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Please Attend Public Hearing on EIS for MTR
And Another Hearing-DEP Proposes some MTR Regulation Changes
Where'd That 'Coal Bucket Outlaw" Go?
As you know, the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on mountaintop removal / valley fill coal mining (MTR) is open for public comment. See the EIS on line here.
We (a couple of WV enviro groups) are collecting comments from people who live in the shadow of mountaintop removal / valley fill coal mining, as well as other affected folks (if you think about the future and / or pay taxes, that would be you). The comments we collect will be rolled into one document that details the human / community toll of MTR. Other groups are working on highly-detailed comments on the biological, aquatic, terrestrial and legal aspects of the MTR EIS. Our community impact comments and these technical comments will be rolled into one giant EIS comment that several groups will submit together.
What we would like from you is a note on how MTR affects you and where you live. You can include your name, or ask to remain anonymous--whichever you are more comfortable with. By July 21, please tell us how MTR impacts you--the blasting, the worry, the dust, the floods, the trucks, the erosion of democracy...any way you, your family and your community are affected. It would be best if you could write your comments down, either in an e-mail or on paper. You can e-mail comments to vivian@ohvec.org. (If that e-mail doesn't work try viv@spectrumz.com.) Or, you can call the OVEC office at 304-522-0246 and ask for Viv if you would rather talk than write.
You can also snail-mail your comments to:
Coal River Mountain Watch
P.O. Box 651
Whitesville 25209.
Again, please do this by July 21.
Making comments this way will NOT prohibit you from making your own individual comments on the EIS, but it will really help us let regulators know the truth about MTR. Please note that some folks plan to condense the mega-comments down into a fact sheet that you can use to make your own individual comments, which are due by Aug. 29.
JULY 24--PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MTR EIS
There are two public hearings on the EIS. The first is July 22 in Hazard, Ky. at the Forum at the Hal Rogers Center, 101 Bulldog Lane. The second is July 24 at the Charleston Civic Center, Little Theater, 200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston, WV. Both hearings have sessions from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. and again from 7 p.m. - 11 p.m.
If you are planning to attend the WV hearing, you may want to let either Coal River Mountain Watch (crmw@charter.net or 854-2182) or OVEC (vivian@ohvec.org or 304-522-0246) know, as we may have some special plans for that event.
JUNE 21--DEP HEARING ON PROPOSED MTR REGULATION CHANGES
At 6 p.m. on Monday July 21, the WV Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing at its Nitro headquarters. The hearing is in regards to DEP's proposed changes to post-mining land use regulations, which are online here. Near the bottom of that web page, search for regulation 38-2, which is 273 pages long and deals with MTR regulations, including new forestland and wildlife post-mining land use regulations. You may also want to look at regulation 47-30, which is "only" 70-some pages long and deals with pollutant discharge permits for coal mining facilities. The Secretary of State's Office (304-558-6000) sells paper copies of the proposed rules.
'COAL BUCKET OUTLAW' RESCHEDULED
Sorry if you tuned into WV Public TV on July 4 looking for 'Coal Bucket Outlaw.' The network changed the schedule for its presentation of Appalshop's Headwaters film series.
Below is the new schedule for remaining shows in the series. Each film airs on WV Public TV at 10 p.m. on the following Fridays:
July 11 - a documentary on WV social activist and singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens.
July 18 - "Coal Bucket Outlaw," a "must see" for anyone concerned about overweight coal trucks.
On July 27 - "Stranger with a Camera," an award-winning film about the relationship of media makers to the communities they portray.
Got a problem with a coal (or any other) truck? You can call toll free to report safety problems. Call 1-866-SEETRUX (1-866-733-8789). The hotline is open from 7:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.
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