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Editor's note: Yesterday, activists gathered outside of the EPA's Region III office at 16th and Arch to protest the truly hideous practice called mountaintop removal, in which coal companies literally dynamite mountains to gain easier access to the coal inside. We dispatched intern Emily Currier to the scene; she files this report:
To show solidarity for the people of Appalachia, a group of about 30 people, from college students to lifelong activists, rallied outside the PhiladelphiaÂ’s EPA Region 3 office in the Monday morning cold. While coal mining may seem like a foreign concept to urbanites, many decisions about mining are made right here. PhiladelphiaÂ’s EPA Region 3 office calls the shots in the Mid-Atlantic Region, meaning Delaware, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Currently, the office is reviewing 23 permits for mountaintop removal, a devastating form of strip mining that literally levels entire mountains.
Philly Against Coal, Philly Rising Tide, and Rainforest Action Network organized the demonstration to speak for people in West Virginia who, they say, donÂ’t have similar access to government officials. This morning's protest coincides with one at the EPA regional office in Atlanta.
“Mountaintop removal has become a nationwide issue. From Philadelphia to Atlanta people are standing up to say its unacceptable," says Joshua Kahn Russell, a rally organizer and a Rainforest Action Network member.
The protesters, many of whom donned green hard-hats or white "Wind Field Tech" jumpsuits, held up predictable enough signage: “Mountain Justice,” “Windmills Not Toxic Spills,” etc. To chants of “It’s time to take a stand, EPA, lend us a hand,” Robin Markle, of Philly Rising Tide, and Josh Yoder, a Temple student, approached EPA security to try to get a letter delivered to Shawn Garvin, the EPA’s regional administrator.That latter requested thatEPA officials to do a flyover of the Appalachian Mountains and stop issuing permits. It pointed to recent scientific evidence about the sheer destructiveness of mountaintop removal.
An hour after the protest began, Markle and Yoder emerged from the office, and said their requests were granted. The letter was delivered and Jeffrey Lapp, an EPA official, came down to meet with the activists and agree to set up a future appointment. Which is, of course, something, and better than nothing.
Amy your point is reasonable -- if not coal extraction, what's the alternative for local jobs and income? Alternative local plans do exist - plans that allow for energy, income generation, and jobs. And they don't have all of the messy side effects of blowing up mountains. These plans are made by the "local people" you mentioned who are not your typical environmental advocates - they are the people who live in the area. Their point is that the mountain ridges are good for wind farms and you can still mine the coal underneath. They ask for widespread support from "urbanites" because the permit decisions are made at a regional level, not within their community. I came across an interesting YouTube video about one local proposal you might be interested to watch. I don't know much about the project, but thought they had some good points: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIwO9Z3IlRo
Do these groups who are not in Appalachian really think that they are providing a voice to the folks who have been surrounded their entire lives by coal and whosee livelihoods are completely reliant on coal? They are completely out of touch with what these folks want. Where, if not from coal, do they think their electricity is going to come from? Wind? Where will you put those giant windmills? Not in Phillie, I'm sure. Nuclear? I suspec the anti-coal folks would sooner die than allow that. Solar? Again, where would they put these giant solar farms? I can hear them now saying...Not in my back yard! Just once, I would love to hear the "I Love Mountains" folks propose a viable alternative to coal-fired power plants. Without alternatives, all they are doing is shouting. To have your voices really heard, provide some scientifically-supported ideas for how we'll replace coal in our electricity generation.
Millions of citizens speaking softly results in one very loud voice, and if that one voice is directed at the U.S. Congress it can stop mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia. Please contact your Representative and Senators, urge them to cosponsor & support the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310), and the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696). They are blowing up our mountains, and there oughta be a law! www.iLoveMountains.org
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