Bill Moyers Friday Night on PBS discusses Mountaintop Removal and the New Proposed Law Changes

Details here:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09072007/profile.html

Other thread with info on how to comment about the draft proposal:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1744022

In August 2007, The Office of Surface Mining in the Interior Department issued a draft revision to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. Surface mining accounts for an increasing share of the coal mined in the United States. The proposed changes relate to the practice of "mountaintop mining" which although cheaper and safer than underground mining, has come under fire from environmentalists and coal-producing area residents.

In the mountaintop process the top of the mountain or the "overburden" is broken up and removed by blasting in order to reach coal seams. Once the rock surrounding the coal is blasted off, in what is known in the industry as "shoot and shove," the excess rock and earth is dumped over the side of the mountain into the valleys below, often burying the streams that run through them. This dumping is primarily where residents and environmentalists have come into conflict with recent rule changes.

This is a very important issue, if nothing more for the amount of serious cancer causing pollution it creates by poisoning streams and aquifers, and the fact that coal burning is directly contributing to Global Warming.

It isn't just some "hillbillies" that are affected by this - it is everyone... you, me... and I'm 5000 miles away from the destruction. You do have a chance to make a difference. Watch Bill Moyers on PBS and check out the draft proposal, read it, and let's see what kinds of comments we can come up with as a group. Talk to experts your might know. Get people involved!

mine sites and the riverbed is filling up with sediment. Soon the flooding will become massive, because the water has nowhere to go. The filled in stream beds cannot contain the runoff like nature intended. Meanwhile the out of state coal barons will abscond with their ill gotten loot and leave the terrific mess for the homeowners and taxpayers to clean up at our expense. This will end up costing every person in America money when he or she buys insurance.

The Corps of Engineers is on top of this situation, just about like they were on the situation in New Orleans. The Corps is issuing permit after permit here and are not dredging a single stream in the state that these mining operations are filling in with sediment. Every year the flooding gets worse and it's being ignored just like global warming. The Corporations have the power to defeat any serious effort to regulate the horrid, unsightly, ungodly, destruction of the land and our homes downstream, because they also own and operate the politicians in BOTH parties, here in West Virginia.

Almost Heaven = FLAT Broke...after the easy to reach coal is all gone.

:kick:

I'd never thought about the insurance consequences.

This is the big thing the Bush Administration is doing that is so covertly evil: create expensive messes that should never have happened, and then shift the bill onto the taxpayers. They are taking money right out of our pockets, and the average American has no clue this is happening. Just as long as they can buy a beer on Friday, everything's okay.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. This law is supposed to prevent exactly what you're talking about from happening: you would think disrupting natural water drainage so towns get flooded and destroyed would not be an acceptable impact and a reason not to issue a mining permit in the first place.

This is exactly why we need to get comments on this draft and make it very public AND also send messages to Congress.

This is a horrible crime against all of us.

The bastards will do anything for a buck.

K & R for the notice, it's about time this travesty is exposed.

What can be done right now is to read the draft of the new proposed law, and we have a 60 day comment period.

We need to get as many people possible commenting on it and experts weigh in on it, too. We have a chance to change this before it becomes law.

I posted the information in this DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1744022

Anyone interested, please help!

I walked some of these grounds, and the blasts create huge fissures, some opening up clear down to the aquifers. Towns are finding their drinking water poisoned with hundreds of cancer causing chemicals. This is in addition to the chemicals being washed into streams and poisoning the fish and wildlife. It's horrifying.

http://www.ilovemountains.org/multimedia#photo_gallery

I know you know the site, demobabe...the link is for others.

thanks again.

-d

You can find all the details about Mountaintop Removal there including videos showing the blasting and the destruction, Google Earth images and overlays, stories and more. Yesterday I was looking at a 360 degree huge interactive panorama of one of the places I stood when I went there. There is a huge amount of info and media there.

Even Willie Nelson contributed his version of "Blowin in the Wind" - was nice that Bob Dylan donated use of his song for the cause.

:)

So many 'cause' websites are desperately boring - this isn't one of those.

Thank you Bill Moyers. Where is the rest of corporate media?

America's Mountains are not a commodity!

Call for ADVERTISER Boycott of corporate media:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1755124

And so are we when we're in bad health from pollution - big pharma needs us! But I digress... ;)

I will post your thread over on Take Back The Media. It's a good one.

Kicked and recommended.

:kick:

the title of the program was "Is God Green?"

The "hillbillies" fighting this are evangelicals.

Evangelicals turned green.

Just for the record.

It was fantastic. He's continued that in a show AIRING TONIGHT on PBS and included Christians for the Mountains:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2007/09/mountaintop_ministry.html

And the "hillbillies" I reference - are in quotes. There are some amazing people that live there. Larry Gibson is one of them. He has a third grade education, but he's waaaay more educated than probably 90% of the general population. He's done his homework. He's been to DC, been on TV quite a few times, he speaks eloquently, and he's been fighting this since the 80s.

He's up on top of what is left of Kayford Mountain. His land is now the highest point in the area. Previously, it was the lowest and mountains towered all around his family's land.

was the same. I was so impressed with the fighting stamina of those people!

Not only are they fighting the corporations rape of the land, they are also fighting the evangelicals who are strongly resisting their efforts. THAT deserves this.... :applause:

:kick:

:)

out of their taps. What sort of government local or federal allows people to face those criminal living conditions while their cronies get rich.

I'm an atheist but I was delighted to see them take back their religion from the crony supporting pastors.
People are waking up.