Hello all,

I am writing today to inform you about an exciting opportunity for West Virginia youth this summer. On Brighterplanet.com, there is a grant that would bring $5,000 to the Youth Action League to develop a summer program to work side by side with other grassroots groups to develop various sustainability projects. All of our sites are low income communities who are looking to build their economy.

The grant will allow for 15 people to work in these communities and work with the residents living there to develop jobs. Those who work will earn a fair-wage stipend to work with these communities.

The link to vote is http://brighterplanet.com/project_fund_projects/145

In addition, you can read more about the summer program at: http://www.seac.org/wvyal/summer

When you go to vote, all you need to do is go to the grant, register to vote and then vote three times for "Build It Up, West Virginia!" Votes are pouring in as I write this email, but as of 3:11 PM on May 3, we are in 2nd place at 418 votes. We can catch up to the first place grant which has 816 votes as of right now, but it takes mass organizing. Contact your friends, family, neighbors, and elected officials and ask them to vote three times and spread the grant proposal onward. We have 2 weeks to build up and back the summer program and win this grant. Only the proposal with the most votes wins the award.

Thank you so much for your dedication to building a sustainable future to West Virginia. We need all the support we can get

Most Sincerely,
Billy Astrove
WVWC '10 (December)
SEAC
astrove_wg@wvwc.edu

When we learn about American History, we are not taught anything about the historical city of Cahokia. This former city is located within 30 miles of where St. Louis is located in Illinois. This city thrived by 1250 AD, and at around that time, the city had 20,000 residents. This was the largest city in the America's at the time, and was larger than major European cities such as London. It would not be until 1800 that Philadelphia would have a population that reached the height of Cahokia. However, this ancient city had a downfall by 1350 and this can be attributed to an increase in warfare and natural resource depletion. Cahokia expanded and ultimately became too powerful. As the city grew, the more trees were cut. The age of Cahokia was famous for mound building in which the Native Americans would carry by hand soil in a bucket to build up these mounds. More than 120 mounds were located in Cahokia, however the earth was shifted by these mounds.

The depletion of natural resources in Cahokia led to its collapse, and by 1400 AD it was completely dead and abandoned. We are not taught about this city in school, and is a quiet subject in universities because there are very few written records. However, it is time that the American government and media recognizes the rise and fall of this once prosperous city and realizes that society collapsed due to resource depletion in Cahokia. We are not doing enough today, letting big corporations mine coal in destructive ways, freely drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and depleting the United States of it hardwood trees.

In the communities of Benham and Lynch, Ky clean water supplies are endangered by a proposal for a mine that would be 812 underground acres. Harlan Reclamation services which will soon be owned by Massey Energy wants to mine the coal there. This mine would be very close to a clean water reservoir, and it greatly endangers the risk of this water that is clean enough to be placed in a bottling agency.

Below is a letter that I sent to Mr. Campbell, Kentucky's director of Natural Resources. It is based off a standard model provided by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.

Here is my letter

April 14, 2010

Commissioner Carl Campbell
Department for Natural Resources
#2 Hudson Hollow
Frankfort, KY 40601

Dear Commissioner Campbell,

I am writing to object to the state permit #848-5458. The proposed Massey mine threatens the water sources and the quality of life for residents of Benham and Lynch in Harlan County. Lynch and Benham have high quality public water. They will mine over and around Lynch’s water source. This proposal comes within 150 feet of the Benham underground water reservoir. Benham’s water quality is good enough to be considered for a water bottling facility. Residents want at least 1,000 feet buffer zone to ensure the protection of the underground water reservoir.

A third of Lynch’s water reservoir is fed by Gap Branch. This deep mine would go close to that water intake and underneath the creek. Mining should not go on east of Gap Branch to ensure the protection of Lynch’s drinking water.

Check out this interview of Lisa Jackson, the Administrator of the EPA. It will spark rage. Trust me
Listen to the interview here:
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/09/03.php
* * *

Diane Rehm Show, National Public Radio
September 3, 2009

Susan Page, Guest Host

U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Guest

Kate Russell, Ohio Citizen Action, caller

KATE RUSSELL (16:06): My question is about mountaintop removal coal mining. Recently Dr. Margaret Palmer from the University of Maryland testified before the Senate on peer-reviewed scientific literature, a consensus, that humans cannot recreate what headwater streams provide for us, the function of the water, the structure of the water. My question is if we know that mountaintop removal and valley fills are so detrimental to our headwater streams, why is it allowed to continue?

SUSAN PAGE: Alright, Kate, thanks for your call. I’ll mention we’ve gotten any number of e-mails also on the issue of mountaintop removal. And I’m not sure that everyone understands exactly what the question is here. Tell us about what the controversy is on this.

Today, there are treesitters at the Edwight Mining Site in the Coal River Valley, WV. Between august 14 and 19, there were a series of non-violent protests around the country at the national and regional headquarters. Protests went on at the main headquarters in Washington DC, the WV Department of Environmental Protection in Charleston, and regional EPA headquarters in Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Philly, New York, San Francisco and Atlanta.

SEAC and United Mountain Defense promoted these protests. These protests were planned and ran by people of all ages. What sparked the protest in DC was the EPA's reluctance in listening to everyday citizens who want to see the old mountains of West Virginia stay put. We are everyday citizens who do not want to see the bombing of mountains or drink the polluted water.

Two young college students interning for SEAC, Calvin Smith of WVU and myself, Billy Astrove at West Va Wesleyan, were some of the minds in wanting to set up a protest to tell the EPA no new permits. On August 14 at the EPA Headquarters, between 39 and 50 people showed up to join us in saying stop bombing. We just want the EPA to do its job and stop blasting.

The general mood of the protest was open mike. You wanted to say something, you were more than welcome to take the the megaphone. My time during the megaphone was loud and nasty. "Pollution sucks. Yes, you can regulate pollution. But you sure as hell can't regulate an abomination, EPA. DO YOUR JOB!" There was another protest at the EPA in late June,which turned out 23 to 25 people. At times we had double that number.

Hey everybody,

I am writing on behalf of the West Virginia Wesleyan Green Club and the Student Environmental Action Coalition. This summer is a historical one for those concerned about climate change, because there is a bill going through congress that could effectively end mountaintop removal as we know it. If you are not familliar with mountaintop removal, you can go to the website www.ilovemountains.org.

Two bills that are being looked at in the house right now is an ammendment to the Appalachian Restoration Act in section 696 defining Valley Fills. This legislation, it passed would effectively make Mountaintop Romoval Coal Mining illegal. According to the proposed legislation, fill material would be defined as "any pollutant that:
(i) replaces a portion of the waters of the United States with dry land; or
(ii) modifies the bottom elevation of a body of water for any purpose."

The Clean Water Protection Act will also overturn regulations allowing for dumping wastes provided by mountaintop removal.

The passage of bills to end mountaintop removal is critical for the safety of not only Appalachain Residents but also the world as a whole. You can help the passage of these acts in multiple ways. Call your congressman and tell them you support the passage of the Appalachian Restoration Act, and that Mountaintop Removal needs to stop today. You can find out who your congressman is by going here: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/.

In addition, there will be multiple ways you can take action directly in support for the Appalachian Restoration Act.

SAVE THE DATE!

West Virginia Environmental Council
20th Annual Fall Meeting Convention

September 25-27th, 2009

Holly Grey Park, Sutton, WV

*Please save the date for our 20th annual Fall Convention which will feature discussions & workshops on WV Environmental Issues, planning for our 2010 Legislative Priorities, a great keynote speaker as well as great music, great people, and an evening birthday party for the WV Environmental Council. More information will be coming out about this throughout the summer. But we want to make sure that WV Environmental organizations and our grassroots activists get this on your calendars now.

This should have probably been one of the first blogs I wrote when joining SEAC, but let me introduce myself, and tell you why I am with SEAC today

My name is Billy Astrove, and I am going to be a rising senior at West Virginia Wesleyan Callege in Buckhannon, West Virginia. I am affiliated with SEAC through West Virginia Wesleyan's Green Club which joined the newly-formed West Virginia Youth Action League last October, in order to connect with other students in various environmental groups around the state of West Virginia. Throughout the year, we did a fundraiser for our local green club where we brought fraternities and they participated in a coal vs. wind tug of war competition. In addition, we led campaigns to try to bring a trayless cafeteria in order to cut down on waste within the school, and a petition for a wind farm on Coal River Mountain. I started involving myself in the green club, and it continued to grow on me.

Throughout the Summer and hopefully into the fall, I am interning with SEAC to work organize youths who are from the coal fields to lobby Congress to put an end to Mountain Top Removal. At the end of this month, we will be bringing youth from the Coal Fields of Kentucky and West Virginia to speak out in favor of the Appalachian Restoration Act (S.696)to the senate and the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310). These bills would ban valley fills, effectively ending Mountaintop Removal. The lobby week will take place this month from July 27-31, and it is affiliated through SEAC and the Alliance for Appalachia.

We encourage coal field residents to come down and speak out to their legislatures about how Mountaintop Removal has effected them. This will be a wonderful time, and there is scholarship money available for those who register before July 17.

General Information:

On Saturday, July 4th and Sunday, July 5th, the annual Mountain Keepers
Music Festival will be held at Kayford Mountain's Stanley Heirs Park . This
concert is the premier music festival that celebrates environmental justice
in southern West Virginia. The two day event will feature local and regional
musicians playing a variety of bluegrass, gospel, country, rock, jam and old
time music, as well as a pot-luck meal. This is a free concert that will
celebrate Appalachian life and attendees are encouraged to bring a covered
dish.

The festival will feature many emerging artists who celebrate their homes
and heritage.

Stanley Heirs Park is located near Dawes, WV, which is about 35
minutes south of Charleston off of Interstate 64. For more
information about the concert and directions: www.myspace.com/mtkeepersfest

There is a potluck Saturday afternoon so please bring a dish to share.
There is also free camping available on both Friday and Saturday nights, but
music doesn't start until Saturday afternoon. Bring camping supplies, water,
and snacks if you plan on staying.

This is a drug and alcohol free event. This is a free concert,
but donations are welcome and appreciated, please bring your checkbook.
This Festival is sponsored by the Keepers of the Mountains Foundation, Ohio
Valley Environmental Coalition, and Student Environmental Action Coalition.

For more information on the effects of mountaintop removal, please visit
www.crmw.net, www.ohvec.org, or www.seac.org.

==========================================

Musicians

Sat, July 5th starts at about noon

Chelsea McBee: http://www.chelseamcbee.com/home.html
Benji Taylor: http://www.myspace.com/benjitaylor
The Lone Tones: http://www.thelonetones.com/home.html
Corporate Orange: http://www.myspace.com/corporateorange
Benji Burrell and Tricia Feeney: n/a
Kipp McGhee & Friends: http://www.myspace.com/pavlovsdogswv
Trish Ansley: n/a

In the recent Days, Marfork Coal Company has been awarded with the Prestigious Green Miner Award from Massey Energy Co, which was presented at Massey Energy's Yearly Award Banquet on Wednesday June 17. Every year, Massey Energy gives this "prestigious" award to the company that they view has made the most attempts towards going green. Marfork is an underground mine that prides itself on staying about the environmental standards.

In the recent wake of this award, comes the realization that Marfork Coal Company is 6.8 miles away from Marshfork Elementary School, all of a 13 minute commute according to Google Maps. Now what is Marsh Fork Elelmentary School? This school, also in Raleigh County, is located in front of two gigantic coal silos. There is a 2.8 billion gallon coal sludge impoundment just uphill from the school. Kids report breathing difficulties, and frequently go home sick. One teacher at this school did a project with her students where she taped a white Kleenex tissue to the window on a monday. By friday, the tissue was black. Parents are concerned about their childrens' health and the rising rates of Asthma in the immediate area. Yet a coal company just less than 7 miles away receives the highest green honor by Massey Energy.

Marfork Coal Company is not the company directly responsible for the sludge dam. A 1,849 acre surface/strip mine, Goals Coal, operates just above the silo and the school. Thomas Cook who is the Massey Energy VP of Environmental Affairs says, "We like to keep our areas clean, we like to keep them pristine and usable for the future,and we believe our members lead the way in making that happen." Marsh Fork Elementary School barely has conditions in which students are able to live let alone learn.

Massey Energy chose Marfork Coal Company as a result of the following factors that go above and beyond the company's standards: