Stop a New MTR Permit on Coal River Mountain
Coal River Mountain Watch is urging folks like you to attend an informal conference on Alpha Natural Resources’ 561-acre “Center Contour” mountaintop removal permit (number S300316) on Coal River Mountain. See recent photos and video of the site here.

The informal conference, as DEP calls it, is tomorrow, Tuesday, July 12, at 6:00 p.m., at the new Marsh Fork Elementary School in Rock Creek, WV. Please come on out and make comments.

If you can’t make it to the hearing, please sign and share this petition.

CRMW’s Co-director, Debbie Jarrell, says:

Alpha Natural Resources — the company that is proposing to mine the land — is currently in bankruptcy, making it an especially dangerous and untrustworthy actor in the region. A company that cannot keep its commitments to workers’ health, pensions, and to the land it has already destroyed must not be permitted to conduct this especially destructive and unsafe form of coal mining.

The community around Coal River Mountain has already lost thousands of acres to mountaintop removal. This has created increased rates of cancer, heart disease, birth defects, and other deadly illnesses, as well as serious economic issues in the Coal River Valley.

A new permit will further endanger and impoverish surrounding communities and take away from the potential to rebuild in the area to create a brighter future.

You can support this frontline community group by coming to the informal conference, signing the petition and donating to CRMW here.

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Your Help Needed in #WVFlood Relief 

Aftermath of the floods: Household belongings are now a mountain of debris. July 8, Clay County, WV. Photo by V.S.

As headlines recede, critical flood relief needs continue to rise

Cleanup and recovery continues here in many parts of West Virginia after the June 23 floods. In the immediate aftermath of the floods, the governor issued emergency declarations for 44 of the state’s 55 counties, and government, business, churches and other non-profits began to mobilize to help.

Help is still needed, especially in the form of volunteer labor and monetary donations. Help will be needed for quite some time. To volunteer, register here. There are several different places to safely donate to groups that will use your donation directly to help impacted families, many of whom have lost everything. One such place is the WV VOAD Disaster Relief Fund. Philanthropy West Virginia has a list of foundations across the state to which you can contribute for county-specific donating.

You can find links to more places to donate in our blog, #WVFlood Relief Efforts Continue – How to Help; How to Get Help. We’ll continue to update information here, so do check back.

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July 23: Join Us at Our Annual Picnic
Dealing with the recent floods, attempting to shape the state’s energy future (think renewable energy, not coal, nor fracked gas!), as well as confronting all the rest of the problems we need to deal with in this country—all this takes a toll. If you want to be an effective citizen activist, self-care is essential. Time out isn’t goofing off, it’s part of self-care. So is interacting with supportive folks.

We hope you’ll practice a little self-care by coming to our annual picnic for members and supporters on July 23, starting at 5 p.m.  at Coonskin Park in Charleston, WV. 

Bring a friend, neighbor, or family member along for a fun evening of socializing, complete with live music. We’ll be giving out our annual awards.

OVEC will provide the main-course vittles; you can feel free to bring a side dish if you like. We also encourage you to bring your own re-usable place settings and cups to cut down on waste.

We have a picnic shelter reserved at the park. E-mail info@ohvec.org if you need details. We do hope to see you there!

Note there is now only one way to enter the park:

Coming from the south
Take I-79 North
Exit 1 Mink Shoals
Turn right onto Pennsylvania Avenue
Approximately 1/2 mile to Coonskin entrance on right

Coming from the north
Take I-79 South
Exit 1 Mink Shoals
Turn left onto Pennsylvania Avenue
Approximately 1/2 mile to Coonskin entrance on right

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Other Upcoming Events
The Our Children, Our Future Campaign is hosting a 2016 Civic Engagement Workshops around the state. Follow this link to learn more. July 31: Deadline to enter the environmental songwriting contest.

See more upcoming events on our calendar page.

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