West Virginia Coal Association PWNED by Sierra Club

by: prankster

Thu May 07, 2009 at 16:51:15 PM EDT

Groups Intercede to Save Coal River Mountain

by: camacho749

Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 16:52:45 PM EST

Contacts:
Oliver Bernstein, Sierra Club, 512-477-2152
Matt Noerpel, Coal River Mountain Watch, 304-854-2182

Coal River Mountain Watch, Sierra Club Intercede to Save Coal River Mountain
Groups Challenge Mining Permit that would Cut Wind Energy Potential, Threaten Community

Charleston, West Virginia - In order to protect Coal River Mountain in Beckley, West Virginia from looming destruction by mountaintop removal coal mining, the Sierra Club and Coal River Mountain Watch today filed an administrative notice of appeal with the West Virginia Surface Mine Board. The proposed expansion of the Bee Tree Surface Mine site on the mountain threatens the prime location for wind energy generation and an integral part of the surrounding Appalachian community. The Marfork Coal Company (a Massey Energy subsidiary) seeks to destroy the mountain to extract more coal

"The state of West Virginia has one more chance to show that it values a clean energy future and high paying, long-term green jobs more than short term profits for coal executives and the destruction of our mountains," said Lorelei Scarbro with Coal River Mountain Watch.

Today's action challenges the approval by the Director of the West Virginia Division of Surface Mining of the Department of Environmental Protection to revise the surface mining permit held by Marfork. Under the permit in question, the Massey Energy subsidiary would move some of its mining waste off site to avoid the immediate need for a full Clean Water Act section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Sierra Club and Coal River Mountain Watch argue that Marfork did not properly revise its mining and reclamation plan and that the Surface Mining Board should overturn the decision to approve the permit.

A recent study by Downstream Strategies, LLC of Morgantown, West Virginia showed that wind development is a better economic land use option for Coal River Mountain and other sites than mountaintop removal coal mining. A proposed wind farm at the site, consisting of 164 wind turbines and generating 328 megawatts (MW) of electricity, would provide more than $1.74 million in annual property taxes to Raleigh County. The coal severance taxes for the proposed mining would only provide $36,000 per year.

"It is imperative that Coal River Mountain be preserved for the future economic prosperity of this area," said Bill Price, Sierra Club Environmental Justice organizer in Charleston. "If the mountain is preserved, and the Coal River Mountain Wind project is allowed to develop, then we are looking at good, union-organized jobs in an area that sorely needs an economic future beyond coal."

Across Appalachia, mining companies blow the tops off mountains to reach a thin seam of coal and then, to minimize waste disposal costs, dump millions of tons of mining waste into the valleys below, causing permanent damage to the ecosystem and landscape. Mountaintop removal mining has damaged or destroyed approximately 1,200 miles of streams, destroyed forests, disrupted drinking water supplies, flooded communities, and destroyed wildlife habitat.

The Sierra Club and Coal River Mountain Watch are represented in the challenge by Joe Lovett at the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment and Peter Morgan at the Sierra Club.
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Bush Administration EPA: No new coal-fired plants

by: Clem Guttata

Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 18:43:55 PM EST

This is amazing. In the final months of the Bush Administration, pressure from the Sierra Club (among others), has resulted in denial of a permit for a new coal-fired electrical plant.

The really amazing part is the reason why the permit is denied (emphasis mine):

In a move that signals the start of the our clean energy future,  the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) ruled today EPA had no valid reason for refusing to limit from new coal-fired power plants the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.  The decision means that all new and proposed coal plants nationwide must go back and address their carbon dioxide emissions.

"Today's decision opens the way for meaningful action to fight global warming and is a major step in bringing about a clean energy economy," said Joanne Spalding, Sierra Club Senior Attorney who argued the case. "This is one more sign that we must begin repowering,  refueling and rebuilding America."

"The EAB rejected every Bush Administration excuse for failing to regulate the largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States.  This decision gives the Obama Administration a clean slate to begin building our clean energy economy for the 21st century," continued Spalding

The decision follows a 2007 Supreme Court ruling recognizing carbon dioxide, the principle source of global warming, is a pollutant under the federal Clean Air Act.

What does this mean? As JaP says over at Daily Kos: Major EPA decision: no coal plants to be built in foreseeable future!

The Next Battle

Now there will be more pressure than ever from King Coal interests to fund their requests for technology development for so-called clean coal. Here are three things to keep in mind.

1. There is no proven technology for large scale carbon sequestration.

2. Mining coal is environmentally damaging, and, with current practices, a social and economic disaster for coal-mining communities as well.

3. Even with proposed clean coal technology, burning coal creates tons of toxic waste, with huge disposal problems.

Let's put it this way, if "clean coal" was a wonderful thing, would King Coal need to spend millions of dollars promoting it?

Sierra Club seeks to join lawsuit against Massey Energy

by: wvblueguy

Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 23:03:10 PM EDT

Southern West Virginia Mountain Top...Photo by Vivian Stockman - Sierra Club (Click Picture for Hi Res view)

According to an article today in the Louisville Courier Journal by the Associated Press the Sierra Club is attempting to join a Federal Lawsuit against Massey Energy...

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The Sierra Club said yesterday it hopes to join a federal government lawsuit that accuses Massey Energy of thousands of Clean Water Act violations.

"Massey has both a legal and moral obligation to protect streams and drinking water supplies in the communities where it operates," said Ed Hopkins, director of the Sierra Club's Environmental Quality Program.

The organization seeks court approval to join three environmental groups already involved in the case.

Naturally Massey is stating that the claim of thousands of violations is exaggerated as they explained according to the article that they are trying to settle the case.  The article can be read by clicking here. 

The Sierra Club has good reasons to join the suit as they have stated in an story on their web site as follows...

Washington D.C. -- Last Friday, the Bush Administration handed a seemingly huge payoff to the coal industry, which has been hammered all summer on Wall Street by a recognition that the tide of public and regulatory opinion in state after state is turning against the dirty fuel: the Administration proposed new regulations which explicitly authorized coal companies to continue mountaintop removal mining, even though federal judges have found the practice illegal. 

The Sierra Club is wanting to do all they can to insure that the Bush administration does not get the opportunity to settle the EPA lawsuit against Massey.  The Sierra Club article by Carl Pope can be read here. The New York Times broke the story of the Bushies scam regulation in an article that can be read here. The story reads in part...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 — The Bush administration is set to issue a regulation on Friday that would enshrine the coal mining practice of mountaintop removal. The technique involves blasting off the tops of mountains and dumping the rubble into valleys and streams.

It has been used in Appalachian coal country for 20 years under a cloud of legal and regulatory confusion.

The new rule would allow the practice to continue and expand, providing only that mine operators minimize the debris and cause the least environmental harm, although those terms are not clearly defined and to some extent merely restate existing law.

We the people of West Virginia must protect our mountains, our valleys, and our streams from this despicable attempt by the Bush administration to protect Massey Energy and other coal companies. Lets get back to almost heaven West Virginia not almost level West Virginia.