Appalachian Voices and iLoveMountains.org are helping to spear-head an effort to stop mountaintop removal by working with small local blogs from around the country, the success of which is based on the participation of the blogging community and of new journalists like YOU. To supplement the organizing going on in the coalfields, we have instituted the “Bloggers Challenge.”

Over 230 people have already participated in the iLoveMountains Bloggers Challenge, and every Monday, we will come here to highlight their work and ask you to participate in the bloggers challenge by writing a post on mountaintop removal this week.

1) Featured Blogs for the week of June 23-30:…

Kevin at Bartoy wrote a piece called “George Bush doesn’t care about Appalachia“.

…In my opinion, Kanye West didn’t go far enough with his statement.

The truth of the matter is that George Bush doesn’t care about poor people and neither do most Americans.

Sound crazy?

Well, take a close look at the rape of Appalachia and tell me that my statement isn’t true.

You see, in 2002, the Bush Administration changed a single word in the Clean Water Act to help out their wealthy cronies in the mining industry. And, that single word has literally moved mountains. I suppose that it hasn’t so much moved them as it has blasted them off the face of the Earth….

Over at Little Green Animals we have What Coal Means to the Mountain

Mountaintop removal coal mining is an extremely destructive form of strip mining found throughout Appalachia, with some mines as big as the island of Manhattan. Coalfield residents say that it tears apart communities, destroys any chance of economic development, poisons water supplies, pollutes the air and destroys our nation’s natural heritage – while only making the climate crisis worse.

Here’s what Wendell Berry has to say about the coal industry — an industry that so far, no presidential candidate has turned her or his back on:

“The only limits so far honored by this industry have been technological. What its machines have enabled it to do, it has done. And now, for the sake of the coal under them, it is destroying whole mountains with their forests, water courses and human homeplaces.

Over at www.endmtr.com, Denny Gives us America’s Mountain Majesty at Risk.

…advocates for the mountains and coalfield residents today launched a new series of online videos showing the looming danger to some of America’s most special places: the Appalachian mountains, which are home to a vibrant and indelible culture, stunning biodiversity and enormous economic potential….

Britt Bravo over at HaveFunDoGood gives us a great entry with ILoveMountains.org Blogger’s Challenge (You Can Help If You Aren’t a Blogger Too!)

That’s why iLoveMountains.org came up with the What’s My Connection tool. It allows you to type in your zip code and see how you are connected to mountaintop removal.

For example, when I type in my zip code in Oakland, CA, it tells me, “Your electricity provider, Pacific Gas Electric Co., buys coal from companies engaged in mountaintop removal.”

Over at WVBackwoods Drifter, Denny again drops probably my favorite quote from the bloggers challenge so far.

Using mountaintop removal coal for energy is akin to using drug money to buy girl scout cookies. It may seem like a good thing in the end but no matter what, you can’t get past where it comes from.

A must read over at CorinaCorina called Fossil = DoDo = Fossil (coal = coal = coal)

My father was a coal miner, but not before he was a logger. He lived the paradox of loving the trees and the woods of his youth, relished his work with the men who were clearing the trees to make way for new towns.. Then came the war, World War II, every 10th man sent down the mine, and down the mine he went for 5 long years. Long years to a young man who lived outdoors but no comparison to the coal miners who spent all the decades of their working lives underground and carried the legacy in their lungs, with all the respiratory distress that goes with digging coal.

All this lit up in me when this “true cost of coal” came over my desk this morning. The trauma of the coal industry’s demise in England can still be keenly felt. But here, once again, the externalized cost of extracting coal is as real as when it was the lungs of men; now it is literally laid bare on the land as the coal-extracting techniques have scaled up to the ‘might’ to remove mountains, and the land is scraped bare and black as the lungs of our fathers, exposed for all to see.

Over at bethechangeinc.com, Kate is leading the way for y’all non-easterners with I Love Mountains:

Although (or maybe because) I’m from the Midwest, I love mountains. They’re huge, gorgeous landmarks, and create an amazing landscape - and they’re in danger.

A few sources have led us to iLoveMountains.org - a very cool website that seeks to end mountaintop removal.

From the heart of West Virginia, Ron’s Thots gives us a stunning entry with “The Mountains.” Another absolute must read with great local flavor.

..re we willing to get rid of our mountain friends so that the country can have a cheaper source of energy? I for one am not willing. I for one love these mountains, and I don’t think that I am alone in that love.

When our mountain tops are removed for the coal, and our valleys are filled with the waste we have become little more that a moon-scape. The beauty of our heritage has disappeared. The glory of our mountains are gone forever. The steep mountain valleys become another place for a shopping mall or a parking lot, or worse just a barren pile of rocks and dirt. We are no longer proud Mountaineers, but rather we have been reduced to poor folks who once again took a “screwing” (pardon my slang this day)…

Alex from Connecticut over at ItGettingHotinHere recalls meeting young Appalachian activists fighting mountaintop removal while at Bonaroo, and coming away very impressed, and more than a little engaged in the issue.

t first, I just sat there when they were giving their spiel, because I didn’t feel informed enough about mountaintop removal. However, after hearing these awesome folks do their thing for a day or so, and after talking to them about their campaign, I became more confident. At first I just hooked bypassers (“Hey, have you heard about mountaintop removal?”), then even gave people the full lowdown. I was amazed at the growth I felt over the course of the weekend. I’ve always been nervous talking to people in that way, but just by spending time around folks who were more experienced, I became more confident and was able to contribute something valuable to the movement.

Over at Thinking Outside, we have a great entry on Dr. John Todd’s vision for economic recovery in Appalachia as we move beyond coal.

In the past, efforts at restoration have been geberally localized and at times half-hearted, conducted by the same companies that did the damage in the first place. What’s needed is a systematic plan that works on the same scale as mining itself, setting up a process by which the land air and water are all restored, from the surface to underground waters poisoned by the pollution from mining.

At When All Else Fails…Make a List, fledging journalist Amanda gives us a story of how she got mountaintop removal noticed in her local paper in East Tennessee.

You can put in your zip code and it automatically tells the plant that supplies your power and what mines they purchase coal from.

In this area, our power is supplied by the John Sevier Plant in Hawkins County. The site gave me a map of the various mines that supply the plant. One particular plant in Rawl, West Virginia supplies a large amount of coal to this area. The site features a story about a family who is facing major health problems because of the sludge area behind their home.

And last but not least, Jervey at sustaiNYC gives us NY Loves Mountains and previews an exciting gala event which will be held in downtown NYC next month focusing on ending mountaintop removal.

fascinating site launched recently that lets New Yorkers see what–if any–their connection to mountaintop removal coal mining is. NYLOVESMOUNTAINS is the locally targeted branch of the broader I Love Mountains campaign that draws very direct connections between electricity customers and the Appalachian communities that are effected by mountaintop coal removal.

2) Mountaintop Removal Fact of the Week

Roughly 5% of America’s energy comes from mountaintop removal. The electricity produced by coal from mountaintop removal could be replaced using less than a third of the wind resources in North Dakota OR just 4% of Arizona’s concentrated solar power potential. Theres also good old fashioned conservation and efficiency.

3) Mountain Image of the Week
Appalachian citizen activist and grandfather Ed Wiley, with Vice President Al Gore. Gore says that “mountaintop removal is a crime and ought to be treated like a crime.“

4) Appalachian Music of the Week

“the everybodyfields of East Tennessee play us Magazines.

5) And for your reading pleasure, check out some of the other great entries in the bloggers challenge.

Y’all git to writin’ on them tubes!

June 17th, 2008 — As of today, 16,600 people have watched one or more of the America’s Most Endangered Mountains video series!

In addition, the iLoveMountains.org Blogger’s Challenge is heating up! In the 2 weeks since the launch, 217 bloggers have pledged to help end mountaintop removal coal mining by spreading the word! Oh, and check out the Bloggers’ Impact Map. They’re everywhere!

June 3rd, 2008 — The following email was sent to the 29,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.

http://www.ilovemountains.org/endangered

For nearly two years, iLoveMountains.org has raised awareness about the massive scale of destruction left behind by mountaintop removal coal mining, which has already destroyed more than 470 mountains and countless communities and streams in Appalachia.

In the process, we’ve helped change the debate about mountaintop removal coal mining. And you’ve helped us build a movement — with nearly 30,000 Americans joining us on iLoveMountains.org, and a record 139 supporters standing with us in Congress.

But even as the tide of public opinion has turned against mountaintop removal coal mining, Big Coal has been moving forward with plans to rip off the tops of some of the most beautiful mountains in Appalachia.

Learn about Big Coal’s plans — and what you can do to stop them — by visiting America’s Most Endangered Mountains:

http://www.ilovemountains.org/endangered

For too long, Big Coal has benefited from the isolation of the people of Appalachia, relying on the remoteness of Appalachia’s most vibrant and indelible communities to bypass broad public awareness of their destructive plans.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today, you can stand with the people of Huckleberry Ridge and Black Mountain and other places in Appalachia, and help amplify their voices in opposition to the next wave of mountaintop removal coal mining.

After you’ve visited and heard the stories of America’s Most Endangered Mountains, take just a few moments to spread the word by forwarding a video to a friend or family member, or using the tell-a-friend tool to reach out to your network on the web.

And if you have a blog or website, please, take our Blogger’s Challenge and help us get the word out about America’s Most Endangered Mountains:

http://www.ilovemountains.org/bloggers-challenge

Over the coming months, we’ll be adding more stories and videos about America’s Most Endangered Mountains, because we want all Americans to know about the people and the places under threat from mountaintop removal coal mining.

Please, help us get the word out. Forward this email to your friends and family, or invite at least 5 friends to join you in stopping mountaintop removal coal mining through our website.

Together, we can protect America’s Most Endangered Mountains — and put an end to Big Coal’s plans to destroy the mountains we all love.

Mary Anne Hitt

iLoveMountains.org

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. and Mike Papantonio discuss the destructiveness of Mountaintop Removal coal mining on their Air America Radio Show, Ring of Fire. To listen to the show,  CLICK HERE

May 28th, 2008 — The following email was sent to the 28,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.

North Carolina’s Mountaintop Removal Connections

Yesterday in North Carolina, State Representative Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) and Appalachian Voices announced the introduction of the Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act– a bill that would make North Carolina the first state in the nation to ban the use of coal obtained from mountaintop removal mining.

This is big news for our movement — and bad news for Big Coal.

Nationwide, North Carolina is second only to Georgia in its use of mountaintop removal coal. And the effort of consumers and state representatives to ban the use of mountaintop removal coal represents a new front in the fight to save the mountains we all love.

Imagine if elected officials across the nation started introducing bills to ban the use of mountaintiop removal coal. If we continue to grow the iLoveMountains network, we can make that happen. Invite your friends and family to join you at iLovemountains.org today:

http://www.ilovemountains.org/take_action/

You played a key role in helping to introduce the bill in North Carolina.

Because of your efforts to spread the word through iLoveMountains.org, thousands of North Carolinians and representatives like Pricey Harrison have seen the true cost of mountaintop removal coal mining. And now they’re standing up to say that the price is too high - too high in the number of devastated communities and poisoned water supplies, and too high in the destruction of our nation’s natural heritage.

That’s why Big Coal is spending millions of dollars in a national advertising campaign — because your efforts to spread the truth about the cost of coal has them worried.

Big Coal is on the defensive, not just in Washington, DC and in state capitols like Raleigh, but in the media and the realm of public opinion.

In just the last few weeks:

• The Financial Times published an article detailing the violence and intimidation that some residents of Appalachia face when they stand up against mountaintop removal coal mining.
• CNN ran a major piece on the controversy surrounding mountaintop removal coal mining, educating millions of Americans for the first time about this destructive practice.
• The Independent in the UK helped spread the word across Europe and around the web about the true price Americans are paying for coal.

Yesterday’s introduction of the Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act is just the latest step in our journey to put an end to mountaintop removal coal mining.

Next week, we’re launching a major new initative to shine a light on Big Coal’s current plans to destroy some of the most beautiful mountains and communities in Appalachia.

Please, watch for that email next week, and do everything you can to continue spreading the word about the true cost of mountaintop removal coal mining.

As we saw yesterday in North Carolina, your efforts are making a tremendous difference.

Mary Anne Hitt

iLoveMountains.org

PS Help make next week’s new initative a success. Click here to make a financial contribution today.

In the last week, iLoveMountains.org supporter have made quite a bit of noise. Because of your activity, 2 nationally syndicated radio programs covered mountaintop removal coal mining. Nice work everybody!

3rd Annual Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington covered by NPR’s All Things Considered, April 21, 2008

New Breed of Lobbyists Hail from Appalachia - Lobbyists are everywhere on Capitol Hill. But it’s not always high-priced professionals that get lawmakers’ attention. A cadre of Appalachian residents has come to lobby for environmental protections from coal-mining waste. For many, it was their first trip to Washington, D.C. Listen to the whole story here.

iLoveMountains.org’s “My Connection” Coal Tracking Maps covered on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show, April 17, 2008

Mapping Out Activism - Many of us use online maps to navigate unfamiliar streets. But activists are tapping into digital technologies to demonstrate connections between global crises and our day-to-day lives. We discuss how digital maps are putting a different face on global and environmental issues. Listen to the whole story here.

April 16th, 2008 — The following email was sent to the 28,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.

We have some great news to share from our 3rd Annual Week in Washington.

First, I want to thank everyone who called or emailed their Representatives in Congress last week. Every call and email made a tremendous difference to the 125 volunteers from across the country who traveled to our nation’s capital to help put an end to mountaintop removal coal mining.

As a result of your efforts on the phone and online, combined with the efforts of our volunteers in Washington:

• Our volunteers met with more than 30 Senators or Senate offices, and more than 110 Congressional offices;
• We gained several new friends in the Senate, who are willing to begin working on a strategy to introduce a counterpart to the CWPA in the U.S. Senate;
• New co-sponsors in the House include the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus; and
• We now have a record 134 cosponsors for the Clean Water Protection Act in the U.S. House.

Click here to see if your Representative is now a cosponsor.

Click here to view photos of the Week in Washington.

In addition to our success on the Hill, last week’s action in Washington attracted the attention of numerous members of the press. As a result, we had the opportunity to educate journalists from NPR to the Washington Post and beyond about our efforts to protect the mountains we all love.

There’s even more to come soon. In the next few weeks, I’ll be emailing you about a major new initiative we have planned to educate even more people about the urgent need to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.

But for now — thank you, again, for helping to make last week such a wonderful success.

Mary Anne Hitt
iLoveMountains.org

April 8th, 2008 — The following email was sent to the 28,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.

Today, 125 volunteers from more than 20 states are in our nation’s capital as part of iLoveMountain’s 3rd Annual Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington.

They’re going from office to office on Capitol Hill, telling members of Congress that now is the time to take action to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.

But they need your support. Click here to watch a video message from our volunteers in Washington:

Can you take a moment to join thousands of other iLoveMountain.org supporters who are calling their representatives today and asking them to co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 2169), which would sharply limit mountaintop removal coal mining?

Click here to learn more about the Clean Water Protection Act and to call your representative today.

Your support right now will make a tremendous difference to our volunteers in Washington — and it could make the difference in our efforts to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.

Please, help us light up the Congressional Switchboard today — and let your representative know your commitment to defending our mountains:

http://www.ilovemountains.org/action/call-your-rep

Thank you for taking action,

Mary Anne Hitt
iLoveMountains.org

P.S. If you would prefer to email your representative, click

April 6th, 2008 — The following email was sent to the 28,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.

I wanted to send you a quick note and a photo to let you know that our 3rd Annual Week in Washington is now getting underway.

More than 125 people from all across the country — people like you who care about the mountains and are committed to stopping mountaintop removal coal mining — have come to Washington to spend the next several days meeting face to face with members of Congress.

Our goal is to expand our record 129 co-sponsors of the Clean Water Protection Act — and to convince legislators that now is the time to take action to end mountaintop removal coal mining.

We’ve just now wrapped up our “citizen’s lobbying” training session, and as you can see from the photo, our volunteers on the ground are raring to head out to “the Hill” in defense of our mountains.

You can help make this week a success. I’ll be writing to you on Tuesday and asking for you to take just five minutes of your time to help with our efforts here in DC by calling your representative in Congress.

Please, keep your eyes peeled for that next email — your support on Tuesday means a great deal to the 125 volunteers who have traveled from all over the country to be here for this important week.

Thank you for taking action.

Mary Anne Hitt
iLoveMountains.org