blog please check out the information already posted, if you're a follower I encourage you to do some research of your own. Have a blessed week!

-mountainfighter

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What We Get Out Of It: 2. The Loss of This Beauty

Bear in mind these are just a sample. I encourage you to see these views for yourself. It's simply breathtaking.

From this Mountaintop Removal is kindly giving us the following in return.

I don't know about the rest of you but that's a crappy trade. Yet there may be some of you, dear readers, who say so what, it's just some mountains. We're getting cheap fuel and keeping miners safe.

Yes and no. Miner's safety is a prime cause I believe in, however there are ways to keep these courageous men and women safe without blowing apart the beauty this state is known for. And besides this method of mining is hurting the miners, their families, and their communities with the polluted water, coal dust, and flood threats that are commonplace. Coal is a cheap energy source and this is a cheaper process....that's what you say. And while that may be so if the big coal companies have enough money to continue to pay for the same fines and participate in illegal matters....they darn well have enough to mine in safer, friendlier ways. 

Stand with me I urge you! Notify the president, notify your representatives, stand up against this disastrous activity! If no one will we will have nothing left to fight for! Mountains can not be rebuilt and they do not just appear. But these companies are treating them like a pile of rubble is good enough. (Please bear in mind dear readers that I'm not accusing all coal companies of this behavior. It is unfair to generalize. Most of these aims are against Big Coal and the method of mountaintop removal itself.) Help spread the word, notify the public, tell your friends, just get the word out! We can do fight this is we all stand together!

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Lately I have supplied you with a lot of facts about mountaintop removal. This evening I would like to supply food for thought from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A well known individual who gives of his time to learn about what was happening in our state and help how he can.

“Mountaintop removal is the biggest environmental battle of our hemisphere. You know, you can restore the Hudson River in perhaps a hundred years. But you will never, never, get these mountains back. This is truly a crime against every human being in the world.”

- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

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What Do We Get Out Of It? 1. Slurry Ponds

Slurry (according to Merriam-Webster.com): a watery mixture of insoluble matter (as mud, lime, or plaster of paris)

How does this apply to Mountaintop Removal exactly? Sadly it is one of the results of this coal mining process. Waste products from the mining and the coal itself is stored in the ponds. Harmful chemicals reside in this sludge that is often only contained by a poorly maintained dam. Throughout history tragedy has struck from these dam failures. A prime example is the Buffalo Creek flood in 1972. This killed over a hundred, injured many, and left thousands homeless. They were wiped out by the flood of sludge and debris. Many people fail to realize that these sludge ponds are located above towns and schools where the community are threatened everyday with the possibility of a dam break. Yet sometimes with the help of people like you people can be saved. Just recently, after a long time of fighting, Marsh Fork Elementary was granted a new school away from a dammed pond just above their original site. 

So if it's contained it's fine right? WRONG! The slurry inevitably leaks into the ground and affects the water people count on to bathe, cook, and drink. Think about this, you could be drinking toxic chemicals and metals! Some of you may be saying, yeah well what about the sludge that's put in abandoned mines? Let me tell you....mines are NOT sealed! The water is going to get into the ground too. Some of the health problems that have been traced back to slurry water include: kidney and liver disease, several types of cancer, an abundance of brain tumors, rash, and tooth loss (these were found at sludgesafety.org). This isn't all either but I hope you agree with me that this is more than enough. 

Below are the lists of chemicals and metals found in slurry ponds along with what health problems the metals have been linked to thanks to sludgesafety.org which I recommend anyone looking for more references to check out. Also included are their references.

Aluminum Antimony Arsenic Barium Beryllium Cadmium Calcium Chromium CobaltCopper Iron Lead Magnesium Manganese Mercury Molybdenum NickelPotassium Selenium Silver Sodium Strontium Tin Vanadium Zinc

  Aniline Acenaphthene Acenapthylene Anthracene Benzidine Benzo(a)anthracene Benzo(a)pyrene Benzo(b)fluoranthene Benzo(ghi)perylene Benzo(k)fluoroanthene Benzyl alcohol bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate bis(2-chloroethoxy)-methane bis(2-chloroethyl)ether bis(2-chloroisopropyl)ether Butyl benzyl phthalate Chrysene Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene

Dibenzofuran Dibutyl phtalate Diethyl phthalate Dimethyl phthalate Dioctylphthalate Fluoranthene Fluorene Hexachlorobenzene Hexachloroethane Indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene Isophorone N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine N-Nitrosodiphenylamine Naphthalene Nitrobenzene Phenanthrene Pyrene  

  Acrylamide

Hexachloro-1,3-Butadiene

Hexa-Cl-1,3-Cyclopentadiene 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene 1,2-Dichlorobenzene 1,3-Dichlorobenzene 1,4-Dichlorobenzene 2,4-Dinitrotoluene 2,6-Dinitrotoluene 2-Chloronaphtalene 2-Methylnapthalene |2-Nitroaniline 3-3'-Dichlorobenzidine 3-Nitroaniline 4-Bromophenyl phenyl ether 4-Chloroaniline 4-Chhlorophenyl phenyl ether 4-Nitroaniline

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Yeah....So What?

So What?! So let's end this. As many people know coal mining is West Virginia's largest economic venture, but sadly mountaintop removal is destroying our second biggest: tourism. We are the MOUNTAIN STATE! Yet by blowing up the mountains we're slowly flattening the (arguably) most beautiful aspect of our state. West Virginia is the only state to be totally in the Appalachian Mountains but we're blasting away at it a range at a time. To date over 500, let me repeat that, over 500 mountains have been reduced to a sad echo of what once stood there. This is impacting the wildlife, the water quality, the health of people nearby, and will begin to dwindle our tourism income. People come to West Virginia to ride the rapids, go canoeing, rock climbing, hiking, and so much more. But once the mountains are gone, no one is going to want to pay to look at piles of ruble. Now some of the coal companies will argue that they follow the guidelines and recreate the mountainlike structure they are supposed to make. However, the topsoil that is supposed to exist and trees. They don't exist. The topsoil they agree to put down turns out to be giant bits of rock and rubble and the 'mountain' looks more like a sad mound or Aztec pyramid remake. You can't rebuild a mountain! But you could at least try to do it right. And when companies are fined for not following protocol do you know what happens? They pay it and keep on breaking the rules because they have so much money they don't mind paying the little fines. It doesn't harm them at all!!! We need to stand up and put a stop to this destruction!

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So What is This "Mountaintop Removal" Exactly?

Here is a passage from earthjustice.org explaining what goes on in this process.

"Coal companies first raze an entire mountainside, ripping trees from the ground and clearing brush with huge tractors. This debris is then set ablaze as deep holes are dug for explosives. An explosive is poured into these holes and mountaintops are literally blown apart. Huge machines called draglines—some the size of an entire city block, able to scoop up to 100 tons in a single load—push rock and dirt into nearby streams and valleys, forever burying waterways. Coal companies use explosives to blast as much as 800 to 1,000 feet off the tops of mountains in order to reach thin coal seams buried deep below."

As you can tell this is an incredibly destructive process that results in everything from environmental damage to health problems for the people nearby.

  This is just a few images of what mountaintop removal looks like.

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It may be too late for West Virginia to save itself from the ravages of Big Coal. But it's not too late for America.

Jeff Goodell