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Below are the 1 most recent journal entries recorded in
bigcoal400023's InsaneJournal:
| Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 | |
| 12:15 pm | BIG COAL ravages Community of BIG UGLY ` Big Ugly is one of those place names newspaper columnists grab on a slow news day. Add that to Odd and numerous other unusual town names, and it's an easy story. William Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts and budding novelist titled his second book Big Ugly because he liked the name. A political satire with a touch of the current TV show "Mister Sterling," the book tells how an honorable senior senator from Big Ugly, W.V., helps a novice senator maneuver the halls of Congress. In reality, Big Ugly is a meandering creek stretching nearly 20 miles from Route 119 northeast of Chapmanville in Boone County to where it meets the Guyandotte River in Gill, north of Harts in Lincoln County. As you drive along the creek, what strikes you first may be the abundance of tall pine trees, their branches swaying above the broad Big Ugly Creek. Hills rise steeply on both sides of the creek, but occasionally enough flat land spreads out for a small farm. Big Ugly Creek was where Michael Tierney and his wife chose to settle after Michael was drawn to the coalfields to help out after the floods of 1977 that nearly wiped out Williamson in Mingo County. Over the years, the Tierneys and other local residents transformed a vacant elementary school into a community center with a library and computer lab. It houses West Virginia Dreamers, which is sponsored by Step by Step, which Tierney directs. Dreamers provides families who sign up a rich array of field trips and artistic endeavors for their children. One summer they wrote and presented a full evening of short plays about life in their communities. In 2002, Dreamers was one of 19 programs nationwide honored by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change as "Solutions for America." (see article) Big Ugly Creek is also at the southern end of the state's largest mountaintop removal mine, Arch Coal's Hobet 21. The mine stretches nearly 15 miles from near Julian, north of Madison in Boone County to right above the end of Fawn Hollow (see photo below), which joins Big Ugly, not far from the community center. The Cochrans live at the top of Fawn Hollow. During the summer, the Community Center is the nerve center for a number of volunteer groups, including Americorps, who work with the kids and help renovate homes. When volunteeers want to see a surface mine, Tierney sends them up the Cochrans where they had been able to look out over Hobet 21. In fact, the Cochrans lease rights to mine the surface of more than 100 acres. For the Cohrans, Hobet 21 has been the best of neighbors. When the blasts began about five years ago, their well water did get smelly and discolored. But Hobet 21 officials provided drinking water and fixed the well. "They were awfully nice about helping us," Cochran said. "The mine comes up here and checks the water all the time." Now when the mine is about to blast, Cochran gets a phone call so nobody is in range of falling rocks. Cochran is critical of some of his neighbors who have complained about the blasting. "A lot of people complain and shouldn't," he said. "There were people plumb down creek about five miles complaining about their well. They want something done for nothing." Mining is essential, Cochran believes. "They have to get the coal out to keep the lights on," he said. "Some of those men just work day to day to make a living." Nonetheless, several of his neighbors seem to have legitimate complaints about the blasting. None of them want the mining to end. But they haven't had the same satisfactory resolution of their problems. Gail Workman lives within sight of the mouth of Fawn Hollow. The blasting has eased up in the past couple of years. But before that, their house used to shake with regularity, often about the time her son came home from school. "The first time they blasted, they blasted the bathroom window out," Workman said. "I didn't know what it was. We were like, holy cow." Since their house is nearly 50 years old, the windows are made of cut glass and the frames must be hand built. They just finished repairing the dry wall. There were gaps at the tops of all the walls. Every time there is a blast, she rushed out and checked the clips on the large front window to be sure it wouldn't fall out. In the beginning, Workman wrote down the times and dates of the blasts. But this was no help when she finally called Hobet 21. Since she had no pre-blast survey to show the previous condition of her house, the mine would not do any repairs. Her husband's parents, Lacy and Brenda Workman, live nearby, and they had considerable blasting damage as well. They have spent $4,200 on a purification system for their well water because of what they believe is damage from the blasting. They didn't get any help from Hobet 21, and only called the Department of Environmental Protection once. They were told that they live 10 miles from the mine. "I can go on a four-wheeler and take anyone to the job; it's three miles," Lacy Workman said. In early March, he and neighbors met at the community center about trying to get public water up Big Ugly. There was another concern, though. Brenda Workman's cousin had recently been paid $100 by someone who did core drilling on his property for Massey Energy. He was told that Massey would be mining on Big Ugly within a year. Workman wondered whether public water would be a futile effort. Would Massey just buy (or force) residents out? A preacher, Workman is strongly in support of mining. "I have parishioners who work on mines," he said. "I've never been against it; I just wish they would stop shaking the houses." He's lived on the creek for nearly 57 years. But the day may be coming, he said, when the mines will force him to leave. The extent of the blasting problems do seem to be supported by numerous complaints to DEP over several years. Hobet 21 tends to have some of the largest blasts in the state, sometimes 800,000 to more than 1 million pounds of explosives. In fact, DEP twice came close to shutting the mine down over blasting violations. (see story) DEP cited the mine four times between October 1998 and June 1999. Instead of shutting Hobet down, DEP negotiated a settlement whereby the mine would reduce the blasts. That didn't seem to work for long. After more complaints and violations, another threat of shut down was issued in February 2001. Another settlement was negotiated in April 2001, and Hobet agreed to reduce the blasts. If not, DEP said it would immediately shut the mine down. During the discussions with Hobet, DEP noted at times that it hadn't received any new complaints. This may not accurately show the extent of the blasting problems. A number of the people on Big Ugly, like Gail Workman, did not know they should complain to DEP In fact, the only way the Billy Baldwins found out about DEP was when he happened to be talking about blasting to someone at the gas station where he works in Chapmanville. They live about three miles east of Fawn Hollow. Yet in May 2002, they finally called DEP about their well that had gone dry. The Baldwins live at the mouth of a narrow hollow that backs up the edge of the mountain, probably a couple of miles from the mine. The geology of an area has been found to magnify blasts. However, DEP told the Baldwins they were too far away to have any damage from Hobet 21. "I think it's because we live in this cubby hole," Mrs. Baldwin said. And it wasn't just the Balwdin's well that was damaged. A few years earlier, Mrs. Baldwin's mother's home at Poplar Fork was damaged. They had to hire people to replace the sheet rock. "My mom couldn't find the numbers of anyone to do anything," she said. book: Big Coal, The Dirty Secret; by Jeff Goodell book: Greenwash, The Reality Behind Corporate Environmentalism; by Jed Greer http://www.stopgreenwash.org book: Earthsummit.Biz: Corporate Takeover of Sustainable Development; by Kenny Bruno book: Battling Big Business: Countering Greenwash, Infiltration, and Other Forms of Corporate Bullying book: When Miners March; by William C. Blizzard book: Bloodletting in Appalachia, The Story of West Virginia's Four Major Mine Wars; by Howard Burton Lee book: Life, Work, and Rebellion in the Coal Fields; by David Corbin book: Battle of Blair Mountain; by Robert Shogan book: Storming Heaven; by Denise Giardina book: Unquiet Earth; by Denise Giardina book: Lost Mountain; by Erik Reece book: Coal River; by Michael Shnayerson book: Bringing Down the Mountains; by Shirley Stewart Burns book: Moving Mountains: How One Woman and Her Community Won Justice from Big Coal; by Penny Loeb book: Missing Mountains; by Kristin Johannsen book: The Buffalo Creek Disaster; by Gerald M. Stern book: Bringing Down the Mountains; by Shirley Stewart Burns book: Corporate Bodies and Guilty Minds; by William S. Laufer (free Google Book) ~ SAVE THE INTERNET - INTERNET FREEDOM FIGHTERS Keep America Free and Strong Like a Rock http://www.savetheinternet.com Sustainable Technology TRAINING for WOMEN http://sarahteach.livejournal.com/2 http://vegcar.livejournal.com http://www.electric-cars-are-for-gi http://www.electric-cars-are-for-gi book: Unlocking the Secrets to Living Your Dreams; by Jack Canfield book: Positive Imaging, The Powerful Way to Change Your Life; by Norman Vincent Peale SolFocus Aims to Beat Coal with Solar Concentrators http://air302.livejournal.com SOLAR Heated SWIMMING POOL, Spa, Hot Tub http://www.fafco.com http://www.solargenix.com http://www.canadiansolartechnologie http://www.ecs-solar.com free books: http://www.ecs-solar.com/publications.h HEATPUMP Heated SWIMMING POOL, Spa, Hot Tub http://heatpump301.livejournal.com RURAL SOLAR http://rural2solar.livejournal.com Solar cookers http://solarcookers.org http://solarcook301.livejournal.com Eat LOCAL Organc Foods save energy http://www.localharvest.org http://www.organicconsumers.org http://www.greenpeople.org http://www.eatwellguide.org http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/localfo http://www.biodynamics.com http://www.coopamerica.org http://www.localsustainability.net http://livabilityproject.org http://www.sustainabletable.org http://foodchoice.livejournal.com http://www.startnow.org http://www.harvestcanada.com Proverb: Good Food is Good Medicine. <> Garbage in, garbage out. Why be Sick? eat Local Fresh Organic food http://adhd101.livejournal.com http://organic4school.livejournal.c http://adhd103.livejournal.com http://www.organicconsumers.org http://sarahteach.livejournal.com/1 http://remineral.livejournal.com http://communitygard.livejournal.co http://greenhouse101.livejournal.co http://wattsgarden.livejournal.com http://urbanag101.livejournal.com http://backyard2farm.livejournal.co http://studentfarm.livejournal.com JOURNEY to FOREVER http://www.journeytoforever.org SOLAR HOSPITALS http://solar2hospital.livejournal.c HOME POWER http://www.homepower.com SOLAR TODAY http://solartoday.org http://solarstate3.livejournal.com Solar Industry NEWS http://www.seia.org http://vegcar.livejournal.com/10759.htm http://www.solarbuzz.com http://solarstate2.livejournal.com Solar Industry MAGAZINE http://www.solarindustrymag.com VEGETABLE Oil Cars http://plantdrive.com http://vegcar.livejournal.com/24209.htm http://vegcar.livejournal.com/24451.htm http://vegcar.livejournal.com/25641.htm http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/he Convert GAS Cars to Plug-In ELECTRIC Autos http://www.electroauto.com http://www.kta-ev.com http://www.nedra.com http://www.evparts.com http://www.sourceguides.com/energy DVD: Convert It http://www.electroauto.com Links: http://vegcar.livejournal.com/5593.h ` Convert HYBRID Cars to Plug-In ELECTRIC Autos http://www.calcars.org http://www.hybrids-plus.com http://www.rqriley.com/xr3.htm http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/PriusPlus Recharge your Electric Auto with RENEWABLE ENERGY http://www.bergey.com http://www.bwea.com http://www.vestas.com http://www.awea.org http://solarenergy.org http://greendragonenergy.co.uk http://www.lowimpact.org http://www.scoraigwind.com http://www.greenempowerment.org http://www.grupofenix.org http://www.solarliving.org http://www.arthaonline.com http://www.the-mrea.org http://www.txses.org http://www.irenew.org http://www.nmsea.org http://www.azsolarcenter.com http://www.microhydropower.com http://www.newenergycorp.ca http://www.canyonhydro.com http://wattsun.com http://www.lorentz.de http://www.etsolar.de http://www.solargenix.com http://solar.sharpusa.com http://solren.com http://www.spirecorp.com http://pickensplan101.livejournal.c http://wind2air101.livejournal.com/8 http://www.windpower.org http://www.sourceguides.com/energy http://www.ises.org http://www.firstsolar.com http://www.rmi.org http://www.sourceguides.com/energy LOCAL Groups Supporting ELECTRIC AUTOmobiles http://solargroup.livejournal.com http://solarstate2.livejournal.com http://vegcar.livejournal.com/5672.h http://www.zapworld.com http://www.sourceguides.com/energy http://www.green-car-guide.com SOLAR BOATS - SHIPS http://solar2boat.livejournal.com http://solar3boat.livejournal.com Electric MOTORCYCLES http://motorcycle2.livejournal.com http://motorcycle4.livejournal.com http://evt2scooter.livejournal.com http://www.solarmobil.net http://motorcycle5.livejournal.com http://www.e-max-ltd.com http://www.topmotorx.com http://www.patente-erfindungen.de/erfin http://www.zeromotorcycles.com http://www.sourceguides.com/energy Electric BICYCLES http://nycewheels.com http://www.myebike.com http://e2bike.livejournal.com http://vegcar.livejournal.com/1647.h http://www.cyclone-tw.com http://www.powacycle.co.uk http://www.electricbikesales.co.uk http://egovehicles.com http://www.electricbicycle.com.au http://www.evehicle.com.au http://www.electric-bicycle.cn http://www.greenspeed.us http://www.sourceguides.com/energy TAX CREDITS http://www.dsireusa.org ~ FREE OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE Education, Games and more http://directory.fsf.org http://www.gnu.org/software/gnugo Word processor, Spreadsheets, Data Bases http://www.openoffice.org http://www.ubuntu.com http://www.theopencd.org Securtiy and Spy Ware http://www.safer-networking.org http://www.safer-networking.org/en/link Operating Systems for older computers http://www.puppylinux.org http://www.damnsmalllinux.org Free PDF Printer Software http://www.pdfprinter.com http://www.pdfill.com http://www.dopdf.com FREE phone (land line) and Cell phone registration: BLOCK Advertising telephone calls https://www.donotcall.gov 1-888-382-1222 ~ SOLAR ENERGY INTELLIGENCE More Jobs, Economic Progress, Clean Environment Why be Stupid? http://solomonintel.livejournal.com/129 http://solarstate2.livejournal.com http://solarstate3.livejournal.com ~ Per the Sustainable Industries Journal, the Pentagon has blocked the construction of 16 Wind Energy sites in the USA. The military claims the Wind Farms are a threat to national security. Maybe the Wind Farms are a threat to Big Oil and Big Coal? HOW STUPID ARE AMERICANS? http://pickensplan101.livejournal.c FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMIC DISASTER http://ovl.indymedia.org/news/2008/06/2 http://argentina.indymedia.org/news/200 ~ book: Tyranny of Oil; by Antonia Juhasz book: Halliburton Agenda - The Politics of Oil and Moneyl; by Dan Briody book: Cronies - Oil, the Bushes, and the Rise of Texas; by Dan Briody book: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man; by John Perkins book: Economic Gangsters; Ray Fisman book: Sound Truth and Corporate Myth - The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill; by Riki Ott book: Poisoned Wells - The Dirty Politics Of African Oil; by Leandre Poisson book: Justice Under Siege; by Eva Joly book: Texas Oil and the New Deal; by Steve Isser book: Corruption In Iraq & World; by Vance Jochim book: Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country; by Laton Mccartney book: Untapped - The Scramble for Africa's Oil; by John Ghazvinian book: Eating Fossil Fuel - Oil, Food and the Coming Crisis in Agriculture; by Dale Allen Pfeiffe book: Blood and Oil; by Michael Klare book: Backstabbing for Beginners; by Michael Soussan book: A Culture of Corruption; by Daniel Jordan Smith book: THE RISE, CORRUPTION AND COMING FALL OF THE HOUSE OF SAUD; by Said K. Aburish book: Greed and corruption in the Caspian; by Derek Brower book: Corporate Corruption - The Abuse of Power; by Marshall B. Clinard report: All the Presidents’ Men - The Devastating Story of Oil and Banking in Angola’s Privatised War; by Global Witness book: Curse of the Black Gold - 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta; by Michael Watts book: Crude - The Story of Oil; by Sonia Shah book: Where Vultures Feast: Shell, Human Rights and Oil; by Ike Okonta book: The Prize - The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power; by Daniel Yergin book: A Game as Old as Empire - The Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption; by Steven Hiatt book: Blood Bankers; by James S. Henry book: Grand Theft Pentagon - Tales of Corruption and Profiteering in the War on Terror; by Jeffrey St. Clair book: Oil and the Glory - The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea; by Steve LeVine book: Indonesian Production Sharing Contract, an investor's perspective; by T. N. Machmud book: Grand corruption in the regulation of oil; by Tina Soreide book: Oil on the Brain; by Lisa Margonelli book: Many Faces of Corruption; by J. Edgardo Campos http://www.thebushagenda.net Pure, clean air is the invisible staff of life. Smog is the invisible staff of death. book: Super Power Breathing for Super Energy and Longevity; by Patricia Bragg Does Big OIL or Big COAL have a Body BAG with your CHILD'S Name on it? http://vegcar.livejournal.com/24663.htm http://air301.livejournal.com http://air309.livejournal.com book: Big Coal, The Dirty Secret; by Jeff Goodell OIL - GAS REFINERIES = DIRTY AIR & DEATH http://www.refineryreform.org GENERAL MOTORS and the NAZIS War Profits at any cost - Auschwitz - Death Camps - Slave Labor Is there any difference between the Neo Nazis and the American Neo Conservatives? ARE YOU DRIVING A GM HITLER CAR? DVD: Who Killed the Electric Car? http://www.amazon.com/Who-Killed-Electr http://vegcar.livejournal.com/24209.htm book: Internal Combustion; by Edwin Black http://www.internalcombustionbook.c WHY DID GENERAL MOTORS DESTROY ELECTRIC CARS http://www.saveev1.org http://www.dontcrush.com GM - BIG OIL destroyed RAPID TRANIST & ELECTRIC Trains http://bigoil600040.insanejournal.com NAZIS in the AMERICAN MILITARY Defense Fund for Freedom from the Extremist - please donate. Keep the Nuts away from the Nukes - Book of Revelation. George Bush and the End of the World Death Cult society of america http://bigoil600036.insanejournal.c http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.o CRIMES AGAINST NATURE DICK CHENEY Made Millions with SADDAM HUSSEIN Enemies of Democracy http://bigoil431.insanejournal.com SHOCKING CORRUPTION by BIG OIL http://bigoil101.insanejournal.com DO WE HAVE TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION? Are your politicians taking Bribes - campaign contributions - from Big Oil and the Drug Companies? Is your Congressman a Drug Pusher for the Pharmaceutical Companies? Halt the incestuous relationship of sleazy politicians in bed with Big Oil. CAMPAIGN FINANCE INFORMATION CENTER Where does the money come from? http://www.campaignfinance.org/stat CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY stop the Fat Cats from BRIBING your politicians http://www.publicintegrity.org DVD: Capitol Crimes by Bill Moyers The fall of super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff has exposed what may be one of the biggest political scandals in America's history. What does the dizzying scope of corruption say about how laws are made and who really owns the U.S. government? Bill Moyers and his team of investigative journalists untangle the web of relationships, secret deals, and political manipulation to open a disturbing window on the dark side of American politics. stop ELECTION FRAUD, support Honest elections. www.blackboxvoting.org www.verifiedvoting.org www.votevets.org mediamatters.org www.investigatethevote.org www.votersunite.org www.citizensact.org www.solarbus.org/election/cd/test/videos.h www.sourcewatch.org/index.php state info: http://victorygard379b.insanejournal.co DVD: Uncounted; Director: David Earnhardt DVD: Hacking Democracy; Director: Simon Ardizzone book: What Went Wrong In Ohio; by Congressman John Conyers book: What Happened in Ohio; by Bob Fitrakis Protect your business from the Oil Pirates and Robber Barons. Stop the Oil Barbarians from Ravishing your Family, Friends and Community' Prevent Big Oil and Big Coal from Molesting you and your children. Halt the incestuous relationship of sleazy politicians in bed with Big Oil. Tell Big Oil and Big Coal - We want our democracy back. Vote for Renewable Energy and sustainable technologies VOTE SOLAR http://votesolar.org http://votesolar.livejournal.com http://www.seia.org http://solarstate2.livejournal.com IS GOD GREEN book: Care of Creation; by R. J. Berry book: Serve God, Save the Planet; by J. Matthew Sleeth book: Our Father's World; by Edward R Brown book: Redeeming Creation; by Fred Van Dyke book: Earth-Wise; by Calvin B. Dewitt book: Caring for Creation; Edited by Sarah Tillett book: A Moral Climate, the Ethics of Global Warming; by Michael S. Northcott book: For the Beauty of the Earth; by Steven Bouma-Prediger book: Saving God's Green Earth; by Tri Robinson book: God Is Green; by Ian Bradley book: God in Creation; by Jurgen Moltmann journal: Creation Care Magazine http://www.creationcare.org Keepers of the Earth. IS GOD GREEN? http://solarafrica307.livejournal.c `  ~ POLLUTION and RACISM, INJUSTICE book: Confronting Environmental Racism; by Robert Bullard book: Environmental Injustices; by David Camacho book: Environmentalism and Economic Justice; by Laura Pulido book: Pollution and the Death of Man; by Francis Schaeffer book: From the Ground Up, Environmental Racism; by Luke Cole book: Struggle for Ecological Democracy; by Daniel Faber book: No Safe Place, Toxic Waste and Community Action; by Phil Brown Bush slams Christians, Bunch of NUTS http://bigoil600037.insanejournal.c book: Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction; author: David Kuo Republican Child Molesters and Pedophiles http://bigoil600039.insanejournal.c Homosexuals for Republicans & George Bush http://bigoil600038.insanejournal.c WINE INDUSTRY ANNIHILATED by GLOBAL WARMING http://www.ukfreepages.co.uk/publish/pa Global Warming Destroys Maple Sugar Industry STOP CLIMATE CHAOS and the DESTRUCTION of the POOR http://www.itdg.org/?id=stopclimatechao http://campaigncc.org http://stopclimatechaos.org WASTE NOT, WANT NOT http://em202.livejournal.com http://em203.livejournal.com http://pr.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/17 http://qc.indymedia.org/news/2005/10/51 GARDENING for VICTORY http://victory2garden.livejournal.c BIG OIL MAIN PAGE http://bigoil101.insanejournal.com GENERAL LINKS http://vegcar.livejournal.com/25537.htm ~ Proverb: A good person leaves an inheritance to their children’s children. What kind of inheritance are you leaving? ~  ` book: Miracle of Tithing; by Mark Victor Hansen http://tithing101.livejournal.com book: You Can If You Think You Can; by Norman Vincent Peale You never really lose until you quit trying. Mike Ditka NFL Football Coach DVD: Facing the Giants; director: Alex Kendrick BOLD SPIRIT http://bolderspirit.livejournal.com ~ I CAN DO (be) all things thru God who strengthens me. ~ Where there is no way, God can make a way. ~ With God all things are possible. ~ Whatever things you so desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. ~ The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. He gives power to the weak. To those who have no might, He increases their strength. To those who wait on the Lord, He shall Renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. ~ ~ book: Unlocking the Secrets to Living Your Dreams; by Jack Canfield book: Amazing Results of Positive Thinking; by Norman Vincent Peale book: Miracle of Fasting, for Physical, Mental and Spiritual Rejuvenation; by Patricia Bragg book: Fasting Can Save Your Life; by Doctor Herbert Shelton book: Super Power Breathing for Super Energy and Longevity; by Patricia Bragg book: Coconut Cures; by Bruce Fife book: Healing Power for the Heart; by Robert Abel http://adhd101.livejournal.com http://organic4school.livejournal.c http://em202.livejournal.com your HEALTH (Wholeness) is your WEALTH ~ book: Rwanda, The Land God Forgot; by Meg Guillebaud DVD: In Lies We Trust; director: Dr. Leonard George Horowitz ~ Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves. Choose to BE A WINNER. Be a bringer of the LIGHT. `  Earth Praise God. Be Thankful. Give God the Glory. |