Citizens Fed Up With WV DEP
February 10, 2005
Photos by Vivian Stockman
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Agency must consider needs of coalfield residents, not just coal
barons
Though snow blew and temperatures dropped, about 40 people converged
on the West Virginia Department of (so-called) Environmental Protection.
We came to air our grievances to DEP Secretary Stephanie Timmermeyer,
who had recently told state legislators that she was striving to speed
up the mountaintop removal permitting process (see sidebar).
Five of the action participants arrived in Charleston from
Huntington, via a veggie-oil-powered vehicle, but that's another story.
We were joined by French TV New York, here to film a story about coal
and global warming.
We kept our convergence upon DEP secret, as the
last time we tried to
meet en masse with DEP Secretary Stephanie Timmermeyer, she got
wind beforehand and avoided us.
This
time, she knew that we knew she was in the building. We milled
around in the lobby, waiting for her to agree to see us and singing
a song led by guitarist T. Paige Dalporto (see sidebar for lyrics).
We were soon escorted back to a meeting room, where we presented a
list of demands (see sidebar).
Ms.
Timmermeyer was angry that we didn't book a meeting with her via
proper channels and said she would meet with us anytime we asked.
That's funny, as that is not what we found to be the case in the
past. She prefers to have her underlings meet with us. Ms.
Timmermeyer then
denied that she had told legislators she would speed up the
permitting process. She was merely talking about how too many
reviewers have the permits land on their desks, she explained.
That's funny, because the legislative committee meeting was
presented as session about speeding up permits.
We told
Ms. Timmermeyer how we had asked the DEP for quite some time for citizen
trainings on how to read permits, as well as for earlier citizen
input into the permitting process. Many citizens feel that by the
time we are allowed to comment on mountaintop removal permits, the
permits are already a done deal. Someone asked Ms. Timmermeyer if she
had ever denied a permit. After a pause, she said she was unprepared
for the meeting and couldn't answer. Someone did remind her that she
had denied one in a northern trout stream. She noted that the
company changed its application, and the permit was granted.
Timmermeyer agreed to hold citizen trainings, perhaps see about
getting citizens involved in the permit process and to look into the
matter of a coal silo at a coal prep plant very close to Marsh
Fork Elementary, where several students and teachers have died
from cancer.
Perhaps,
before falling asleep on Feb. 10, Ms. Timmermeyer considered
the anger, frustration and extensive problems her agency causes
coalfield residents and water drinkers and air breathers across the
state.
Our action, organized by Coal River Mountain Watch and OVEC, was
part of a multi-state, multi-group day of action against mountaintop
removal coal mining.
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Brrr. Below freezing temperatures, gusting
winds and snow showers couldn't stop us from converging on
the DEP. |
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We hear you Julian! |
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Here we come DEP! |
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The crowd of about 40, along with French TV
New York, gathers in the DEP foyer. |
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Singing a modifeid version of "This Land is Our Land." |
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