West Virginia Blue
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Ken Ward Jr. at Coal Tattoo is even more indispensable today (if that's possible) than ever with several important posts up.
One of the many problems with Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's rally for mountaintop removal is he comes across more as a lobbyist for the mountaintop removal companies than as a governor for all of West Virginia.
With the news coming out about how preventable the Upper Big Branch disaster was that killed 29 workers, why is Tomblin not organizing a rally for worker safety? Or does he only organize rallies that mountaintop removal companies want and the mine companies don't want him out there calling for protection of miners?
Congratulations Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin because the coal association touted your rally as a "Call to arms."
To be honest, I'm not surprised because Tomblin's rally is a set up for conflict.
But the fact that Bill Raney, president of the WV Coal Association, tries to excuse the phrase by saying "not much thought went into it" gives a glimpse into the mindset of Friends of Coal. Their default setting is to go with a phrase that connotes violence.
The association has since changed the phrase after Ken Ward Jr. called them.
I'd say it's especially thoughtless of the association to use the phrase after Tucson, but they could just be taking their cues from our Senators Manchin and Rockefeller, who also have thrown out unnecessarily inflammatory language about the EPA's decision on Spruce Mine.
In the credit where credit is due department, Steven Adams make a great point about the rally in the comments at Coal Tattoo:
I wish they would be honest and call it a Rally for Mountaintop Removal. The rally is a result of the denial of last week's Arch Coal permit, so it only makes sense.
Tomblin and other MTR supporters always want to link opposition to MTR with the broader issue of coal mining because if they are not deceptive it makes it harder for them to rally support for the destructive and poisonous practice of mountaintop removal.
The FArCES of Coal:"With Our Head in the Sand, As Loud As We Can" Edition
Well, I'm not sure how it happened. But it seems like southern West Virginia has survived its first post-apocalyptic, economy-annihilating, way-of-life-ending weekend after EPA heroically vetoed Arch Coal's Spruce Mine permit last Thursday. As bad as Joe Manchin, Shelly Moore Capito, and the Friends of Coal said life was going to be after the veto, myself and most folks in West Virginia ended up having a pretty decent weekend, all things considered. Heck, we even learned that despite the snow many if not most nearby residents are celebrating EPA's veto of Spruce #1 mine.
Which leads me to wonder...has anyone ever been so loud and proud about shoving their head in the sand and ignoring the cries of their constituents and colleagues, the consensus of scientists, and the pleading of health professionals as loudly as Joe Manchin and Nick Rahall? Senator Manchin certainly hasn't had a very positive first few weeks in the United States Senate. In fact, despite not taking too many big votes, he has found that his actions have already left him with a lot to apologize for. He set another high bar last week when EPA announced its decision on Spruce. Not only was his rhetoric irresponsible, but his information is just plain incorrect - particularly in asserting that EPA was "retroactively" vetoing this permit.
First of all, if you do your research (as Ken Ward does) you know that EPA never signed off on the Spruce Mine Permit. GOT THAT? EPA has raised concerns since the very beginning about this permit, and when Arch Coal was pressed to address those concerns, what did Arch Coal do for the people of Appalachia? They walked away.
Despite EPA's willingness to consider alternatives, the company did not offer any new proposed mining configurations in response to EPA's concerns based on science and the law.
SNL Financial goes into further detail about a meeting between top EPA officials and Arch Coal from November 16th,2010:
"The permittee also indicated that other approaches previously discussed, such as 'sequencing' or 'phasing' of valley fills, remained unacceptable to Arch Coal, Inc., due primarily to economic considerations," EPA said. "In the meeting, the permittee did not propose new or additional corrective actions for EPA's consideration."
"This transaction gives us a direct stake in participating in the growth of U.S. coal exports off the West Coast," said Steven Leer, Arch's chairman and CEO. "With our superior operating position in the Powder River Basin and Western bituminous region, we have the capability to service growing coal demand in Asia, the world's largest and fastest-growing coal market. We believe this first project - along with others in the pipeline - will provide Arch with more exposure to the seaborne thermal market and will further unlock the value inherent in our western coal assets.".
I have a dream that one day in the state of West Virginia, instead of an acting Gov. rallying the public to show how "coal is beneficial to the lives of not just West Virginians, but people across the country", we will be blessed with an elected Governor bringing together all West Virginians in renewed dedicated to safe jobs, clean water, safe schools, and clean air so we may all march ahead together.
...West Virginia's elected officials are rightly concerned about jobs and the economic impact on local communities. I share those concerns. But the time has come to have an open and honest dialogue about coal's future in West Virginia.
Let's speak the truth. The most important factor in maintaining coal-related jobs is demand for coal. Scapegoating and stoking fear among workers over the permitting process is counter-productive.
...
West Virginians may demonstrate anger toward the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over mountaintop removal mining, but we risk the very probable consequence of shouting ourselves out of any productive dialogue with EPA and our adversaries in the Congress.
...
We can have a part in shaping energy policy, but we must be honest brokers if we have any prayer of influencing coal policy on looming issues important to the future of coal like hazardous air pollutants, climate change, and federal dollars for investments in clean coal technology.
Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, announcing a pro-coal rally:
"We must stand up and show federal
regulators that we will not retreat from their unfair actions. We will continue the fight not just for the Spruce Number One mine but for every
coal miner, coal company and for our way of life."
Sen. Joe Manchin:
"Today's EPA decision is not just fundamentally wrong," he said. "It is an unprecedented act by the federal government that will cost our state and our nation even more jobs during the worst recession in this country's history.
"While the EPA decision hurts West Virginia today, it has negative ramifications for every state in our nation, and I strongly urge every senator and every member of Congress to voice their opposition."
Sen. Jay Rockefeller:
I am writing to express my outrage with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to veto a rigorously reviewed and lawfully issued permit at the Spruce Number 1 Mine in Logan County, West Virginia. This action not only affects this specific permit, but needlessly throws other permits into a sea of uncertainty at a time of great economic distress.
Apparently they West Virginians who don't want poisoned wells or to live in fear of flash floods or having to live surrounded by the remains of a destroyed mountain don't deserve leaders fighting for them even though the EPA did exactly what the coal supporters wanted in forming a long review process based on scientific evidence.
Tomblin, Manchin, and Rockefeller are doing exactly what Byrd warned against.
Tomblin gave a preview of an active agenda for the upcoming Legislature while meeting with reporters at the annual Associated Press Legislative Lookahead in South Charleston.
He spoke about supporting the coal industry against the Environmental Protection Agency, fiscal responsibility in state budgeting, and some changes to education he would like to see in a give-and-take with state media members.
The Legislature convenes on Wednesday in Charleston. Tomblin is scheduled to present his first State of the State address to legislators that evening.
Tomblin took an aggressive stance on behalf of all of West Virginia our state's coal interests:
"Coal has really been the backbone of our economy (and) has created so many jobs over the years," the Logan County resident said. "Coal's been good to us. We realized a few years ago when we passed the Energy Portfolio Act that we needed to be transitioning into more environmentally-friendly sources of energy, and we are doing that in the state of West Virginia.
"However, with this (Obama) administration in Washington, it's been a bumpy time for the state of West Virginia and all the coal-producing states," he said.
The mine permitting process of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as it applied to a Spruce Run operation was a target of his comments. "Once they get those permits, that you can go in and just jerk that permit out from under them, that's worrisome," he said.
Asked about the legal action Manchin's administration started to oppose the EPA, Tomblin said, "I will support that lawsuit against what the EPA is planning to do."
Tomblin is continuing to repeat falsehoods about Spruce Run. The original environmental concerns about Spruce Run had never been fully heard--the permit was not taken "out from under them."
Our state Democratic party leaders really need to get more saavy about this. It is self-defeating to beat up on the national Democratic party. Keep needlessly complaining about a Democrat in the White House and more WVians will vote Republican all the way down ticket.
In more promising news:
Tomblin spoke about the importance of a 40-year plan he helped produce in the legislature to pay down unfunded liability in state government in annual installments, and said it was an example of "fiscal responsibility" under his watch.
"We've been very vigilant about making sure that in each year, we've made those payments," he said.
Also:
He proposed a constitutional amendment on Thursday that would create a position of lieutenant governor.
He said he has a "work group" considering how that might work. It might be combined with an existing state executive office such as secretary of state.
"We would create a position that would not cost the people additional money," he said.
While he is now working out of the governor's office in the State Capitol, Tomblin said he is still the senate president and will seek to be retained in that post by his senate colleagues next week. However, the operation of the senate during the session will be handled by another senator, so "I'm not trying to run two branches of government at the same time," Tomblin said.
...
Redistricting will be "a legislative matter," Tomblin said. As acting governor, he said, "My role would be to either sign or veto the bill."
After 29 workers died at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia, talkshow host Rush Limbaugh (4/9/10) fingered the culprit: the miners' union. "Where was the union?" he asked. "The union is generally holding these companies up demanding all kinds of safety. Why were these miners continuing to work in what apparently was an unsafe atmosphere?" As it turned out, the mine, owned by notorious union-buster Massey Energy, didn't have a union. Alerted to his inaccuracy, Limbaugh (4/15/10) doubled down, saying that 85 union coal miners won a decision against Massey and were re-hired. "So there were union workers there, and so the United Mine Workers should have been overseeing their safety.... You people, it's been 21 years. At some point you are going to learn: If you go up against me on a challenge of fact, you are going to be wrong. It's just that simple." What's even simpler? Disproving him: Those workers he's talking about are from an entirely different mine owned by Massey--which has appealed the ruling, so even those workers aren't back on the job yet (AFL-CIO Blog, 4/16/10).
As noted earlier this year, the fact that Massey's mines are non-union is common knowledge in West Virginia. You really have to wonder what the thought process is like in a local conservative's head, when they hear Rush spew something they know is blatantly false and they have to come up with a justification to continue to believe his every word as gospel.
Mountaintop removal hinders future economic development. Those that claim MTR enhances our economy by providing flattened land in the Mountain State need to check the stats. Per the AP, only 7% of surface mined land in WV and 1.8% of land in KY have some type of economic development. Now, let's be serious about even those percentages listed. That includes land designated for pasture land, forest, and other shameful statistical padding.
You hear all this talk about airports, schools and shopping malls being built on reclaimed MTR sites but that represents a fraction of the moonscapes left by MTR. Calculate all the negative economic impacts of MTR like waterways polluted by selenium and heavy metals, enhanced risk of catastrophic floods, the damaging impacts of blasting, and the expedited removal of coal that may have otherwise been mined via other more labor intensive methods and you will see that MTR is more of an economic shackle than savior.
There will be folks that point out a golf course, school, or park smattered about in the devastated mountain landscapes but that represents just a fraction of the total acreage where this extreme mining practice machetes West Virginia mountains. Most of these locations, once mined out, are just ruined moonscapes, void of what made it God's wonderful creation.
Any time you speak up on this issue you hear the catcalls about being anti coal or some other nonsensical statement. Just for the record- I recognize the importance of coal and certainly respect and support the coal miner, being one of many West Virginians that have had coal miners throughout my family tree. There is a middle ground on coal extraction, a balance between socioenvironmental stewardship and industry, but mountaintop removal represents an extreme that WV should move beyond.
Taking it a step further, I think it would be reasonable to hear out proposals that allow for scaled back surface mining if there were a post mining plan that had real economic development included (no more of this pasture land bs). I'd even be open to some forms of well regulated surface mining. I am not, however, open to the extreme position that we should allow our beautiful state to be exploited and forever scarred for short term economic kickbacks, especially when the vast majority of the wealth leaves West Virginia.
Talking with folks all over the State, I think most people this moderate view of coal and coal mining. Most people want to strike a balance between energy/industry and socioenvironmental needs. Major state policymakers just don't seem to want to take the industry on to make something like this happen. We need a leader to stand up and take the case to the public. It is our coal and we will mine it our way. Here is to Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
An important article came out in Nature magazine this week, in "The end of cheap coal" authors Richard Heinberg and David Fridley note that "new forecasts suggest that coal reserves will run out faster than many believe. Energy policies relying on cheap coal have no future." (Full article requires subscription; more coverage at Bloomberg.)
Here's the key summary from the article (emphasis mine):
World energy policy is gripped by a fallacy - the idea that coal is destined to stay cheap for decades to come. This assumption supports investment in 'clean-coal' technology and trumps serious efforts to increase energy conservation and develop alternative energy sources. It is an important enough assumption about our energy future that it demands closer examination.
There are two reasons to believe that coal prices are likely to soar in the years ahead. First, a spate of recent studies suggests that available, useful coal may be less abundant than has been assumed - indeed that the peak of world coal production may be only years away. One pessimistic study published in 2010 concluded that global energy derived from coal could peak as early as 2011.
Second, global demand is growing rapidly, largely driven by China. Demand rose modestly in the 1990s (0.45% per year), but since 2000 it has been surging at 3.8% per year. China is both the world's biggest producer of coal (40% of global production) and its biggest consumer. Its influence on future coal prices should not be underestimated.
Economic shocks from rising coal prices will be felt by every sector of society. Better data on global coal supplies is long overdue and energy policies that assume a bottomless coal pit need rethinking urgently.
King Coal is subsidized by the government. Ken Ward Jr. has the updated figures:
On Monday, the two organizations issued a revised report they wrote based in part on criticism leveled by coal lobbyists and by industry researchers at Marshall University.
The new report concluded the coal industry last year cost the state budget $42 million more in tax breaks, damage to roads and other impacts than industry pays in taxes and other revenues.
"We agreed with a number of their suggestions, however, several are simply mistaken and fail to acknowledge many of the costs associated with coal mining," said Ted Boettner, director of the center. "After incorporating their suggestions that were valid, we found that the net impact of the coal industry for the state budget in fiscal year 2009 remains negative, meaning that the industry imposed an overall cost on the state and its taxpayers."
The original report, funded in part by environmental groups, found that while coal mining provides West Virginia valuable jobs and tax revenues, the industry actually cost the state government budget more than it pays. Government pays huge sums each year for agencies that regulate coal, tax breaks for mining operators, and coal truck damage to state roads and bridges.
Dorothy Pope got off a bus Charleston on Monday with dozens of neighbors, carrying what she believes caused her many physical ailments - a jar of cloudy, orange well water allegedly poisoned with the mystery chemical soup that is coal slurry.
The water, which has run for years from her well and hundreds of others in Mingo County, is the reason more than 600 people gathered at the Charleston Civic Center. A panel of judges ordered them to appear from as far away as Ohio and the Carolinas, or risk being dropped from their long-running lawsuit against Massey Energy and subsidiary Rawl Sales & Processing.
If a lie is stated often enough does it become the truth? The liar sure hopes it does. Corporate Coal has spent millions upon millions not only lobbying Congress but also inundating the public with a multi-million dollar and multifaceted propaganda campaign. Sitting on their piles of money, Corporate Coal has not only bought politicians, they have brainwashed the public. West Virginia is ground zero in this war for public opinion and with most of our politicians being either cowards or culprits, there is little leadership in the political arena representing the vast majority of us that demand a balanced approach to coal mining.
Coal Lies Author Jeff Goodell's recent article on the strength of Big Coal today is disheartening as it is honest.
Reflecting just some of Corporate Coal's expenditures, Goodell writes:
The first and most obvious way that Big Coal gains leverage is simply with money. By any accounting, Big Coal - and by that I mean not just coal mining companies, but also the railroads that haul the coal, as well as the electric utilities and power companies that burn it - exerts a huge influence not only in Washington D.C., but in state and local governments, too. The Southern Company, a large Atlanta-based power company that is one of the largest coal burners in the country and a longtime opponent of global warming legislation, spent about $9 million in federal lobbying fees this year alone - that's nearly as much as ExxonMobil, a company that is 10 times larger. Peabody Energy, the largest privately-held coal company in the world, spent almost $6 million.
According to an October article in the NYT,
Political spending by the coal industry is on track to exceed what it spent in the 2008 cycle, when the presidency was at stake and Congress appeared determined to move forward with a national energy policy designed to address climate change by cutting back on the use of coal and petroleum.
As of early October, the mining industry, which is mostly coal, contributed more than $3 million to federal candidates, the great majority of it going to Republicans. The industry backed up its contributions with a major media blitz - the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, an industry front group, spent more than $16 million on ads this year touting the virtues of "clean" coal.
So what lies has Big Coal been shoving down all of our throats? Here are just some of their more insidious fabrications:
*Lie #1- If you are against mountaintop removal then you do not support coal mining. This is lowest common denominator logic and further from the truth than a Don Blankenship interview but this association is made and no where more than in the WV Democratic Party. Not to worry, these cowards and culprits shall have their day. For the record, MTR is the most destructive mining technique ever unleashed on God's Earth. It destroys communities with floods, blasting, and poisons; covers up watersheds with waste and rubble; and poisons WV people, plants, and animals with heavy metals like selenium. I am against that. I am not against other types of coal mining. I want well paying coal jobs for WV as long as they are safe and not permanently and perversely destructive.
*Lie #2- Obama is launching regulatory jihad on coal. The National Mining Association's racist jab at the President of the United States underscores Corporate Coal's strategy of propagandizing citizens into thinking that outsiders are trying to come in and change your life for the worse. The reality is that this has already taken place. Absentee coal kings, hiding behind regional and local henchmen, have robbed coal producing regions blind, especially in Appalachia, especially in West Virginia. The regulations Corporate Coal complain about are meant to protect the citizens of West Virginia. Be it safety or public health, these absentee robber barons don't care about West Virginians- never have, never will. Corporate Coal would have us eliminate the already weak stop gap between them and scorched earth greed in the West Virginia hills. There message is effective and it is dangerous.
*Lie #3- They are taking our jobs and ruining our economy. Another whopper of a lie but one that folks sometimes go too far in arguing against. West Virginia does benefit from coal through employment and taxes. As a resource rich State, we were able to keep our State budget out of the Red during the Great Recession. However, let's be honest on what West Virginia is actually getting out of this arrangement. We rank near the bottom of every national fiscal category and allow billions in coal profits to leave our State, while only charging a pittance of a severance tax.
Beyond that, the number of coal mining jobs has dropped by tens of thousands thanks to mechanized mining. How many MTR miners are there really? According to the US Energy Information Administration, there were only 3,600 surface miners in 2007. Given that some of those surface miners may be engaged in other methods of surface mining that is not MTR, I am not sure what the real figure is. This is not to say that these jobs are not important, but if you calculate the coal that would be extracted via other more labor demanding means on top of other job opportunities that are permanently eliminated (wind mills, tourism, timber, etc) then I would wager you would find a long term net loss in jobs because of practices like MTR.
How to Fight Back So in the face of this onslaught of propaganda what can folks do to fight for a more balanced approach to coal extraction in West Virginia?
Be tenacious- Don't give up. They may have more money but we have the truth and the resolve to defend our State, our People, and our childrens' future. It is like a street fight. When debating, hit the other person first and never stop swinging. Keep them on the defensive. Continue to blog, talk to neighbors, write editorials, call politicians, and organize. Continue to fight.
Have the facts but don't confuse the message- Have research readily available and cite it when debating. There is no need to come up with whopping lies like they do. Structure what you are trying to say and infuse a few stats to back it up. Always end with a simple branded message- I personally like "Our Coal, Our Way" because it goes right in the face of the opposition's message.
Push for a moderate, balanced approach- I truly believe that coal can be mined and used responsibly as a resource. It is those that would put their heads in the sand regarding the destruction of mountaintop removal or the long term threat of global warming for short term energy and profit that are radical. We need balance and balance sells with the public.
Stay positive and stay simple- These are both hard as hell given the tough subject matter but pushing positive solutions and being able to wrap your argument up with a bumper sticker line is crucial to marketing a political message. You can get painted in a corner on a coal debate by trying to be too elaborate in defense. Hit em' with your talking points and always brand your argument.
Hold folks accountable- Cowards and culprits litter WV Democratic Party leadership. Coal politics are cutthroat. These folks need to be strategically identified, isolated, and forced to defend their position. We have to be relentless, smart, and organized and we have to have one another's backs. I do not believe in single issue advocacy but we have to be willing to use political capital if we really want to make a difference in the State and in the Democratic Party.
Via Ken Ward Jr. at Coal Tattoo, The New York Times has an editorial praising President Obama for taking action.
Over the years, the federal government has done far less than it should - and far less than the law requires - to guarantee the safety of Appalachia's miners. So it was a welcome break with grim history when the Labor Department asked a federal judge last week to shut down a Kentucky mine owned by the Massey Energy Company. The mine has been cited for about 700 safety violations this year alone.
Massey is also the owner of the violation-plagued Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia, where a methane explosion killed 29 workers in April. The company is reportedly the object of two grand jury investigations in connection with that disaster.
What makes last week's complaint particularly interesting is that it is the first time the federal government has moved to close a mine since it was given that authority under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act 33 years ago.
Don Blankenship wants to be able to put profits over the lives of people and it's going to cost the company still more money. Perhaps Massey shareholders should have dumped Blankenship long ago, but until they have an executive in place that recognizes rules are meant to be followed their mines should all be shut down. They are supposed to be coal mines, not death traps.
Some of my colleagues have been making the case in recent days that there were worse environmental offenders than Massey Energy in 2010. Sure, BP was responsible for the worst accidental oil spill in history. And yes, Koch Industries funds climate denial groups in an attempt to mislead the American people. But I think Massey Energy and its CEO, Don Blankenship, are the absolute worst. Between their disregard for safety and environmental standards, their denial of climate science and their destructive coal mining practices, Massey Energy and Blankenship clearly deserve your support in Repower America's 2010 Snake Oil Awards.
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Which leads me to wonder...has anyone ever been so loud and proud about shoving their head in the sand and ignoring 
First of all, if you do your research (as Ken Ward does) you know that
