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See that big ridge under the bridge? That's Gauley Mountain
Only in West Virginia would we put a mountain scene on our state quarter and then proceed to mine the mountain in that scene. Montani Semper Liberi! Mountaineers are Always Free! But the coal isn’t.
Last Thursday about a 100 or so people congregated at Ansted Middle School in Fayette County, WV for a Q&A with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) regarding the renewal of Gauley Mountain surface mining permit S3003-01 by Powellton Coal. I imagine many folks left even more frustrated than when got there when they saw the reactions of the WVDEP representatives who attended.
I don’t think the individuals there are in the pockets of Big Coal, but I do believe a culture of complicity has been cultivated (nice alliteration, huh?) since West Virginia achieved statehood in 1863.
In a nutshell, hopeful citizens tried to get their heads around the lack of stewardship the WVDEP exhibits in light of this project being wedged between two National Park Service units: The New River Gorge National River and the Gauley River National Recreation Area. So we went up to the microphone, asked what we thought were relevant questions or comments and sat back down. Then the meeting ended. Good times.
There’s been plenty of media attention given to the issue. I scratched the surface in a previous blog post regarding ways we can decrease the demands for energy. In a nation of free enterprise, dollars always win over emotion in these cases. The WVDEP cannot imagine not issuing this permit because for as long as they’ve existed they’ve given the coal companies carte blanche to take West Virginia’s coal and leave desolation and/or destruction in their wake. Take a look at WVDEP’s calendar of events. Blasting Training and Permitting Workshops abound. WV Department of Mining Support would be a more apt moniker.
I leave you with this for a bit of insight as to the influence King Coal has exerted on West Virginia since its creation in 1863. Take the time to read and then you can begin to understand why West Virginia state government has always been, by and large, a tool for the coal companies.
Mountain Top Mining in Appalachia
Yesterday evening, after seeing yet another friend post this, I went ahead and signed the petition to stop mountain top mining on Gauley Mountain.
Gauley Mountain In Relation to the New and Gauley Rivers.
As I was filling out the comments, it occurred to me that, while mountain top mining brings down mountains and fills headwater streams, you can’t lay all the blame at the feet of the energy companies. The reality is that as long as there is demand for energy, someone is going to figure out a way to create it. Better still if the infrastructure is already in place and shown to be effective.
It’s easy to rail against energy corporations like Massey Energy or Arch Coal, but they have an accomplice in the consumer. As long as we continue our energy consumption habits that we’ve developed over the last several decades, i.e. the demand continues to increase, we can’t expect reliance on fossil fuels to decrease. At the same time, we can’t just jam our heads in the sand and hope it goes away.
The phrases that often enter my mind while thinking about energy issues are “think globally, act locally” and “walk the walk”. I can’t make anyone change how they consume electricity, natural gas or oil, but I can take steps myself to reduce my use of these things. The buzz…phrase is “reducing my carbon footprint” followed closely by “carbon neutral“. I don’t know if I’ll achieve the latter, but I can at least try.
It would seem that the energy are capitalizing on the consumer’s reluctance to change with campaigns such as Clean Coal. How nice for us if the companies took the lead on making their product less damaging. Unfortunately the reality is a lot less attractive and the onus still falls on us to use less energy and demand renewable energies.
I decided to search YouTube to see what kind of objective information I could find on clean coal. Let’s just say that propogandists from both sides of this argument would be pleased by these videos.
It’s easy to become disenchanted by the whole back and forth of who’s right and who’s wrong and who’s distorted the truth. We become cynical that no one is presenting the whole story and it becomes easier to throw up our hands and say, “forget it. I’ve got my own problems.”
To that I respond: Do just one thing – change from incandescent to fluorescent lightbulbs, turn off your lights, bike or walk when you can, trade in your gas guzzler for a more efficient car, etc. Every little bit helps and, who knows, maybe the fact that you can do one thing will encourage you to do more.
There is a bit of hope on a grander scale. In December, Bank of America made a statement that indicates large corporations may have a conscience after all. It is possible/likely that other financial institutions will fill the void of financing mountain top mining, but what Bank of America is proposing is sure to open some eyes in the energy sector.
While we are not involved in the energy biz the way Bank of America is, we are looking to make some changes. We figure that our reliance on the natural resources of southern West Virginia require that we take action to maintain its integrity. Whitewater rafting in the New River Gorge and on the Gauley wouldn’t be the experience it is if the setting was decimated. Wildwater Expeditions is currently investigating a program that we can implement to do our part in walking the walk as well as educating those with an interest in doing the same. With a little luck I’ll have the opportunity to walk with you for a little while.
