Dixie Transforming

The Lexington Herald-Leader published an interesting article on the prevalence of surface and MTR mining in KY.

Graphic credit: The Lexington Herald-Leader

The EPA issued groundbreaking new regulations to limit water pollution caused by mountain top removal mining practices.  This kind of mining is actively practiced in Eastern KY and West Virginia.

The new regulations on water pollution will in effect make it very difficult for mining companies to deposit blast material into adjacent valleys  (the material is termed as  “overburden” by the mining industry).   Limiting valley fills will make it very difficult to practice mountaintop removal mining.

There are many people in Eastern Kentucky who have worked diligently to organize around the issue of mountaintop removal mining and bring it to the attention of their Congressional representatives and government administrators.   People living in these parts of Appalachia do not object to mining in general – it is their historic livelihood.  But the practices of MTR do more than just harvest coal – streams are choked by valley fills, people’s homes are rocked by persistent blasting, and mountains are literally dissolved into rubble.  I appauld the efforts that made these regulations happen today.

Click here to read the NY Times’ article.  Click here to read the Washington Post’s article.

If you’ve never made the time to spend a day with a retired underground coal miner, then I suggest you look at your calendar and block out a date to do it.  I did so myself a few months back.  Last week I finally met Carl Shoupe in person.

For the last several years, Carl has become an outspoken representative for the Tri-City community (Cumberland, Lynch and Benham, KY) in the fight to hold coal mining companies accountable for the harm inflicted on Eastern KY’s signature mountain landscapes.  New forms of mining developed to achieve efficiencies for mining companies have created immeasurable ecological, safety, and public health issues.  The biggest issue debated today is the present and future of mountain top removal mining.  It keeps Carl busy most days.

Carl’s network of friends in and around town was astonishing.  His past as an individual advocating for miners’ livelihoods lends to the sense of conflict within him in his newest role promoting sustainable energy initiatives and responsible mining practices in Harlan County.  Right now there is talk  about pilot wind power projects.  The problem with getting a wind project online in a place like Harlan is that all the best sites (mountain ridge lines) are owned by coal interests.  The ridge lines may not be there for much longer, so the sense of urgency grows with time.

Carl spent last Friday afternoon with me.  The next day he was headed to Washington, DC as a member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC) to do a variety of lobbying activities around town.  I hope all went well for Carl and friends in our nation’s capital.

After my visit with Carl, I met some other people involved in eastern KY’s social and economic advocacy network and even got to go up to a retired surface mine to plant some native hardwoods.  My neck and shoulders are still in pain from that one, but it was well worth it.  I just hope some of those little trees survive come 10 years.  Click here to see my surface mine photos.

Later, my friend Nathan Hall suggested some other places where development and mountain top removal mining have come face to face, peak to peak, toe to toe, so to speak.  On my way out of Kentucky, I passed through Hazard County and visited the Lowe’s and Walmart complex.  This generic strip mall was created by the obvious blasting away of several small mountains.

Building inside the mountains - click photo for enlarged image.

The mining industry argues that flat land created by MTR is needed for economic development.  While the community of Hazard now has a Walmart, in the process it probably lost some local, family-owned businesses in the process – local businesses that one could have possibly walk to and from their home.  Now residents of Hazard County personally foot the bill for gas and the inconvenience of traffic in order to have the privilege to shop there.  Seems like an interesting deal.

A mountain was unbuilt to make room for Lowe's.

It’s 8:30 PM and I am getting comfortable in my room.  This inn happens to be a converted school building, where children of coal miners went to both elementary and high school.  The place reminds me of Portland’s Kennedy School, minus the big crowds, bars, and outdoor seating.  In Washington, DC, an old grade school on Capitol Hill was converted into a fitness gym.  Both are extremely successful private investments.  While I shake my head at the closing of urban schools, I do welcome the fact these buildings are getting a second chance to contribute to urban life in two of America’s finest cities.   (Er, three finest cities, including Benham!)

I believe locals see the Benham School House Inn with the same degree of success.  With this inn, the town has the capability of hosting larger gatherings or meetings, weddings, and the odd out-of-towner such as myself.  Heck, I’d be staying off the interstate in a SleepInn if not for Benham’s fine centrally located accommodations.  My only complaint is that there wasn’t an obvious shop I could buy a snack from when I rolled in around 4:30pm.  You get what you can, I guess!

Tomorrow I meet with Carl Shoupe, a retired coal miner and currently a member of Benham’s city council.  His work is promoting sustainable initiatives in Benham, as well as campaigning against mountain top removal mining.  Look forward to having breakfast with him in the A.M.