FIGHTING COAL WITH WIND

There is a war going on against coal. This is a report from the front lines, where the good guys claimed a small victory September 10.

Although West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin did not come through with action protecting one of West Virginia’s most precious mountains, the Massey Energy plan to begin blasting a mountaintop removal coal mine did not go forward.

What stopped the fine coal-mining folks who brought us 2007’s Crandall Canyon mine disaster? (See THE DOWNSIDE OF COAL) They hadn’t quite finished the details of the permitting process and, under the watchful eyes of activists like Coal River Mountain Watch who are fighting the war against coal, they didn’t dare go forward for fear of bringing down upon Massey Energy every legal repercussion Coal River Mountain Watch can muster (and it can muster plenty).

The activists say the matter now is day by day and they are still appealing to the Governor to step in.

Lorelei Scarbro, community organizer, Coal River Mountain Watch/ resident, Rock Creek, WV: “We’re asking Governor Manchin for a stay of execution for this mountain…Once the demolition begins, it will be very difficult to stop it, and once the mountain is removed, it won’t grow back. The potential for wind energy and good jobs will be gone forever, along with our renewable water and forest resources.”

Does Coal River Mountain Watch expect the region to simply do without energy and industry? That’s the most interesting part of this fight. There is a wonderful, win-win alternative: Coal River Mountain Wind, a wind project that could go on top of the mountain, generate 440 megawatts of wind energy-generated electricity and provide good quality jobs for the locals.

Admittedly, Coal River Mountain Wind is not being developed like most wind projects.

Jeff Gillenwater, spokesman, Massey Energy: "[D]o what any responsible energy producer would do: identify and acquire a site for their project, and obtain the permits and infrastructure necessary to make that project happen…The Coal River Mountain Watch's focus on this particular site, to the exclusion of any other, is perplexing to us…"

Don't be perplexed, Jeff. Coal River Mountain Wind is an urgent response to Massey Energy’s intentions to destroy a precious mountain unnecessarily.

Rory McIlmoil, wind project coordinator, Coal River Mountain Watch: “The mountaintop removal plans would only provide coal jobs for 14 years, while the wind farm jobs could last forever…The wind farm would also create more mining jobs, since much of the coal can still be deep mined.”

Sign Coal River Mountain Wind’s online petition

What's happening at Coal River Mountain. From TheCleanDotOrg via YouTube.

Coal Company To Begin Destruction Of Major West Virginia Wind Energy Resource; Citizens ask WV Governor Manchin for “stay of execution” for Coal River Mountain; Mountaintop Removal (MTR) coal-mining would destroy potential source of renewable energy, green jobs
September 9, 2009 (Coal River Mountain Wind Project)
and
Massey to begin blasting at Coal River Mountain
Vicki Smith, September 8, 2008 (AP via Forbes)
and
Bees, Trees, Wind and Dynamite
Kevin Grandia, September 10, 2008 (Huffington Post)

WHO
Massey Energy; Coal River residents; Coal River Mountain Watch (Vernon Haltom, co-director; Lorelei Scarbro, community organizer; Rory McIlmoil, wind project coordinator); Joe Manchin, Governor, West Virginia

WHAT
Although Coal River Mountain Watch and West Virginia residents did not get action from Governor Manchin to keep Massey Energy from proceeding with plans for mountaintop removal mining of Coal River Mountain, blasting did not take place because the coal company has not seen to all the requisite permits.

Cola River Mountain has moderate wind assets. Mountaintop removal and restoration could easily compromise them. (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- August 29: Massey Energy announced the blasting with an ad in the classified section of The Register-Herald of Beckley.
- September 10: Mountaintop removal mining of Coal River Mountain did NOT begin.
- September 16: Coal River Mountain Watch and a coalition of community and environmental groups will hold a Rally for Green Jobs and Healthy Mountains from 5-6:30pm on the steps of the State Capitol in Charleston, W.V., when they will again appeal to Governor Manchin to stand behind the Coal River Mountain Wind Farm.

WHERE
- Coal River Mountain Wind and Coal River Mountain Watch are based in Charleston, W.Va.
- Massey Energy is based in Richmond, Va.
- Coal River Mountain is a 10-square-mile mountaintop removal coal mining site near the communities of Clear Fork and Marsh Fork in Raleigh County, West Virginia, that residents and energy activists believe would be better used as a wind project site.

WHY
- Local residents and Coal River Mountain Watch are appealing to Governor Manchin to intervene to halt the destruction wrought by a mountaintop removal operation and to fulfill his political commitments to New Energy and the West Virginia landscape.
- The mountaintop site, if Massey Energy does not destroy it, would support a 220-turbine, 440-megawatt wind installation that would provide 200 construction jobs 50 permanent wind farm maintenance blue collar jobs to a region hurting for employment opportunities not involved with the life- and health-threatening work offered in the coal industry.
- The mountaintop removal project – even when restored after 1-to-2 decades of dgradation and spew – would lower the mountain some 500 feet and compromise its value as a wind energy producing site.
- Coal River Mountain Wind is backed by locals as well as the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, the Sierra Club and the North Carolina-based Appalachian Voices.
- The Governor’s office described Coal River Mountain Wind as a "well-intentioned effort to promote renewable energy and expand West Virginia's energy portfolio."
- The W.V. Department of Environmental Protection issued permits for the mine. The permits can be appealed through the state Surface Mine Board of the state courts.

Which scars the landscape worse? (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Vernon Haltom, Co-Director, Coal River Mountain Watch/resident, Coal River: “Governor Manchin has stated that he will promote renewable energy projects to restore West Virginia’s credibility. He can preserve Coal River Mountain as the crown jewel of the Mountain State’s renewable energy future…He can provide the courageous leadership that will move West Virginia and the nation toward clean energy and good jobs while preserving communities and citizens’ right to a healthy quality of life.”
- Scarbro: “We met with the governor’s aide on August 21 and presented the preferable economic alternative, but now, with blasting set to begin in a couple of days, the situation is urgent…Gov. Manchin may feel he needs more time to decide, but he needs to stop this blasting so his office can look deeper into these questionable permits.”
- Emmett Withrow, resident, Colcord: “My family has been here for over 100 years. Now my grandkids are here. If they start blasting our mountain, our grandkids will have nothing to look forward to. A wind farm would preserve everything we live for…We think Manchin can and should rescind the permits. We know he has the power.”