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by heath_harrison
The Lexington-Herald Leader reported yesterday that, after a summer of solid organizing and action, the work of environmentalists is starting to have a real effect on public opinion:
HAZARD, Ky. -- Environmentalists' campaigns against strip mining and heat-trapping gases from coal-fired power plants have been so successful in swaying public opinion recently that the coal industry has started to take a more aggressive, visible approach to protect its interests, Kentucky activists say.
It goes on to tell us that the coal companies are basically planning a bunch of bumper stickers and P.R. events to make themselves look good.
In addition to that old standby - demonize the activists (with a healthy dose of fake populism).
One tool of the pro-coal groups has been to fuel indignation among residents of the coal fields. Environmentalists in Lexington and Louisville "want to take your jobs," King called into microphones between musical acts at a recent concert in Breathitt County. "Our coal! Our children! Our mountains!" he had the crowd shouting.
http://www.kentucky.com/greens...
Not to let Kentucky have all the fun, the hacks over at wvconservatives.com have decided to get in on the action.
They didn't get their misinformation fix last month and Sean Hannity didn't magically save Don Blankenship's image.
So they're still planning yet another pro-mountaintop removal rally in the guise of a "Save Your Jobs" event at the capitol tomorrow.
As AP reports, via The Charleston Gazette:
The group says it's also going to protest the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to delay 79 applications for surface coal mining permits in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.
http://wvgazette.com/ap/ApTopS...
As you may have noticed, the opportunists on the right had little to say about jobs when workers were laid off in droves as the industry switched to mechanization and mountaintop removal.
But there's a much larger problem here.
I'm reminded of a time in the mid-90s, when an activist asked Republican Governor Cecil Underwood what steps were being taken to prepare West Virginia for a post-coal economy.
Underwood laughed off the question and made a remark to the effect that he was looking forward to a West Virginia without the activists.
So here we are, ten years later. Underwood's gone, climate change has become undeniable to pretty much anyone outside of the Lord Monckton Fan Club and pressure is building both nationally and internationally for a shift away from coal as an energy source.
This isn't a new issue, yet they managed to waste ten years, with a big assist from the Bush administration, and cling to the same stubborn ideas and leave West Virginia with no viable options.
Maybe it's time these people quit parroting the talking points of an outdated industry and start preparing this state for a sustainable future and a new economy.
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UPDATE: Rachel Maddow uses the work of Appalachian Voices to point out that the Kentucky P.R. campaign, FACES of Coal, is actually FACES of Clip Art.
Video:
http://www.appvoices.org/index... |
