Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Session 2.02 Activism and Organizing
Presentation #1 Title
Our Water, Our Future: The State of the Mountaintop Removal Movement
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The work to end mountaintop removal stripmining is evolving. Hard fought regulations, a booming gas market, limits on coal-fired power plants, and ever hard to reach coal seams mean that mining in the region has decreased. And that’s much of the story right now—but it isn’t all of it. New mines are being proposed—but these mines are designed around loop holes in regulations: mines are smaller and require fewer (if any) valley fills, mines are being disguised as highway projects, mines continuing from extended permits. Beyond the mining landscape itself, our communities are forced to deal with legacy costs of old and new mines—and, in many cases, this means fighting failed enforcement and failed reclamation. What unifies this new chapter of our work? Water, Economic Transition, and New National Collaborations. In this session, we will map the existing landscape of our shared work in the region and discuss where we’re headed.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Katey Lauer, former co-coordinator of Appalachia Rising and volunteer with Mountain Justice, Katey now works as Coordinator of The Alliance for Appalachia.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Teri Blanton, former chairperson and current staff of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Teri also acts as convener of the Coordinating Committee of The Alliance for Appalachia.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Bill Price, former volunteer with Coal River Mountain Watch, Bill now acts as staff of Sierra Club Environmental Justice in West Virginia and as convener of The Alliance for Appalachia’s Training Team.
Our Water, Our Future: The State of the Mountaintop Removal Movement
Drinko 138
The work to end mountaintop removal stripmining is evolving. Hard fought regulations, a booming gas market, limits on coal-fired power plants, and ever hard to reach coal seams mean that mining in the region has decreased. And that’s much of the story right now—but it isn’t all of it. New mines are being proposed—but these mines are designed around loop holes in regulations: mines are smaller and require fewer (if any) valley fills, mines are being disguised as highway projects, mines continuing from extended permits. Beyond the mining landscape itself, our communities are forced to deal with legacy costs of old and new mines—and, in many cases, this means fighting failed enforcement and failed reclamation. What unifies this new chapter of our work? Water, Economic Transition, and New National Collaborations. In this session, we will map the existing landscape of our shared work in the region and discuss where we’re headed.
