West Virginia Future

Green J.O.B.S. Cookout

2008-09-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

Green for All, a group for green jobs, has called for a "national day of action" on SEPTEMBER 27.The event will begin at 12 Noon and end around 8pm. It will take place at the Williamson Community College. There will be two movies played in room 433 a&b. The first one (3pm) will be informational movie about global warming ("Six Degree") and the second (6pm) will be coupled with a Q&A workshop discussing the technical "nuts and bolts" of installing small wind turbines. We will also have a picnic/cookout outside of the community college. This picnic will have displays of small wind turbines as well as many organization will have informational booths set up.
Highlights:

Cookout
Speakers
Workshops
Movies
Jobs
Music
A good time for all

July 28 Meeting Report: The Next Buffalo Creek?

2008-08-13T17:31:00.001-07:00

(Staff Photo/JULIA GOAD) THE STORY OF A FAMILY – Standing next to a list of concerns voiced by residents, Freddy Runyon tells the history of his family in Dan's Branch. He feels the community is threatened by a mining operation proposed for the hollow.

Citizens voice concerns with proposed mining operation

By JULIA GOAD
Staff Writer

Published:

Saturday, August 2, 2008 1:39 AM CDT

CHATTAROY — Citizens concerned with a proposed mining and construction site met this week at the Chattaroy Gospel Revelation Church to discuss possible effects the project will have on their community.

About 20 people met with representatives from West Virginia Future, a grass roots organization which concerns itself with the mining industry’s impact on the environment and the families who live near mining operations.

The company which has obtained the permits to begin mining the Chattaroy/Miller’s Creek area is Consolidated Coal. The mining would be done in conjunction with construction of the King Coal Highway, part of which is now under construction near Red Jacket. Parts of the highway will be built on flat land created by mountain top removal mining.

Donna Branham was the unofficial spokesperson for the organization at the event. She said the community cannot depend on governing bodies to protect them and their property from the negative effects of coal mining. She said the organization has spoken many times with the Environmental Protection Agency, and that the agency itself says it is short staffed.

“They told us they were five years behind on following up inspections,” she said. “And that there are over 100 vacancies at EPA.”

Branham said citizens must work together to protect their rights.

Among the concerns aired by citizens were contamination of water, transporting the coal after it is mined, damage to homes from blasting and loss of property value. But the biggest concern voiced was that of flooding. Freddy Runyon lives at Dan’s Branch on land his family has owned for three generations. He said he never thought flooding was a concern to him and his family due to the higher elevation of the hollow...

Click Here to Read Full Article Online

July 8 Meeting Report

2008-08-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

Citizens Protest Buffalo Mountain Strip Job

Published:

Friday, July 25, 2008 6:16 AM CDT

Logan Banner Staff Report

VARNEY - More than 50 residents gathered at the old Varney Grade School recently to discuss their concerns for the 2,300-acre strip mine permit that will bring 12 valley fills to the area.

"We know coal mining is important to our state and we are proud of our heritage as West Virginians," said Donna Branham, a Lenore resident and one of the organizers of the meeting. "I am here because I want the companies and the government officials to obey the law, and I know we can hold them accountable if we all stick together."

Branham gave a welcoming presentation to start the meeting and then everyone took a turn to stand up and say what concerned them the most. Stated concerns included blasting damage to property, increased flooding, loss of protection from storms, dropped well water and contaminated water.

"I was a strip miner," said Rush Farley of Pigeon Roost Hollow, "and I can tell you that every one of those things has happened and will happen, especially rocks flying off the hill. Some will be accidents, but accidents happen all the time on strips."

"I am a member of the UMWA and of OVEC, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. I am here because I believe that we need good jobs and we need more jobs in this county," said Terry Steele of Mate Creek. "I am here to support these people because I am against mountaintop removal, and I am for underground coal mining."

"What can we do about our water?" asked Christie Thompson of Delbarton. "I don't want my creek poisoned. We live on Hell Creek and my kids play in that water. We rely on it."

Branham explained that this permit, number S5018-07, is asking for seven different variances.

"A variance is when the Department of Environmental Protection allows a company to be exempt from the law," she said.

"Valley fills are against the law," said Jack Spadaro, former Mine Safety and Health Administration mine inspector, "they are in violation of the Clean Water Act."

"These fills could also affect Chattaroy and Millers Creek," said Shana Hughes of Delbarton, "and we need all the help we can get in letting people there know what is being proposed."

The creek that runs through Chattaroy is named Buffalo Creek, but it not the same Buffalo Creek as the one running through Logan County.

The permit can be viewed at the Mingo County Courthouse and the Logan DEP office. The deadline for commenting on the permit is August 8.

To contact other residents who are concerned, or to learn more about the permit, call 475-2529 and leave a message, or go to www.westvirginiafuture.org

Helpful Definitions

2008-08-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

DIVISION OF MINING AND RECLAMATION
The Division of Mining and Reclamation oversees all mining activities. This includes reviewing permit applications for surface and underground coal mines, preparation plants, coal loading facilities, haulage ways and coal-related dams.
The purpose of a coal mining permit is to preserve the integrity of land and water resources that will be disturbed by mining operations and related activities.

NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM PERMIT-MINING
The purpose of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit is to ensure the integrity of the rivers, streams, and other surface water disturbed by discharges from coal, non-coal mining operations and related activities.

GROUND WATER PROTECTION PLAN
The purpose of the groundwater protection plan is to ensure the integrity of groundwater when it is disturbed by coal and non-coal mining operation.

STATE 401 CERTIFICATION
The State 401 Certification is to ensure that any proposed activity that will fill in West Virginia surface waters with dredge or fill material will comply with state water quality standards.

Report from Winds of Change Newsletter

2008-07-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

Click Here for Full Online Newsletters

Show Me The Money!
DEP Asks, OVEC Delivers
On Earth Day (April 22) at the state capitol, an alliance of citizen groups, union workers, and environmental organizations called for the legislature to protect the health and well-being of West Virginians. They presented a mock check for $2.4 billion to the West Virginia state legislature.

OVEC member Donna Branham gets ready to deliver the 600 petitions to the House Clerk's Office.
Speakers cited the $20 million dollar settlement between the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Massey Energy for more than four thousand violations of the Clean Water Act in West Virginia and Kentucky.
If the state had collected the full amount of the fines, it would have collected $2.4 billion.
"We would like the legislature to have these billions that could be coming into the state if the Department of Environmental Protection would collect the overdue fines from violators," said Gordon Simmons, President of the Local UE 170. "Unfortunately, there is no money to collect, as the DEP has not been doing its job to hold polluters accountable."
"We are here today because we want to support the DEP," said Donna Branham, an OVEC member from Mingo County. "We want good jobs for the state workers; we want a DEP that has the resources it needs to do its job. We are asking the state legislature to conduct an audit of the DEP, assess why the agency has been missing these billions of dollars. Let’s get the agency the resources it needs to protect our health and our environment."
During the press conference, citizens presented more than 600 petition signatures, which they delivered to the Speaker of the House and the Senate President by way of the clerks’ offices. The groups will continue collecting signatures on the petition, which calls for the legislature to audit the DEP, fill the 100 job vacancies in the DEP, assess why the agency has missed so many fines, and postpone the issuance of any future permits until the audit is complete and the fines are collected.
"Year after year after year, the DEP has failed to enforce the environmental standards of state law," said Dawn Knight, a chapter president of the West Virginia Public Workers Union. "It is in the public interest that the Division of Environmental Protection be vigilant in its inspections and vigorous in its enforcement. It is in the public interest that DEP hire and maintain an adequate and professional staff. It is in the public interest that corporate polluters be punished and made to put our state’s ecology right again, to undo the wanton damage of poisoning our land and water and the very air we breathe.
"It is obviously not enough for the legislature to pass laws to protect us. The laws must be enforced. So we call on that branch to audit DEP," Knight added. "It is high time for the legislative branch to exercise its oversight responsibilities to the people and land of West Virginia."
Left to right, OVEC organizer Patricia Feeney and Mingo County members Carolyn Van Zant and Donna Branham show off the giant check with the amount of money the DEP could have collected in fines - if it had cared enough to do its job.
The event was sponsored by OVEC, WV Public Workers Union, Coal River Mountain Watch, Concerned Citizens of Mingo County, West Virginia Citizen Action Group, the WV Environmental Council, Sustainable Living for West Virginia, Keepers of the Mountain Foundation, Student Environmental Action Coalition and Sierra Club.

Action Alert: Safe Water and a Strong DEP
download the petition and flyer to take around to your friends, family, and neighbors To copy or sign petition online visit http://www.ohvec.org/

Local Group Outreach Campaign
Mingo folks identified our top priorities to be educating neighbors about the issues and getting more people involved in making change. We researched media costs, brainstormed slogans, and made plans to do some serious outreach this summer with the goal of recruiting 50 members.
We aim to kick off the outreach campaign with billboards along Rt. 119 near Williamson. Beth Raps, a professional grant writer in Berkeley Springs, is also volunteering her time and looks to raise $10,000 for the billboards.
Through a gift from Appalachian Voices, we met with Fenton Communications, a PR firm in DC. And, Earthjustice has donated both time and money to help us develop a powerful message.
Thank you to everyone who is making this important project a reality. This is surely a powerful catalyst for an event-filled summer of recruitment!
And keep your eyes peeled for the launch of a new, local environmental group here in Mingo County. If you have any experience or support you would like to offer, please call West Virginia Future at (304) 475-2529.
Movie Nights
Mingo County community leaders recently initiated monthly movie showings at the Pizza Hut in South Williamson.
Free and open to the public, these movie nights are a great place to meet others who want to get involved and learn more about environmental issues in the coalfields. Up coming dates to be announced soon.

One Perspective: We Need Enforcement!

2008-07-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

We need to get laws that are on the books to be enforced, and to educate the people and the coal miners that the coal owners and operators will not quit producing coal just because the citizens have decided it is time for them to be more responsible for their actions, We need to understand that the coal operators are used to making a lot of money quickly.

Do you think these companies will just quit if we hold them accountable? No, they will still mine coal, we forget that these companies may make millions, but they have debts and bills also, they owe for big equipment and other machinery that is necessary to work the mines, They want to mine coal, we need to stand our ground and make them responsible, make them abide by the rules, and in the mean time we can rally for alternative energy, re educate and teach new skills to our citizens, Let everyone know that OVEC is a friend not a foe, we love the environment but most of all the Appalachian People, We want to protect our culture and heritage.

2008-05-28T16:09:00.000-07:00