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We are a group of environmental advocates united in providing a one-stop source for Virginia's environmental news. We each focus on different issues, but share the vision of a Commonwealth that preserves and protects its natural resources. Please join us!
The Sierra Club and Rainforest Action Network released a new report card on April 5 that names and ranks the top 10 financiers behind mountaintop coal mining projects. http://ran.org/reportcard
The top 10 mountaintop removal funders is a who's who of the banking world:
- Bank of America
- Citi
- Credit Suisse
- Deutsche Bank
- GE Capital
- JPMorgan Chase
- Morgan Stanley
- PNC
- UBS
- Wells Fargo
The report card concluded that these ten banks gave over $2.5 billion (that's billion with a "b") in loans and bonds to companies undertaking mountaintop removal coal mining projects.
Two bills in particular were the subject of a stakeholders' meeting held today by the new Virginia Offshore Wind (VOW) Coalition. Sen. Donald McEachin and Delegate Bill Janis with their respective SB577 and HB389 are proposing creation of a Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority "to facilitate and support the development of wind-powered electric energy facilities located off the coast of the Commonwealth beyond the Commonwealth's three-mile jurisdictional limit".
The Commission is charged with, among other tasks, (i) collecting metocean data, (ii) identifying existing state and regulatory or administrative barriers to the development of the offshore wind industry, (iii) upgrading port facilities to accommodate the manufacturing and assembly of offshore wind energy project components and vessels that will support the construction and operations of offshore wind energy projects, (iv) securing federal loan guarantees, and (v) developing, constructing, and operating interconnection facilities on the Virginia shoreline to connect offshore wind energy projects to the electric grid.
Both bills have been sent to their respective body's Commerce and Labor committee. SB577 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Commerce and Labor committee on 01/25/2010. It meets on Monday, 2:00 P.M. - Senate Room B. No assignment yet for HB389.
Virginia's environmental community had a fantastic "Conservation Lobby Day" on Mon., Jan. 18th. But now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work! So here's your legislative update for Thurs., Jan. 21st...
One of our marquee bills this session is the "Stream Saver" bill, SB564. (Click here for more info and to watch a video on this important bill.) The good news here is that the bill, introduced by Sen. Patsy Ticer, has picked up additional 5 more co-patrons, including Senators Whipple, Howell, Northam and Marsden. If you have a minute please call today at (800) 889-0229 and ask your Senator to co-patron this important bill!
However there is bad news with submission of SB 128 from Sen. Ryan McDougle. This bill would limit the Air Pollution Control Board's ability to address impacts on non-attainment areas (such as now the Hampton Roads area), in power plant permitting (such as ODEC's Surry coal plant in Hampton Roads).
SB564 is scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 11 at 4:00pm before the Senate Ag committee. (This is a correction to what was earlier posted here.)
Senators on this committee include Patsy Ticer, Harry Blevins, Creigh Deeds, Emmett Hanger, Mamie Locke, Ryan McDougle, Don McEachin, Ralph Northam, Mark Obenshain, Phil Puckett, Roscoe Reynolds, Frank Ruff, Richard Stuart, John Watkins, and Mary Margaret Whipple. Especially if these Senators represent you, please be sure to contact them and urge their opposition to SB128. (Click here for contact info for these members.)
This is awful. Absolutely terrible. Its already pretty bad that the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) used the anti American, anti-democracy Bonner and Associates as their PR firm even though they are known for breaking the law by impersonating public groups and private individuals to promote such things as smoking in the workplace. Even though its a known fact that in order to create a false sense of public support for an issue they hire temp employees, pay them hourly with no benefits, give them two hours of training on an issue, and then tell them to generate as many phone calls and letters to congress as possible in an office that has been repeatedly referred to as a "white collar sweatshop".
They even sent a fake letter to Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello from a non-profit group in his district that focuses on issues of importance to Hispanics encouraging Perriello to vote no on important climate change legislation. They also used the same tactic several on several other congressmen; faking letters from grassroots groups in their districts asking them to vote no on climate legislation -complete with fake letterhead and signatures.
It's even worse that the new group "Faces of Coal" turned out to be complete farces of coal when their website, which was supposed to be showing the faces of people who supported coal, turned out to be photos purchased from istockphoto.com.
Jack Bonner, the president of Bonner & Associates, told the House Select Committee on Global Warming and Energy Independence on Thursday that around June 22 the firm had discovered that a temporary employee had sent letters to Congress falsely representing local chapters of the NAACP, AAUW and other groups.
The panel has been investigating the forged letters since their discovery last summer. It released the results of its investigation at a hearing on Thursday.
The House voted on the bill on June 26, meaning Bonner knew of the forgeries as many as four days prior to the vote.
Six hearings, in six Appalachian coal producing states, were held last week to determine the fate of Nationwide Permit 21. If this permitting process is suspended by the Army Corps of Engineers, coal companies seeking permits for mountaintop removal mining that include valley fills will be held to more rigorous standards, be scrutinized under individual review, and be subject to public hearings before being granted. The public was asked to come out and voice their concerns about the suspension or renewal of the permit, known as NWP 21. A panel of Army Corps representatives listened to politicians that came to stump, miners and contractors that came to fight what they see as outsiders taking their jobs, and environmentalists that came to fight for the health of the people and land of the coal field.
West Virginia, and Kentucky are covered in this blog post as well as Virginia. To see Virginia go below the fold.
Charleston, WV: October 13, Charleston Civic Center
Tensions in the heart of coal country ran to a boiling point when a large group of angry miners pushed anti-mountaintop removal activists against the side of a building. Vernon Haltom of Coal River Mountain Watch was on the receiving side of the fray:
Although a few other people and I were in line and had filled out the registration forms to give comments, the Charleston police made us go out of the building where we were surrounded by more thugs pushing against us, threatening our lives, and again hurling insults. Our group included an eighty-year-old woman enduring 300-pound thugs screaming obscenities within three feet of her ears. After 15 minutes or so of this shameful display, the Charleston police required us to leave. Because it was easier to control a group of 6 or 7 peaceful people than a mob of hundreds of violence prone thugs, and because the police did not want any of us or the police to get hurt, they escorted us off the premises. Essentially, police inability to control the mob resulted in our inability to give verbal comments...Our friends inside the hearing were able to give comments, but were drowned out by the mob. When they complained to the hearing moderators, they were told the clock was ticking. When they left, the police refused to escort the last small group to their vehicles, forcing them to run the gauntlet without protection. The police said, "You all knew what you were getting into; you're on your own," or a similar reply when asked for escort to cars.
Ison Rock Ridge extends from Black Mountain on the Virginia/ Kentucky border and runs southeast toward the Town of Appalachia. A&G Coal Corp. wants to destroy 1,200+ acres of this mountain that borders several communities and hundreds of homes, putting lives at risk and impairing ecosystems for generations to come. Despite federal action intended to block this proposed mine, we have reason to believe that state agencies still intend to allow the destruction of Ison Rock Ridge, with only minor changes to the scope of the permit.
This message is going out across the Commonwealth today and is part of a coordinated effort to pressure the Governor to take action. Sierra Club, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and our allies are working hard on this two-year long struggle to protect Ison Rock Ridge from total destruction.
Ison Rock is the last ridge of Black Mountain in Virginia that hasn't been totally decimated by mountaintop removal strip mining--and for good reason. Along its flanks lie several communities, home to hundreds of people. Because of this, and the cumulative impact of other strip mines in the area, the EPA took action earlier this year by directing the US Army Corps of Engineers to suspend the federal permit required to create valley fills.
This action attracted national media attention, but it's not enough to save this mountain. The mining company now wants to go forward with a revised mining plan, and that application is currently pending before the state agency.
"In its last weeks in office, the Bush Administration pushed through a rule that allows coal mine operators to dump mountaintop fill into streambeds if it's found to be the cheapest and most convenient disposal option," writes Secretary Salazar in a press release issued yesterday. "We must responsibly develop our coal supplies to help us achieve energy independence, but we cannot do so without appropriately assessing the impact such development might have on local communities and natural habitat and the species it supports."
But according to the Washington Post, environmentalists are still having issues with Federal policy on MTR. "Some environmentalists, however, were disappointed by Salazar's move, arguing that more needs to be done and that the federal government has failed to enforce for decades its rule governing mountaintop mining practices", they write.
The ongoing dispute centers on a 1983 law that bars mining operators from dumping piles of debris -- which stem from blowing off the tops of mountains to get to the coal -- within 100 feet of any intermittent or permanent stream if the material would harm a stream's water quality or reduce its flow. Federal and state courts have issued conflicting interpretations of the law, and widespread dumping continued. The government estimates that 1,600 miles of streams in Appalachia have been wiped out since the mid-1980s.
But as WaPo also points out, the Obama administration "continues to chip away at its predecessor's environmental policies", noting that this MTR announcement comes on the same day "the EPA said it was taking a second look at a handful of Bush-era rules on air pollution".
The days of mountaintop removal mining may be numbered as the Obama administration takes yet another step in support of clean energy solutions and green jobs.
"The days of reckless, unchecked destruction of Appalachian mountains are numbered," said Mary Anne Hitt, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign. "There is much more work to do, but President Obama's EPA has taken bold action on mountaintop removal coal mining, and we applaud their intervention."
"This is a great day! I am hopeful it means the beginning of the end of the wholesale destruction of the Appalachian Mountains, its watersheds, its streams, its people, and its soul," said Kathy Selvage, vice president of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards (SAMS), a community organization based in Wise County, Virginia, who along with the Sierra Club have worked for two years to oppose strip mining on Ison Rock Ridge.
In a victory for community members and for clean water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the "nationwide 21" mining permit for A&G Coal's massive Ison Rock Ridge mountaintop removal coal mine in Southwest Virginia.
The Army Corps had been relying on a cookie-cutter "nationwide" permit for the Ison Rock Ridge mine, but in the EPA's recommendation that the Army Corps revoke the permit the Agency raised concerns about the mine's impact on waterways that were not addressed in the "nationwide" permit. By dumping its mining waste into valleys and waterways, the Ison Rock Ridge mountaintop removal coal mining operation would be extremely destructive. Residents are also concerned with the proximity of the proposed mine to their homes, as portions of the permit are within the corporate limits of the town of Appalachia and surround several other nearby communities.
The Ison Rock Ridge permit in Wise County, Virginia, covers nearly 1,300 acres and would destroy three miles of streams and fill nine lush valleys with more than 11 million cubic yards of rock and dirt. The massive mountaintop removal coal mine would surround the community of Derby, bringing destruction within a half mile of the historic district, eliminating the community's tourism appeal. Other nearby affected communities include Andover, Inman, and Osaka and the Town of Appalachia.
This is the third time the EPA has lodged objections to mountaintop removal mining permits that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was prepared to issue. The two other mines are in West Virginia: 1) Massey Energy's Republic No. 1 Surface Mine in Kanawha County, WV and 2) Frasure Creek Mining's Spring Fork No. 2 Mine in Mingo County, WV. Writes Ken Ward, Jr. at the Charleston Gazette, "Together, the three operations would bury about eight miles of streams, according to EPA's letters". Mr. Ward has posted the three EPA objection letters here, here and here.
EPA puts mountaintop mining projects on hold: Move comes after appeals court ruling that went against mine critics
Hundreds of mountaintop coal-mining permits are being put on hold until the projects' impacts on streams and wetlands can be reviewed, the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.
Announced by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the move targets a controversial practice by coal mining companies that blasts away whole peaks and sends mining waste into streams and wetlands. It does not apply to existing mines but only to projects where new permits are being sought.
The EPA also denied two permits the Army Corps of Engineers was planning to issue that would allow companies to fill thousands of feet of streams with mining waste at two sites in West Virginia and Kentucky.
(Thanks for your hard work on this, phaedrus. Since we last reported on this, Rep. Bobby Scott has signed on. We need Reps. Perriello and Nye. Please contact them ASAP! - promoted by Eileen)
This week, over 140 hillbillies, flat-landers and city folk from 25 states have gathered in Washington DC to lobby for the Clean Water Protection Act which would put an end to mountaintop removal coal mining . Someone at the New York Times must be paying attention to us because today the paper is featuring an editorial called "Appalachia's Agony" advocating for the Clean Water Protection Act and for Obama to use his executive power and influence to stop mountaintop removal. After all, he did say that we have to find better ways of mining coal "than simply blowing the tops off mountains." You can click here to see the excellent editorial.
The Clean Water Protection Act was introduced last month with 119 co-sponsors and any bill with that many co-sponsors makes a loud sound when its dropped. :-) I'm glad the NY Times editorial team feels the same way we do about mountaintop removal to help make that sound even louder.
Fellow Virginians should be proud to know that as I write this from our lobby week headquarters in the basement of the Lutheran church behind the Supreme Court building, there are 36 people lobbying to end mountaintop removal from Virginia, and 18 of them are from the coal fields -more representation than any other state!
Creigh Deeds is a very nice guy that I don't enjoy criticizing. He pushed several good clean energy bills in this year's Virginia Senate and has rightly opposed drilling along Virginia's coast.
But in an interview last week with Lowell Feld of Blue Virginia, Deeds showed why progressives are turning away from his campaign and towards the clean energy policies of Brian Moran and (to a lesser extent) Terry McAuliffe.
At a time when President Obama, Congressional Democrats, and his two competitors are all pushing for a clean energy future, Deeds instead parroted the coal industry's favorite catch phrases and scare tactics. To listen to Deeds, the only reason coal remains the dirtiest source of energy on the planet is that we haven't already dumped enough billions of research dollars into it. Like a bailout that never ends, we need to keep those billions flowing.
Deeds sounds like he's selling coal air freshener. We need to harness the awesome power of the word "clean"!
Look, coal is still dirty because no one has figured out a cost-effective way to capture and store its carbon dioxide emissions.
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Two bills in particular were the subject of a stakeholders' meeting held today by the new 
One of our marquee bills this session is the "Stream Saver" bill, SB564. (
This is awful. Absolutely terrible. Its already pretty bad that the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) used the anti American, anti-democracy Bonner and Associates as their PR firm even though they are known for 
They even sent 
"In its last weeks in office, the Bush Administration pushed through a rule that allows coal mine operators to dump mountaintop fill into streambeds if it's found to be the cheapest and most convenient disposal option," writes Secretary Salazar in a press release issued yesterday. "We must responsibly develop our coal supplies to help us achieve energy independence, but we cannot do so without appropriately assessing the impact such development might have on local communities and natural habitat and the species it supports."
The days of mountaintop removal mining may be numbered as the Obama administration takes yet another step in support of clean energy solutions and green jobs.
This week, over 140 hillbillies, flat-landers and city folk from 25 states have gathered in Washington DC to lobby for the 
