Legacy of Coal: Coal is Sexy!

by: jlms qkw

Wed Sep 30, 2009 at 18:45:49 PM EDT

Okay, not really.  It's tough to get noticed here at the Great Orange Satan these days.  And I don't have a pootie pic nor a BREAKING headline to share.

What I do have:

An invitation to you to pour your favorite beverage and benefit from Netroots Nations Video Archive.  

I attended this session in person in Pittsburgh, and it was one of the two most powerful sessions I witnessed.  (the other is Afghanistan, separate diary).  

So sit back, adjust your volume, and enjoy the show.  

Green Begins in Appalachia: Ending Mountaintop Removal

Speakers

Jeff Biggers
Jeff is the American Book Award-winning author of The United States of Appalachia, and In the Sierra Madre. His next book, Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland, is forthcoming in January 2010 (The Nation/Basic Books). His website is: www.jeffbiggers.com. He blogs for Huffington Post, Grist, among other online sites.

Lorelei Scarbro
Lorelei is the Granddaughter, daughter, and widow of West Virginia coal miners.

The home in which she lives was built by her late husband, who passed away due to black lung. He was an underground union coal miner for 35 years. He is buried in the family cemetery which is adjacent to her home. Lorelei's land, home, the family cemetery, and surrounding environment are now faced with the threat of future Mountaintop Removal sites.

She is the community organizer for the Coal River Wind Project and has worked at Coal River Mountain Watch for two years.

Stephanie Pistello
The Alliance For Appalachia/Appalachian Voices: Stephanie Pistello is a Legislative Associate for Appalachian Voices and The Alliance for Appalachia. She works exclusively on the campaign to end mountaintop removal coal mining in order to create a healthy, sustainable future in the coalfields of Central Appalachia. Stephanie lobbies Congress and the Obama Administration, builds and maintains a national coalition of organizations and bloggers advocating on the issue, and works with the outreach and government affairs teams of Appalachian Voices to develop online social strategies and action tools that support the success of the DC campaign. For more information on mountaintop removal please visit www.iLoveMountains.org.

Bob Kincaid
Bob is a father of four, grandfather of two, husband of one and a founder of The H.O.R.N., America's Liberal Voice. A DFA NetRoots Nation Scholar, Bob is actively engaged in the ongoing effort to end Mountain Removal. He serves as President of the Board of Coal River Mountain Watch, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending Mountaintop Removal and rebuilding sustainable communities. He brings the reality of Mountain Removal to the world nightly from 6 to 9 p.m., Eastern Time at www.headonradionetwork.com

Next week I'll share more about my experience at this panel.  

Legacy of Coal is a newly-launched diary series inspired by the panels at Netroots Nation.  We hope to publicize the issues around coal use and mining, including MTR, the damage to less-politically-powerful areas of our country, and the general impact of energy and economic policy.  Of course, this leads to the broader issues of climate change, health care, and human rights.  While none of us can know everything about these issues, it is by working together we can make a difference.  If you would like to guest-host, please contact jlms_qkwATxmissionDOTcom.  This diary series is dedicated to our country's coal miners and the people waiting for them to come home.