Massey-owned Mine Explosion- Worst in 25 years

Today, around 4:30pm, a Raleigh County, West Virginia mine exploded killing 6 miners and leaving 20-some miners unaccounted for at Massey Energy Company’s Performance Coal Company Upper Big Branch Mine. Massey Energy Company is based in Richmond, Virginia and has operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia.

Emergency workers are on the scene.

[Updated April 6, 10:00am]

Massey Energy Company has confirmed that 25 miners have been killed and two are in the hospital. Four miners are still missing and rescue operations are ongoing, though rescue workers likely won’t be able to re-enter the mine until early evening today. According to the West Virginia Gazette, “Rescuers were pulled out of the mine early today morning because of dangerously high levels of methane, and crews were beginning the process of drilling boreholes to vent the explosive gases and make it safe for rescuers to return underground.”

“We are still in that rescue operation mode,” said Gov. Joe Manchin. “With that being said, three holes have to be drilled. The best I can tell you is that it’s going to be a very long day.”

Also according to the WV Gazette, in the past year, federal inspectors have cited Massey and fined the company more than $382,000 for repeated serious violations involving its ventilation plan and equipment at the mine run by subsidiary Performance Coal Co. The violations also cover failing to follow the plan, allowing combustible coal dust to pile up, and having improper firefighting equipment.

This disaster is the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster in a quarter century. The Coal Tattoo blog has more on the disaster and how it will affect future mining operations.

A beginning of the end for MTR?

Yesterday the EPA announced that they would be placing restrictions on the damange to streams and Appalachian watershed due to mountaintop removal and other practices.

From the EPA’s press release:
To protect water quality, EPA has identified a range of conductivity (a measure of the level of salt in the water) of 300 to 500 microSiemens per centimeter. The maximum benchmark conductivity of 500 microSiemens per centimeter is a measure of salinity that is roughly five times above normal levels. The conductivity levels identified in the clarifying guidance are intended to protect 95 percent of aquatic life and fresh water streams in central Appalachia.

“The people of Appalachia shouldn’t have to choose between a clean, healthy environment in which to raise their families and the jobs they need to support them. That’s why EPA is providing even greater clarity on the direction the agency is taking to confront pollution from mountain top removal,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We will continue to work with all stakeholders to find a way forward that follows the science and the law. Getting this right is important to Americans who rely on affordable coal to power homes and businesses, as well as coal communities that count on jobs and a livable environment, both during mining and after coal companies move to other sites.”

This is not a ban on Mountain Top Removal, but would, to my understanding, restrict mountaintop removal coal mining severely.

“Minimizing the number of valley fills is a very, very key factor,” Jackson said. “You’re talking about no, or very few, valley fills that are going to meet this standard.”

Full audio of the briefing can be heard on Coal Tattoo which has a more in depth analysis.

More information can be found on by Jeff Biggers (author and presenter at CCAN’s Artist for the Climate) here and from our coalition partner Appalachian Voices here.

Obama Says "Drill Baby Drill?!?!" and that's a good thing?

Just because you read it in the paper doesn’t mean it’s true.  I’m tired of the papers pretending to represent the views of all Virginians when, in fact, they’re filled with global warming skepticism and a drill-baby-drill mentality. That is why I’m happy to introduce CCAN’s newest feature, “Virginia Climate Clips,” bringing you recent climate news compiled from papers all across Virginia. I’m contacting concerned climate activists weekly to get our voices heard! There’s a big hole in the news right now. Every day I read about how how climate change isn’t real, wind farms are the next Armageddon and, if you picked up today’s paper, EVEN President Obama’s misguided decision to open up our shores to offshore drilling sounds like a good idea
 
These papers aren’t reporting the whole story and it’s time to get our voices heard.  I will send out “Climate Clips” every Thursday, which will include tips, a sample letter, and articles to respond to.  Hopefully these stories will inspire you to submit a letter to the editor reacting to any of the articles I’ve pasted in these emails. 

Feel free to circulate this far and wide.

If you are interested in not getting these emails please just reply and I will remove you from this hand selected list of Climate Activists.  If you are receiving this as a forward and would like to subscribe please email Lauren@chesapeakeclimate.org with Climate Clips in the subject.

PS- If you want an extra set of eyes to look over your letter please don’t hesitate to call me (804) 335-0915  or send it my way.  Also if you could forward me any letters you do submit so I can keep track that would be great!

CLIMATE CLIPS: Issue 1: April 1, 2010
1. Tips on Submitting Letters
2. Sample Letter
3. This week’s “Climate Clips”

Continue reading

If Only this was an April Fools Joke

The tweet making its way around the youth climate movement: “wishing Obama’s #drilling plan was a Fossil Fool’s Day joke- not funny, nor worth the costs.”

That’s what youth across America feel after President Obama’s announcement yesterday.

Is this a joke? We voted in record numbers, knocked on doors, made phone calls, and dragged our friends to the polls with the hope that we were voting for clean energy and climate change solutions. Instead our leaders didn’t lead in Copenhagen, we still don’t have a climate bill, and now President Obama wants to open up half of the east coast to offshore drilling.

I wish this was a joke. It’s not a funny one. This is our future. Our jobs. Our economy at stake.

The last few weeks youth across the country voted to Define Our Decade to show what we wanted as a generation. Overwhelmingly youth voted to use 100% clean energy in the next decade. We didn’t vote for more of the same, or selling out to industry. And it isn’t what will motivate us to turn out to the polls in 2010 either.

As Morgan Goodwin wrote:

Youth, the millennial generation so inspired by Obama to vote in record numbers, have the most to lose from the expansion of drilling. Even some coastal governors and senators will be angry about the announcement because of the small amount of oil and huge environmental risks. If white-haired governors and senators are worried, what about young people who are thinking about protecting this coastline for us and our children, long after the tiny amounts of energy have been extracted?

Obama inspired our generation to turn out to the polls, and he can do it again if he moves to actually inspire us. But youth across the country have longer memories than this short-sighted political thinking. Under this proposal the first lease sales for drilling would be held in 2012, a year that Obama will be hoping to connect with us and convince us he stands for our interests. That’s not change we can believe in. If young people don’t believe him, they aren’t going to be inspired to vote.

No joke.

Tell Us Why You (heart) Clean Air!

Do you love clean air as much as we do? Then join CCAN in taking part in the “i (heart) clean air” campaign on the Clean Air Act Facebook fan page. From March 29 through Earth Day, people are posting their photos and sharing their stories about why they ? clean air. These photos and stories will be sent to Congress to demonstrate that Americans everywhere are saying no to airborne pollutants that are bad for our health, environment, and climate. The most memorable photos and stories will be featured on the Clean Air Act Facebook page and shared with their 3,500+ fans.

So join in and let our leaders know that when you breathe in, only clean air will do!

Perdue Chicken pecking away at UMD Law Clinic

The University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic has been fighting to preserve Maryland’s environment on behalf of citizens for years. Most recently, the law clinic has been investigating massive factory farms that contaminate waterways. In retaliation, these factory farms, led by Perdue Chicken, are pushing the Maryland General Assembly to take away funding for the law clinic. Read more in the Baltimore Sun.

The University of Maryland is one of the largest pro-bono law firms in Maryland and represents clients from all over the state, including CCAN. This move could seriously undermine its ability to continue its vital work.

The Maryland General Assembly will be voting on this provision soon as part of the larger budget.

Ask your state legislator to take a stand against big polluters by keeping the University of Maryland Law Clinic’s funding.

Incentivize and they will retrofit!

On Monday, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced a second round of stimulus funding to Virginia residents for energy efficiency upgrades to their homes. Some thirty hours later, the funds were all gone. This strikes me as pretty funny because during our fight at the General Assembly to pass a mandatory energy efficiency resource standard, Dominion VA Power and their supporters at the capital kept telling us that the utilities shouldn’t be held responsible for consumer behavior. Hmmm, seems to me that consumers not only understand the importance of upgrading old, money guzzling appliances but also want to make the necessary changes. I wonder what the excuse is going to be next year?

Reason #12: China is winning the global clean energy race

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever, but there is also an unprecedented opportunity to build a new future.

We need an “Earth Day Revolution” to bring about historic advances in climate policy, renewable energy, green jobs, and to catalyze millions who can make personal commitments to sustainability by mobilizing the power of people to create change. We need the Senate to stop stalling and start acting on clean energy and climate solutions for America.

That’s why we’ve joined others in presenting Congress with 40 reasons to take action. Every day until Earth Day activists will deliver another reason to offices of Congressional leaders.

CCAN’s very own Chelsea Harnish joined others to deliver reason #12 to Senator Webb and Warner’s Richmond offices. Her message? China is winning the global clean energy race. Her method of communicating her message? An actual race.