What It Takes to Win the Fight: ORGANIZE!

	Arley Johnson talks about the horrors of Buffalo Creek at ceremony held at the state Capitol to honor the 35th anniversary of the disaster.

No one person got SCR 15, the sludge study resolution, passed by themselves. It was truly a group effort by hundreds of people.

As part of the year-long actions and activities leading to the Sludge Safety Project success, OVEC:

• Organized standing-room-only crowds at the legislative interims in October, November, December and January, where coalfield residents told legislators and the media heart-wrenching stories about the health effects they and their families have suffered from exposure to water contaminated by underground sludge injection.

• Organized Lobby Tuesdays: OVEC’s community leaders, assisted by our organizers, descended on the state Capitol weekly during the 60-day session to educate legislators on toxic coal sludge-related issues during the 2007 WV legislative session.
  On average, 10-12 coalfield residents armed with jars of black water from their taps got up before dawn and braved icy, winding roads to speak with legislators about their concerns and to hand out literature.

• Commemorated, at the State Capitol, the 35th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek disaster, in which 125 lost their lives when coal waste dams failed in Logan County. About 75 people attended the event. Disaster survivor Arley Johnson spoke, reminding us all that we must work together to hold the coal industry and government accountable so such a preventable tragedy never happens again.

• Hosted an organizing house in Mingo County from May through mid-August. A local church donated office space, which we continue to use. Six college interns worked with leaders to create and carry out community action plans. Using data gathered at offices of the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection (DEP), they worked with other volunteers to develop an underground coal slurry injection site map, the first of its kind for the state.

• Continued organizing, coalition-building and educational efforts with other constituencies which made coal sludge issues one of their state-level lobbying priorities, including the League of Women Voters, WV Council of Churches, WV Catholic Conference, Interfaith Center on Public Policy, West Virginia Environmental Council and Community Lutheran Partners.