The battle over fossil fuels has heated up in one of the fiercest standoffs the country has seen in years. Appalachians have witnessed the destruction of their mountains. their homes and their very lives.
Coal-field residents have had enough. But, the few who get paid to blow the mountains up will stop at nothing to protect their paychecks.
As the standoff reaches the historic March on Blair Mountain in West Virginia, it has become “Climate Ground Zero.”
On Jan. 14, the EPA denied the largest mountain-top removal permit to ever be considered for the state of West Virginia. The denial was based on the history of violations the coal company had in previous mountain-top removal sites, with dire consequences to the water in those areas. “The EPA determined “that Arch Coal’s Spruce No.1 mine in Logan County, would bring “destructive and unsustainable” mining procedures which would disrupt the natural habitats of small to medium sized WV Appalachian counties.” (OVEC)
Coal-field residents were stunned with disbelief and were celebrating. This was a major victory. Immediately rumors started flying that the coal industry would now take down the EPA. Coal companies were holding rallies and erecting bill-boards proclaiming the EPA as the enemy of West Virginia commerce. One of those rallies was held in the Charleston Capitol Building Rotunda, where coal-field residents silently marched in with signs and let their presence be know.
Within the boundaries of the EPA-denied site stands the beloved Blair Mountain. The mountain is an important site in West Virginia history, and was the scene of a courageous show of miners” solidarity. According to Dr. Harvard Ayers, in an Appalachian Voices Front Porch Blog, “The Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921 was the second largest armed insurrection in U.S. history, and the culmination of the “mine wars”, where much blood was shed in order to secure labor rights for miners.”
Ayers goes on to explain the rare action that endangered Blair Mountain. “I, along with historian Barbara Rasmussen, on behalf of Friends of Blair Mountain, succeeded in getting the Blair Mountain Battlefield on the National Register of Historic Places in March 2009. However, nine months later, due to a “bogus” list of objectors created by the coal operators, the National Park Service took the rare action of de-listing the site. The coal operators want to blow the mountaintop up to get the coal underneath and to eradicate any evidence of the 1921 battle. Friends of Blair Mountain, along with Sierra Club, are currently pursuing legal action to get the site re-listed.”
On May 4 and again on May 11, the coal-industry threat to call out the EPA culminated in a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment Hearing called, “EPA Mining Policies: Assault on Appalachian Jobs.” EPA Deputy Administrator Nancy Stoner seemed to be a “sheep in the lion’s den.” Appalachian coal-field residents sat helplessly as false “facts” were presented by the pro-coal stacked witnesses, and as the MTR’s impacts on communities were minimized. The EPA representative stood alone. She was the only witness called in support of the EPA’s decision. Coal-field residents resented not being allowed to speak.
Its ironic that the name of the Hearing implies that stopping the bombing of mountains for coal will somehow destroy this large number of jobs. In fact, this practice has taken jobs away from miners. This point is important. The miner is who America owes a debt to. The true miner is like a soldier, toughened quickly in the depths of a coal-mine, and marching off to a daunting task each day. A true coal miner has coal in the seams of his skin. Its unmistakable. Its a hard job, a hard life and a hard way to die. Their jobs have been stolen, along with their children’s heritage; the largest deciduous hard-wood forest in the continental United States.
Dr. Ayers explains the next important step; the March on Blair Mountain. “In order to highlight the support for protecting Blair Mountain and other places threatened by mountaintop removal mining, a coalition of groups, including Friends of Blair Mountain and Appalachian Voices, are organizing the Blair Mountain March and Rally that begain Monday and ends Saturday. This 50-mile, five-day march from Marmet to Blair, W.Va., is the same route taken by the pro-union miners in 1921 to the battle. The goal of the event is to call for the abolition of mountaintop removal, ensure miners” rights, and work for a just transition to a renewable energy economy.”
Three million pounds of explosives are used daily on mountaintop removal sites in West Virginia alone. Mountain-top removal is the fastest way to get to the seam of coal under the mountain. All it takes to do this job is a few demolition experts and heavy equipment operators. The jobs have dwindled to the point of becoming highly competitive. This in turn, has created an air of blind loyalty to the coal company by those fortunate enough to be hired. But, others see a different kind of value in keeping the forests, mountains and streams alive. A fierce battle is being waged over the ancient resource-rich forested mountains.
The March on Blair Mountain is a show of solidarity and people from everywhere are being asked to join them to prove it is time to stop the bombing of Appalachia’s mountains. The march will be empowering for the communities who have struggled so very hard to take back their mountains and their lives. Their struggle against King Coal is still daunting. But, this march will not be a march of sheep into a lion’s den. The momentum is growing and so are the numbers who are planning to attend. This will be another historic march of solidarity solidarity reaching back nearly a century. This time, the show of solidarity is not only for the Appalachian mountain communities. It is also a show of support for the Environmental Protection Agency. Without that, we could all be facing the same destruction as the Appalachians are today.
Janet Perry is a member of the Colorado Press Association. She lives in Nederland. For more information, go to . EDITOR’S NOTE: This online-only guest commentary has not been edited. Guest commentary submissions of up to 650 words may be sent to columns@denverpost.com.
