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New Year’s Update
Here’s to the New Year! In 2017, OVEC turns 30! To celebrate, we’ll combine our Treehuggers’ Ball (this will be our 20th Treehuggers’ Ball!) and our 30th anniversary celebration into one big bash in Huntington. The tentative date for this celebration is April 28, so please save the date, noting that it may change.
As we face new administrations at the state and federal level, the threats to our environment and communities are massive. Coal, and oil and gas executives must be drooling at the prospects of big profits from more mining, fracking and pipelines in our state. But, we have power in numbers. Please make certain your membership in OVEC is up to date (call the office at 304-522-0246), or please join now if you haven’t been a member before. You can join, update or donate via secure server here, or check out other methods to join and update here. While you can join OVEC in the traditional way by paying dues, you can also “pay” dues through our sweat-equity program. Contact Keena at 304-522-0246 or keena@ohvec.org for information on the sweat-equity program.
If you are in the Huntington area, you can take advantage of something new in 2017—monthly membership meetings. Current, lapsed, and future members are invited to attend our first meeting, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 17 at the OVEC office, 725 14th St. W., Huntington, WV, 25704.
We are hoping these meetings will be a chance for you to meet other OVEC members and staff. The meetings will be an opportunity for us to share information with one another, as well as a chance for you to learn more about and become more engaged in our work.
If you took our survey near the end of
2016, thank you! We are in the midst of processing all the data. We really value your input and opinions, as well as the time you took to let us know what you think. We’ll use your replies early this year, as we review our program work and update our three-year strategic plan. You can check out some of your and other respondents’ input here.
Big thanks, too, to everyone who donated to our Gardening and Healthy Eating Project on #GivingTuesday and to everyone who donated at the end of the year. Your generous support gives all of OVEC a huge boost, both morally and financially. Thank you for giving us a great start to 2017!
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MLK Jr. March and Other Upcoming Events
January 16: Starting at 4 p.m., OVEC will once again join the Cabell Huntington branch chapter of the NAACP for the annual MLK Jr. March in Huntington. Details here.
January 17: 5:30 p.m. New for 2017! Monthly membership meeting at OVEC’s office. Details here.
January 17: Rally and PSC public hearing on the WV water crisis. Pack the room! Details here. Click here for suggested talking points for the rally.
January 19: Together We Rise: A Community Conversation on Race, 5:30 – 7:30 at Huntington High School cafeteria, 1 Highlander Way, Huntington, WV. Light refreshments will be served. Learn more and join the event on Facebook here.
January 25: Advocacy training at the Cabell County library, 455 9th St, Huntington, WV, from 6-8 p.m.
Come learn about the legislative process, get tips on speaking with elected officials, and hear from local progressive organizations about issues they will be working on during the 2017 legislative session. Bring a pen and a friend!
This training is free, and pizza will be served. We hope you can join us!
This training, and the ones listed below, are co-sponsored by WV Citizen Action Group, WV FREE, American Friends Service Committee WV, American Civil Liberties Union of WV, OVEC, WV Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Fairness WV, WV Environmental Council, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, and Sierra Club WV. Join the event on Facebook here.
Note that trainings will also be held:
• January 24 – Charleston Training at WV FREE 6-8 p.m.
• January 26 – Concord University Student Center 6-8 p.m.
• January 27 – Southern Community College 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• January 31 – WVU University Hodges Hall LGBTQ+ Center 6-8 p.m.
January 27 and 28: Audition for a role in the upcoming play Marcellus Shale. Details here.
Save the dates:
February 6: Solar Coop meeting in Huntington. We will have more soon.
February 27: WV Environmental Council’s E Day! at the WV State Capitol.
March 2: All Kinds Are Welcome Here Civil Liberties Lobby Day at the WV State Capitol.
April 28 (?): OVEC’s 20th Treehuggers’ Ball + Our 30th Anniversary Bash!
Check our calendar page for updates on these and other events.
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We Will Need Your Help! DEIS on MXP Coming Out
On February 17, FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) is expected to issue the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Mountaineer Xpress Pipeline (MXP; proposed route above).
Mountaineer XPress pipeline would stretch 167 miles from Marshall County, WV to Wayne County, WV, transporting gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales to markets on the Columbia Gas Transmission (TCO) system. The pipeline would include 24- and 36-inch diameter pipeline, three compressor stations, three regulator stations and modifications at three existing compressor stations.
We will need your help in reading and commenting on this document. If you are interested in being part of the team that reads over the document, and/or if you want to be certain you get help in making your own comments, e-mail us now at info@ohvec.org with “MXP DEIS” in the subject line.
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In This Alert
New Year’s Update
MLK Jr. March and Other Upcoming Events
We Will Need Your Help!
DEIS on MXP Coming Out
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Good news on the legal front to start the New Year!:
US court upholds mountaintop removal pollution ruling
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Call Now to Rein in Alarming REINS Act
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Our Winter 16-17
newsletter is online:If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing.
If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clip board, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.
Show up, dive in, stay at it. Sometimes you’ll win, sometimes you’ll lose.
– President Barack Obama
in his farewell speech.
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