Join us on our delegation to West Virginia
This June members of the Clean Air Coalition will join the New York State Chapter of the Sierra Club to travel to West Virginia to meet with members of The Coalfield Environmental Health Project, a community organization made up of residents who live next to Mountain Top Removal sites in Fayetteville WV.
We will learn how residents are fighting coal companies who are stripping their land and polluting water sources near their homes with toxic chemicals. We will share strategies, action ideas and work to build our movement that priorities people’s health.
According to the organization I Love Mountains, mountaintop removal is a relatively new type of coal mining that began in Appalachia in the 1970s as an extension of conventional strip mining techniques. Primarily, mountaintop removal is occurring in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Coal companies in Appalachia are using this method because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal while reducing the number of workers required.
Even government agencies that regulate mountaintop removal agree that the effects on nearby homes and communities can be devastating. In their Mid-Atlantic Regional Assessment, the Environmental Protection Agency states:
“The impact of mountaintop removal on nearby communities is devastating. Dynamite blasts needed to splinter rock strata are so strong they crack the foundations and walls of houses. Mining dries up an average of 100 wells a year and contaminates water in others. In many coalfield communities, the purity and availability of drinking water are keen concerns.”
Would you like to join the Clean Air delegation to West Virginia? Call Rebecca at 852-3813 or email her at Rebecca@cacwny.org to learn more.
There will be an informational session about the trip on Thursday, May 16th at 6:00pm at Clean Air headquarters (341 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY).