Press Release

April 5, 2008

Living with Mountain Top Removal:
West Virginians from the Coalfields
Speak in Berkeley Springs

This Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 7:00 pm, organizers living in the coalfields of West Virginia will speak from firsthand experience about the destructive yet unnecessary mining practice of mountaintop coal removal at the Presbyterian Church in downtown Berkeley Springs. The address of the church is 206 Mercer Street.  Those who would like more information, whether or not they can attend this evening, should contact Leslie Milbourne at 258-4672 or Beth Raps at 258-2533 or bethraps@earthlink.net.  Note that no RSVP is necessary and all are welcome.  Donations will be collected but the evening is open to all free of charge.

The evening offers a rare opportunity for West Virginians from the Eastern Panhandle to meet residents of Mingo County, West Virginia Donna Branham and Patricia Feeney, hear their stories and concerns, and learn about the effects of mountaintop removal on the Appalachian environment and the people who have lived there for generations.  Those who attend will also learn of efforts by residents of Berkeley Springs to support efforts in Mingo County, and have an opportunity to ask questions and volunteer on a long-term or short-term basis.  Donna Branham’s husband is a disabled former coal miner; Donna is a volunteer leader who has lived in the coalfields all her life.  Patricia Feeney is a young Berea College (KY) graduate who is a staff organizer with OVEC, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition.

Patricia and Donna are hosted by a group of residents of Morgan County engaged through a “sister county” program with Mingo County in developing working friendships with the shared aim to end mountaintop coal removal.  The two Mingo County residents are making a stop in Berkeley Springs on their way to Washington, DC to join other citizens who will be lobbying and speaking in Washington during Mountaintop Removal Week, April 5-9th.  Participation in Mountaintop Removal Week is open to the public; see www.ilovemountains.org/, which also offers video clips, press releases, easy-to-send letters to decisionmakers, and even an interactive game, “What’s Your Connection to Mountaintop Removal?” played by keying in your zip code.  The “Action Alert” of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) is also a regular way to gain information and take voluntary action; the alert can be signed up for a www.ohvec.org.

Patricia Feeney began student organizing when she was 19 years old at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.  There, she committed to serving areas surrounding the College as a Bonner Scholar.  Later, with the national Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), she co-led a national campaign for campus clean energy policies.  After graduating with a degree in biology, Tricia received one of five Compton Foundation Mentor Fellowships awarded every year, which she used to support coalfield organizing for water security.  On staff with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC), Tricia coordinates the Sludge Safety Project.  She continues to work with citizen leaders to build a local base of power for change in communities and for more just policy changes in the state.

Donna has lived in the West Virginia coalfields all her life, as have generations of her family.  A retired nurse, her husband Charlie Branham is disabled coal miner.  Donna has been following mining permits granted in West Virginia for the past decade and a half and witnessed firsthand the impact of various mining practices on the people and the environment around her.  Her parents sold their home when, because of a mountaintop removal blast which occurred one night while he was getting out of the bath, her father had a heart attack.  Donna’s grand-daughter will also be in attendance, and will speak about her experience as a young person growing up in today’s coalfields.

###