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	<title>Climate Ground Zero</title>
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		<title>Fight over Coal River Mountain Heats Up</title>
		<link>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/07/fight-over-coal-river-mountain-heats-up/</link>
		<comments>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/07/fight-over-coal-river-mountain-heats-up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:59:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antrim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Alerts]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Warming Effects]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://climategroundzero.net/?p=6229</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Rock Creek, WV &#8212; While the nation swelters under a record breaking heat wave, things are also heating up in the hills of southern West Virginia. Yesterday two young women,  Becks Kolins, 21, and  Catherine-Ann MacDougal, 24, representing a new group called Radical Action for Mountain Peoples Survival (RAMPS) climbed and occupied two trees on a blasting site on Coal River Mountain. Coal River Mountain &#8211; Images by antrim caskey As I write, Alpha Energy, which recently acquired Massey Energy through a merger, has suspended blasting on Coal River Mountain and is currently constructing a new road to the remote location to remove them. This action by RAMPS brings much needed attention to the subject of mountain top removal coal mining in Appalachia, where every week more than a million pounds of explosives are detonated, more ridges flattened, more valleys filled, more creeks buried, and more toxic dust and runoff are released into the air and waters of Appalachian families. The RAMPS trees sit comes on the heels of series of reports by Dr. Michael Hendryx of West Virginia University that shows a strong connection between mountain top removal mining and increased rates of birth defects for babies who are born near MTR mining operations. The National Mining Association (NMA) received a wave of harsh criticism from members of Congress when they alleged the study was flawed because it did not include consanguinity as a probable cause, which is of course to suggest, wrongly, that inbreeding is more common in Appalachia than in other regions of the US. The NMA has since apologized for the insult, but continues to reject the findings, as have all of West Virginia’s politicians. Still, The Hendryx report has added tremendous fuel to the fire as the movement to ban mountain top removal continues to gain momentum. This is the reason why so many have answered the call to action, to come to the Coal River and to engage in non-violent civil disobedience. RAMPS joins the long line of citizens groups that have put their bodies on the line to stop this illegal and immoral practice, including Coal River Mountain Watch, Mountain Justice, Rainforest Action Network, Climate Ground Zero and many others. Tim DeChristopher, aka Bidder Number 70, and spokesperson for Utah-based Peaceful Uprising has also called on the American people to come to West Virginia to take part, and actions will likely continue throughout the summer. It remains to be seen how Alpha will respond to this tree sit, but so far, they seem to be taking a more cautious approach then previous owner Massey, where CEO Don Blankenship would direct the company’s response from his private helicopter. We can only hope and pray that Alpha takes no actions that will endanger the safety of these courageous tree climbers and that the Governor or the EPA immediately halt the blasting that has now been proven to be killing people and putting a generation of Appalachian babies at risk. While Climate Ground Zero has no...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Witnessing the Subversion of Democracy in West Virginia</title>
		<link>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/07/witnessing-the-subversion-of-democracy-in-west-virginia/</link>
		<comments>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/07/witnessing-the-subversion-of-democracy-in-west-virginia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:50:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antrim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Coal Slurry]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Lawsuits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Legal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mountaintop Removal Legislation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special Coverage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spruce No.1 Mine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stop Mountaintop Removal NOW!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Last Mountain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://climategroundzero.net/?p=6190</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Rahall tells constituents that 90% of the work he does is &#8220;symbolic&#8221; Subversion of Democracy &#8211; Images by antrim caskey As a resident of the Coal River Valley in Raleigh County, West Virginia, I sat in a meeting with a handful of Appalachian Ambassadors at Congressman Nick Joe Rahall’s office on July 13, 2011 in Washington, DC. It was stunning to see the 18th-term Congressman stare in silence &#8212; his only real reply &#8212; as Bo Webb, Maria Gunnoe and Vernon Haltom described the horror and the heartbreak of living with the long-term effects of mountaintop removal coal mining. Armed with the latest Hendryx report, which cites the connection between increased chance of birth defects in newborns with living near mountaintop removal operations, these Power-Hillbillies put this latest evidence in front of a distracted Rahall and announced their demand for an immediate moratorium on mountaintop removal. Rahall had nothing to say other than trying to pass the buck, first to, Alpha Natural Resources (Massey Energy&#8217;s new name), then Office of Surface Mining (OSM). What we witnessed in Representative Nick Joe Rahall&#8217;s office is what Bobby Kennedy Jr calls the “subversion of democracy in the state of West Virginia,” and we stared back in silence, in anticipation, as Rep. Rahall, stone dead in the eyes, the dome of the Capitol filling the large window behind him, said nothing to us West Virginians demanding to be represented. This is what the subversion of democracy looks like in West Virginia, where sprawling corporations have woven their money-hungry tentacles all throughout the Appalachians in search and removal of coal, seizing more that 550 mountaintops and 5000 miles of headwater streams; annihilating hundreds of mountain hamlets, so many treasures, spurned with contempt. All of the normal paths to correct injustices like Massey&#8217;s chronic corporate nuisances, like the courts and regulatory agencies, have been compromised beyond belief. Instead, West Virginians face a state Supreme Court where the Chief Justice Brent Benjamin was elected with 3 million dollars of help from the local coal company, Massey Energy. Kucinich to Coal River Mountain &#8211; Images by antrim caskey Finally, it was Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio who heard us during the House Oversight Committee hearing where Rep. Kucinich proposed a visit to see the atrocities he&#8217;s been hearing so much about, especially in the brilliant new documentary, The Last Mountain. Kucinich repeatedly demanded that he &#8220;wants to view specific sites in the Coal River Valley.&#8221; We anticipate Congressman Kucinich&#8217;s visit and we would welcome Congressional investigations into the health effects of mountaintop removal coal mining. It is imperative that you act on this issue. Where does your energy come from? Check here. Antrim Caskey Rock Creek, WV]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>West Virginians Unite</title>
		<link>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/west-virginians-unite/</link>
		<comments>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/west-virginians-unite/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:58:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carolyn Case</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://climategroundzero.net/?p=5914</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Vow to Protect New River from Mountaintop Removal Video By Carolyn Case]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Twilight, WV: Mountaintop Removal Stops Here</title>
		<link>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/twilight-wv-mountaintop-removal-stops-here/</link>
		<comments>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/twilight-wv-mountaintop-removal-stops-here/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:18:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antrim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Alerts]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://climategroundzero.net/?p=5901</guid>
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		<title>Blair Mountain March Draws to a Close</title>
		<link>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/blair-mountain-march-draws-to-a-close/</link>
		<comments>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/blair-mountain-march-draws-to-a-close/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:50:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carolyn Case</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Alerts]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Spruce No.1 Mine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stop Mountaintop Removal NOW!]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://climategroundzero.net/?p=5893</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The March on Blair Mountain draws to a close with nearly 1,000 marchers and many more attending the Rally in the presence of speakers such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Gasland producer Josh Fox, and other activists. Video By Carolyn Case]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Reverend Billy Performs Canonization Ceremony</title>
		<link>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/reverend-billy-performs-canonization-ceremony/</link>
		<comments>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/reverend-billy-performs-canonization-ceremony/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:18:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carolyn Case</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Coal Slurry]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://climategroundzero.net/?p=5877</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When the Saints Go Marching In By Mike Roselle June 9, 2011 Part old time tent revival, part Broadway musical, laced with humor and above all infused with activism, the Church of Earthalujah puts on a Sunday service like no other. At the center of the stage stands Rev. Billy Tallen, dressed in a white suit, clerical collar, and a shock of white hair that defies gravity, backed up by the Stop Shopping Choir, twenty five gospel singers, resplendent in robes of glowing green, a small rock band with two organs, producing a wall of sound that rocks the house. The hour and a half program features original songs, tight choreography , brilliant solos and a sermon by the Rev on the need to get involved in the movement to save our planet. My first experience with Rev Billy was a year ago, when we came up to New York City to witness the sainting of Bo Webb, an anti mountain top removal campaigner from Naoma, West Virginia. During each service, the Rev inducts a new saint into the pantheon of the Church, and Bo delivered a guest sermon on the evils of mountain top removal. At the time, I was thinking that this performance was a parody, intended to inform and entertain, but not overtly religious, but after attending the service for the third time it dawned on me that Billy had actually built a congregation, that it was growing, and these performers were deadly serious about their mission to spur people into action to save our planet. By the time the curtain closes, the Rev has created a special bond between the performers and the audience, who by now have become part of the show. Talking to Revered Billy after the show in a Mexican restaurant across the street from the Theater 80 Saint Mark in Manhattan&#8217;s East Village and asked him about the evolution of the Choir. “In the beginning I thought we were doing a parody too”, he says, “but after a while I could see that we were indeed building a congregation, and that there was some real power in the room, that we just might be on to something. That’s when we decided to do a service every Sunday, instead of just one every month or so, and now we have done twenty in a roll, with three more to go before we travel to Europe for an extended tour of the continent.” In the interest of full disclosure I must tell you that on this trip it was my turn to be sainted, along with photojournalist and Appalachia Watch director Antrim Caskey. We were ushered on stage while the choir led the audience in a rousing rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In while Billy introduced us to the audience and we were duly canonized in the Church of Earthaloujah. “You don’t get a halo”, says Billy, “But at least we don’t kill you.”]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>March on Blair Mountain</title>
		<link>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/march-on-blair-mountain/</link>
		<comments>http://climategroundzero.net/2011/06/march-on-blair-mountain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:59:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carolyn Case</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Alerts]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://climategroundzero.net/?p=5848</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Blair Mountain March Enters Third Day By Mike Roselle June 8, 2011 Three days into the March on Blair Mountain and the marchers are now in Madison, West Virginia, moving single file along the narrow main road snaking through this small city. The scene is calm and State Police and Boone County Sheriffs are present, and besides a few insults yelled from passing vehicles, a few pro coal placards and some crudely worded signs telling the marchers to go home, the marchers have gotten a mostly positive reception from residents along the route, and their spirits are high. Today they are about 100 marchers, while more are expected to arrive as the week&#8217;s march culminates at the big rally on Saturday. On Saturday the final rally is expected to draw over a thousand people to Blair Mountain. Video By Carolyn Case Organizers have had to contend with many last minute problems, as campgrounds and parks that had agreed to host the campers all reneged on their promises in the face of strong pressure from the local politicians who answer to the coal companies. As a result, they have had to stay in a warehouse in Marmet and need to be shuttled back and forth to the highway every day, adding hours of work for the crew, but in spite of these and other setbacks, they are on schedule to arrive in the town of Blair by Saturday for the rally that will feature Emmylou Harris, Ashley Judd and other performers along with a speech from long time MTR opponent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Attending were activists from around the country, from as far away as San Francisco, and a large contingent of Appalachians, which included several retired members of the United Mine Workers, some of whose fathers had faced the bullets in the first Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921, the event the marchers are commemorating. http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2011/06/08/the-second-battle-of-blair-mountain/ The Battle of Blair Mountain was one of the largest armed uprisings since the American Civil War. Over 10,000 coal miners wearing red bandanas marched on Blair to break the stranglehold the coal companies had over their lives, and which had rendered them all but slaves in their own land, condemned to work like mules underground in dangerous conditions for less than a living wage. March on Blair Mountain &#8211; Images by antrim caskey Photos By Antrim Caskey Though the miners were eventually routed by company thugs and the US Army, the Battle of Blair Mountain alerted the nation to the desperate plight of the coal miners, and eventually led to reforms and the establishment of the United Mine Workers as the first successful industrial trade union. One would think that this alone would make Blair Mountain one of the most important historical sites in America, but due to coal industry pressure it was taken off the National List of Historical Places and Massey Energy and Arch coal have indicated that they plan to blast what remains of the mountain to get the...]]></description>
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