From Morgan to Mingo: Sister County Solidarity

Mingo Countians Donna Branham, Carol Young, Terry Steele, Carolyn Van Zant and Walter Young have been working with a group in Morgan County that wants to fight mountaintop removal.

We have had several conference calls together and the Morgan County group has offered solidarity, time, professional resources, and fundraising for the group in Mingo County. This has been an amazing way to build solidarity, understanding, and power across geographic and cultural barriers. We hope to build a sustainable model to be replicated across the state.

On our way to the Stop Mountaintop Removal lobbying week in Washington, DC (See story on page 8), Mingo Countians stayed in Berkeley Springs for a night. We enjoyed a wonderful potluck dinner and gave a presentation to the group. Thank you to Leslie Milbourne and Beth Raps for coordinating that energizing event.

OVEC members in Mingo County have been holding the Department of Environmental Protection accountable to the people. We have joined together to demand a legislative audit of the DEP. If the DEP did its job, we would have more state revenue from fines, we would have a healthier environment, and we would have workers who are paid a fair wage. We look forward to working more closely with the State Workers Union. See page 12 for more information on our DEP accountability efforts.

Mingo folks identified our top priorities to be educating neighbors about the issues and getting more people involved in making change. We researched media costs, brainstormed slogans, and made plans to do some serious outreach this summer with the goal of recruiting 50 members.

We aim to kick off the outreach campaign with billboards along Rt. 119 near Williamson. Stacey Stalnaker, professional graphic designer in Huntington, is volunteering her time to develop an effective ad. Beth Raps, a professional grant writer in Berkeley Springs, is also volunteering her time and looks to raise $10,000 for the billboards.

Through a gift from Appalachian Voices, we met with Fenton Communications, a PR firm in DC. And, Earthjustice has donated both time and money to help us develop a powerful message.

Thank you to everyone who is making this important project a reality. This is surely a powerful catalyst for an event-filled summer of recruitment!

And keep your eyes peeled for the launch of a new, local environmental group here in Mingo County. If you have any experience or support you would like to offer, please call Donna Branham at (304) 475-2421.

Mingo County community leaders recently initiated monthly movie showings at the Pizza Hut in South Williamson.

Free and open to the public, these movie nights are a great place to meet others who want to get involved and learn more about environmental issues in the coalfields.