February 7 |
OVEC Action
Alert Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition |
 |
Bill to Ban
Mountaintop Removal Introduced
Senator Jon Blair Hunter (D-Monongalia) yesterday introduced
legislation that would effectively end the practice of
burying thousand of miles of streams under the rubble created by
mountaintop removal coal mining.
"I introduced Senate Bill 588 because I fervently believe that God did not intend for us to destroy the mountains, the streams, the forests and His people in order to mine coal," Sen. Hunter said. He noted that more than 60 percent of West Virginians oppose mountaintop removal coal mining. Sen. Hunter gave a moving speech on the Senate floor as he introduced the bill; Here's WV Public Radio's coverage (a pdf document); read more here.
As Chair of the Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee, Sen. Hunter can and will hold a public hearing on the bill. As soon as we know the details on the hearing, we'll pass along the info. In the meantime, stay up to date on what is going on during the Legislative Session by subscribing to Citizen Action Group and WV Environmental Council action alert lists.
Speaking of Senator Hunter, we hope you'll be able to join us in honoring his work on February 28. Details here.
Safe Water and
a Strong DEP: Sign the Petition
We are petitioning the Legislature to
make the following mandates to strengthen our Department of
Environmental Protection:
--Fill the 100 job vacancies in the DEP (this number comes from the
DEP Office of Administration);
--Investigate why
DEP missed so many citations for violations of water
pollution permits;
--Postpone all permits that allow waste or pollution to be dumped
into our streams until the DEP can adequately monitor the impact and
enforce the law.
Read more about this call to action here. Sign the online petition here. And print a copy of the petition for your friends and neighbors to sign. Help us meet our goal of 1,000 signatures, and help create a stronger DEP--for our water, for our children, for our future.
Reminder:
Come Out Tonight
Tonight, Feb. 7 at 6:00 p.m.
please come out to
Taylor Books,
226 Capitol St, Charleston. Michael Shnayerson, author of
Coal River
will sign books and join us in a reception to celebrate
the work all of us do to end mountaintop removal.
And another reminder...Feb. 14: Kentuckians For The Commonwealth's I Love Mountains Day, State Capitol, Frankfort, KY.
More Books on
Our Work to End Mountaintop Removal
Last year, several books were published that explore different
aspects of various groups and individuals' work to end mountaintop
removal. Each is well-worth the read:
West Virginia native Anne Pancake's novel--As
Strange As This Weather Has Been
West Virginia native Dr. Shirley Stewart Burns book--Bringing
Down The Mountains
Penny Loeb's book--Moving
Mountains
These books are available at Frog Creek Books and Taylor Books. Please support independent bookstores!
Save the Date:
Lobby Week in DC
April 5-9 is the third annual
Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington, the chance for people like
you from all across the country to meet your representatives and ask
them to stop the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal
mining. We hope to see you there. More details
here. Take action for the mountains!
www.ohvec.org 304-522-0246 vivian@ohvec.org |
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