Anyone can help stop mountain top removal mining, says tree-sitter.
by Tom Over
February 8, 2010
Amber Nitchman,19, spent 9 days in a tree and did jail time as a part of Climate Ground Zero's most recent campaign of non-violent civil disobedience to stop mountain top removal mining.
As advice for anyone wanting to stop mountain top removal mining but not sure about whether to be a part of a tree-sit Nitchman said, “ Not everyone has to come down here (West Virginia) and be an activist that sits in a tree. But everyone can contribute in some way, whether it's through supporting our group itself, or doing some other mountain top removal resistance work.”
Nitchman said local campaigns are needed in which people in, for example, Central Ohio, can pressure their local utility companies to find ways to generate power without using coal mined by mountaintop removal. At ILoveMountains.org, we can find out about how our electricity connects to this issue simply by entering our zip codes.
Speaking via telephone from Rockcreek, WV, Nitchman said, “In my home town, in Lancaster (PA), we're working on having a fundraiser for all of the people that are down here. We're going to show a movie and speak to people about mountain top removal.”
About how she felt mentally after doing her tree-sit and spending time in jail, Nitchman said, “Everyone got together to make a successful action. We got a lot of good press about it. We did what we had aimed to do.”
About whether being exposed to air horn blasts caused permanent damage to her hearing, Nitchman said she wasn't sure.
“ I don't think I do (have hearing loss). I have yet to go see an ear doctor about it. We've been talking about doing that. They (the air horns) were very loud. At one point, right before the moratorium happened, they had air horns right next to my platform. So, I am pretty sure it's possible.” Send Comments
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tree Sitters interrupt blasting on Coal River Mountain
by Tom Over
January 21, 2010
The Columbus Free Press spoke with Kim Ellis of Climate Ground Zero as police arrested supporters on the ground who were there to assist the tree sitters high above them. This is the most recent of a series of acts of non-violent civil disobedience aimed at stopping Massey Energy from blasting parts of Coal River Mountain. It comes on the day environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. and Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship debate each other at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. The event will stream live starting at 6:30 pm, on Jan. 21.
Ellis said she hopes non-violent civil disobedience of this sort will speed up the process of finally getting a ban on mountain top removal mining.
“You have to pursue every avenue. We are talking with the DEP ( West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection). We are trying to deal with legislators to get this stopped. But in the meantime, they (Massey Energy) are blowing up mountains. We can’t just let that happen. So we are putting our bodies in the way of that.”
At the time of speaking with Ellis shortly before noon today she said “ the latest update we have from the folks in the trees is that ground support ( activists providing food and water and other aid to the tree sitters) have been arrested. The cops have left the scene and Massey Energy employees are felling trees in the area to intimidate the tree sitters into coming down.”
Activists associated with Climate Ground Zero, David Aaron Smith, 23, Amber Nitchman, 19 and Eric Blevins, 28 are on platforms approximately 60 feet up one tulip poplar and two oak trees, according to a press release from the organization.
“The last tree sit we did as a campaign, our folks were up in the trees for six days. We send up enough food and they also have buckets they use as toilets. They are prepared to be in the trees a long time,” Ellis said.
She said the previous tree-sit in August of 2009 ended when Massey Energy employees felled trees near the ones the protesters were in.
“So they came down of their own accord because they were scared for their lives.”
January 21, 2010
The Columbus Free Press spoke with Kim Ellis of Climate Ground Zero as police arrested supporters on the ground who were there to assist the tree sitters high above them. This is the most recent of a series of acts of non-violent civil disobedience aimed at stopping Massey Energy from blasting parts of Coal River Mountain. It comes on the day environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. and Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship debate each other at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. The event will stream live starting at 6:30 pm, on Jan. 21.
Ellis said she hopes non-violent civil disobedience of this sort will speed up the process of finally getting a ban on mountain top removal mining.
“You have to pursue every avenue. We are talking with the DEP ( West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection). We are trying to deal with legislators to get this stopped. But in the meantime, they (Massey Energy) are blowing up mountains. We can’t just let that happen. So we are putting our bodies in the way of that.”
At the time of speaking with Ellis shortly before noon today she said “ the latest update we have from the folks in the trees is that ground support ( activists providing food and water and other aid to the tree sitters) have been arrested. The cops have left the scene and Massey Energy employees are felling trees in the area to intimidate the tree sitters into coming down.”
Activists associated with Climate Ground Zero, David Aaron Smith, 23, Amber Nitchman, 19 and Eric Blevins, 28 are on platforms approximately 60 feet up one tulip poplar and two oak trees, according to a press release from the organization.
“The last tree sit we did as a campaign, our folks were up in the trees for six days. We send up enough food and they also have buckets they use as toilets. They are prepared to be in the trees a long time,” Ellis said.
She said the previous tree-sit in August of 2009 ended when Massey Energy employees felled trees near the ones the protesters were in.
“So they came down of their own accord because they were scared for their lives.”
Day 6 of non-violent civil disobedience against mountain top removal mining
Since Thursday morning, David Aaron Smith, 23, Amber Nitchman, 19 and Eric Blevins, 28, have interrupted strip mining operations in the Bee Tree Area of Coal River Mountain. Smith, after experiencing numbness in his legs, came down from his tree-sit yesterday and was arrested. As the protest continues today with two tree-sitters remaining, activists with Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice urge people to phone the office of WV Governor Joe Manchin at 1-888-438-2731. Calls can also be made to Massey Energy V.P. of Finance, Jeff Jerosinski, at 1- 804- 788- 1868; Massey Energy President Baxter Phillips at 1-804-788-1807 ; and the company’s main number 1-804-788-1800.
The security staff for Massey Energy has been using flood lights and air horns in an attempt to force down the tree sitters by depriving them of sleep, according to a statement by Climate Ground Zero. Massey officials have not returned phone calls from the Columbus Free Press.
Yesterday the Columbus Free Press spoke with Mike Roselle, a long-time environmentalist who helped found Earth First! in the 1980s and the Ruckus Society in the 1990s. Roselle moved to West Virginia in July of 2008 to help stop mountain top removal mining. He recently published, with Josh Mahan, "Tree Spiker: From Earth First! To Lowbagging, My Struggles in Radical Environmental Action."
Roselle said yesterday, “We’ve been calling various numbers over there (at Massey Energy) all day long. It sounds like it’s getting quite a bit of attention. But so far, it hasn’t resulted in them shutting down the air horns.”
Roselle said yesterday that phone calls to Massey Energy are important not only for getting them to stop blasting Coal River Mountain and getting them to stop blasting the tree-sitters’ ears with air-horns.
“We want to be on record about having contacted them (Massey) about this because we may file a civil action, especially if anybody has any damage to their ears. It’s a pretty dangerous thing to be putting horns that loud that close to people,” Roselle said. Today, Climate Ground zero is urging people to focus their phone calls on Governor Manchin.
Roselle said the site for the tree-sit was chosen because it is within the blasting zone of Massey’s mining operations on Coal River Mountain.
Roselle asks for support from people who want to help stop mountain top removal mining. “We’re having to bail people out (from jail) eventually, and it’s costing quite a bit to keep the compound running with food and stuff.” There are 3 small houses in Rock Creek, W VA where local and national activists live and plan some of their work.
“So, definitely one thing that people can do to help out would be to get on the Climate Ground Zero website and donate,” Roselle said.
The security staff for Massey Energy has been using flood lights and air horns in an attempt to force down the tree sitters by depriving them of sleep, according to a statement by Climate Ground Zero. Massey officials have not returned phone calls from the Columbus Free Press.
Yesterday the Columbus Free Press spoke with Mike Roselle, a long-time environmentalist who helped found Earth First! in the 1980s and the Ruckus Society in the 1990s. Roselle moved to West Virginia in July of 2008 to help stop mountain top removal mining. He recently published, with Josh Mahan, "Tree Spiker: From Earth First! To Lowbagging, My Struggles in Radical Environmental Action."
Roselle said yesterday, “We’ve been calling various numbers over there (at Massey Energy) all day long. It sounds like it’s getting quite a bit of attention. But so far, it hasn’t resulted in them shutting down the air horns.”
Roselle said yesterday that phone calls to Massey Energy are important not only for getting them to stop blasting Coal River Mountain and getting them to stop blasting the tree-sitters’ ears with air-horns.
“We want to be on record about having contacted them (Massey) about this because we may file a civil action, especially if anybody has any damage to their ears. It’s a pretty dangerous thing to be putting horns that loud that close to people,” Roselle said. Today, Climate Ground zero is urging people to focus their phone calls on Governor Manchin.
Roselle said the site for the tree-sit was chosen because it is within the blasting zone of Massey’s mining operations on Coal River Mountain.
Roselle asks for support from people who want to help stop mountain top removal mining. “We’re having to bail people out (from jail) eventually, and it’s costing quite a bit to keep the compound running with food and stuff.” There are 3 small houses in Rock Creek, W VA where local and national activists live and plan some of their work.
“So, definitely one thing that people can do to help out would be to get on the Climate Ground Zero website and donate,” Roselle said.
Governor Joe Manchin and WV State Police continue to allow Massey Energy’s abuse of tree-sitters.
Call : West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin’s office at 1-888-438-2731; Jeff Jerosinski, Vice President of Finance for Massey Energy at 1- 804- 788- 1868; the company’s main number 1-804-788-1800; and WV State Police Public Information Officer at 304 746 2113 Donations of money would also help.
As Eric Blevins and Amanda Nitchman continue to endure the cold and being confined to platforms 60 feet above the ground, the WV State Police and WV Governor Joe Manchin neglect to stop Massey Energy from tormenting the two remaining protesters, according to Climate Ground Zero. The coal mining company is using air horns, which may cause permanent hearing loss to the protesters, and floodlights in an attempt to end the stand off.
“We have called them (the state police) upwards of 9 times…They have acknowledged the statute that says what they (Massey Energy) are doing is felony endangerment, but they’ve declined to do anything about it. The county prosecutor has also been notified, and he’s passed the responsibility off to the police,” said Nora Graubard, who works with Climate Ground Zero.
Michael Baylous, WV State Police Public Information Officer said, “We don’t see at this point in time, a clear violation of the law. If a county prosecutor tells us there’s a violation of the law, we’ll enforce the law.”
When asked about why it is taking so long for the prosecutor and the state police to address the question of felony endangerment that the use of air horns presents, Baylous said he did not know when the complaint against Massey was made.
“ I don’t know if that was on the first day that you’re talking about or if it was yesterday.” But Graubard said Climate Ground Zero made the complaint against Massey’s use of the air horns on either Friday or Saturday, which would have allowed authorities several days for sorting this out.
Earlier this week, governor Manchin said during a press conference, “We will not in any way, shape or form in this state of West Virginia tolerate any violence against anyone on any side."
But Graubard said the governor is not keeping his word. “He’s tolerating violence against the sitters. We’ve had hundreds of people call his office to ask him about that.”
She said Climate Ground Zero and other activist groups aim to meet with the governor but that “he has not helped us at all...and has not responded to our calls for him to stop the use of the air horns. They have, in fact, just added another air horn.”
Graubard said Blevins has earplugs but that Nitchman does not. She said it’s very likely that Nitchman has already sustained permanent hearing loss as a result of being exposed to the air horn blasts for seven days.
“She’s a really tough kid, so I don’t see her coming down of her own volition. We can no longer contact her directly (her cell phone battery needs to be charged). So, we’re trying to get word to her that she needs to come down as soon as she can.
“But I don’t know if she will do that. She’s very dedicated to saving Coal River Mountain. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to save Central Appalachia from destruction, even endure this, and endanger her own hearing,” Graubard said.
She said prosecuting Massey for the felony endangerment charges is a challenge. “We’re working on this, but we need to find a lawyer who will help us. That’s been difficult. So far no one has come forward with legal help for us yet. Climate Ground Zero certainly cannot afford to do that.”
Many high-profile people have joined the fight to end mountain top removal mining such as actress Daryl Hannah, and NASA scientist James Hansen. Last week, environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. debated Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship in Charleston, WV. But at the time of posting this article, the Columbus Free Press has no information about who may be offering legal aid.
Donating time and energy is an additional option. “If you’re comfortable with getting arrested, then we really want you down here, but anyway you can help is good. It can be with food, chopping fire wood, building stuff--everything helps out. There’s a lot to do,” Graubard said.
As Eric Blevins and Amanda Nitchman continue to endure the cold and being confined to platforms 60 feet above the ground, the WV State Police and WV Governor Joe Manchin neglect to stop Massey Energy from tormenting the two remaining protesters, according to Climate Ground Zero. The coal mining company is using air horns, which may cause permanent hearing loss to the protesters, and floodlights in an attempt to end the stand off.
“We have called them (the state police) upwards of 9 times…They have acknowledged the statute that says what they (Massey Energy) are doing is felony endangerment, but they’ve declined to do anything about it. The county prosecutor has also been notified, and he’s passed the responsibility off to the police,” said Nora Graubard, who works with Climate Ground Zero.
Michael Baylous, WV State Police Public Information Officer said, “We don’t see at this point in time, a clear violation of the law. If a county prosecutor tells us there’s a violation of the law, we’ll enforce the law.”
When asked about why it is taking so long for the prosecutor and the state police to address the question of felony endangerment that the use of air horns presents, Baylous said he did not know when the complaint against Massey was made.
“ I don’t know if that was on the first day that you’re talking about or if it was yesterday.” But Graubard said Climate Ground Zero made the complaint against Massey’s use of the air horns on either Friday or Saturday, which would have allowed authorities several days for sorting this out.
Earlier this week, governor Manchin said during a press conference, “We will not in any way, shape or form in this state of West Virginia tolerate any violence against anyone on any side."
But Graubard said the governor is not keeping his word. “He’s tolerating violence against the sitters. We’ve had hundreds of people call his office to ask him about that.”
She said Climate Ground Zero and other activist groups aim to meet with the governor but that “he has not helped us at all...and has not responded to our calls for him to stop the use of the air horns. They have, in fact, just added another air horn.”
Graubard said Blevins has earplugs but that Nitchman does not. She said it’s very likely that Nitchman has already sustained permanent hearing loss as a result of being exposed to the air horn blasts for seven days.
“She’s a really tough kid, so I don’t see her coming down of her own volition. We can no longer contact her directly (her cell phone battery needs to be charged). So, we’re trying to get word to her that she needs to come down as soon as she can.
“But I don’t know if she will do that. She’s very dedicated to saving Coal River Mountain. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to save Central Appalachia from destruction, even endure this, and endanger her own hearing,” Graubard said.
She said prosecuting Massey for the felony endangerment charges is a challenge. “We’re working on this, but we need to find a lawyer who will help us. That’s been difficult. So far no one has come forward with legal help for us yet. Climate Ground Zero certainly cannot afford to do that.”
Many high-profile people have joined the fight to end mountain top removal mining such as actress Daryl Hannah, and NASA scientist James Hansen. Last week, environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. debated Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship in Charleston, WV. But at the time of posting this article, the Columbus Free Press has no information about who may be offering legal aid.
Donating time and energy is an additional option. “If you’re comfortable with getting arrested, then we really want you down here, but anyway you can help is good. It can be with food, chopping fire wood, building stuff--everything helps out. There’s a lot to do,” Graubard said.
Monday, February 1, 2010
“Welcome to the Saudi Arabia of Coal”: an evening of drama and satire at the Columbus Performing Arts Center.
Political satire and drama comes to the Columbus Performing Arts Center, Saturday, Feb 6, with the help of the Available Light Theatre company and the Phoenix Theatre for Children. The play, "Welcome to the Saudi Arabia of Coal," is about life in the coal fields of Appalachia where men and women chain themselves to heavy machinery to stop mountain top removal mining, and where others try to protect, sometimes violently, jobs the mining industry provides.
“It’s totally possible to conceive of an evening of theater that will be entertaining and moving but also have relevance to something very current,” said Matt Slaybaugh who writes and directs for the theater company and teaches at the Columbus College of Art and Design.
The play, which is loosely inspired by Jeff Biggers' newly released book, Reckoning at Eagle Creek, the Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland, depicts a young Appalachian couple, Hobie and Marie, as they grapple with whether to fight to keep their home or leave their families' heritage behind as a strip mining operation moves in on the land Marie's family has had for seven generations.
This particular mix of drama and satire connects to the mission of the Available Light Theatre company. “We are about the idea that culture should be involved in the life of the community and the relevant issues of the day and that’s the reason we’ve chosen to support the Coal-Free Future Project, (which the play is a part of ),” Slaybaugh said.
Journalist and author Biggers, and Stephanie Pistello, an activist with Appalachian Voices, formed the project as a multi-media venue for communicating with people around the country about the impact of coal mining and climate change.
“We really hope people see this play and are inspired to join the movement and do what they can. We’re going to have an action item available for people to take before they leave the theater so as to take the emotion and energy you feel and put it directly into something that will help people in Appalachia and help all Americans to move past this, so we have a better way of generating our electricity,” said Pistello, who portrays Marie.
Just about anyone with the time and energy can go to the show on Saturday. Though the online vendor, ShowClix prompts people buying tickets on the Available Light Theatre web-site to select a price range between $10 and $50, Slaybaugh said, “the price is wicked. It’s pay what you want, which is exactly what it sounds like. That’s actually something our (theater) company does : all of our shows, all of our tickets are pay what you want. If you got a dollar in your wallet and you want to see the show, great. Come to the show. We’ll take your dollar. This is possible because we also have some people with the ability to pay a lot more than that, and they do. So it all works out in the end, and everybody benefits.”
This particular night on the town can be an occasion for enjoying ourselves while we learn more about how to make the world more sustainable, just, and compassionate.
Actor and independent film-maker Ben Evans, who plays Hobie, uses what he calls “faux-mercials” to give the mountain top removal mining issue a satirical treatment , in a vein similar to that of his soon-to-be-released film (Your Environmental Road Trip.)YERT
“It’s a fairly serious play but we wanted to bring a little levity to the situation. When you really look at the facts and the history of coal, particularly in the last 25-30 years--how we’ve been mining it--- it would be funny if it weren’t so serious. Mountain top removal as a means of mining is almost comically absurd in its short-sightedness and in its devastation. If we were looking at it from another planet we would think ‘what are these people doing?’ There’s a fine line between stupidity and comedy, and insanity and comedy.”
Biggers, who blogs at the Huffington Post, performs in the play as a mysterious character named Harlan. In his newly released Reckoning at Eagle Creek and his earlier work The United States of Appalachia : How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture, and Enlightenment to America , he describes the political and cultural setting for mountain top removal mining and other forms of coal mining in the region.
Pistello said her work as an activist in D.C. setting up meetings between coal-field Appalachians and members of Congress has been a key source for her portrayal of Marie. “It was so important to me with this play that we just sort of show a snapshot of the lives of the people who deal with this.”
She said the play does not have an in-your-face, radical message. “It’s really a play about love: love for your spouse, love for your family, love for the land. And it’s about what you have to do to hold onto your love.”
But even if it is a play with a strong political message, Slaybaugh doesn't seem to mind. “Some people seem to think that if you’re trying to make your way as an artist, that it would be a bit of a liability to get a reputation for one political slant or another. We don’t feel that way. We feel that it may even be an advantage. You find that in theater pretty often. I’m thinking that pretty much any major city--and I’m including Cleveland and Cincinnati in that--has at least one group that comes out and declares itself the socially active theater company. Maybe it’s just the fact of the matter that your chances of financial success are so small anyway, you might as well go ahead and do what you believe in.”
“It’s totally possible to conceive of an evening of theater that will be entertaining and moving but also have relevance to something very current,” said Matt Slaybaugh who writes and directs for the theater company and teaches at the Columbus College of Art and Design.
The play, which is loosely inspired by Jeff Biggers' newly released book, Reckoning at Eagle Creek, the Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland, depicts a young Appalachian couple, Hobie and Marie, as they grapple with whether to fight to keep their home or leave their families' heritage behind as a strip mining operation moves in on the land Marie's family has had for seven generations.
This particular mix of drama and satire connects to the mission of the Available Light Theatre company. “We are about the idea that culture should be involved in the life of the community and the relevant issues of the day and that’s the reason we’ve chosen to support the Coal-Free Future Project, (which the play is a part of ),” Slaybaugh said.
Journalist and author Biggers, and Stephanie Pistello, an activist with Appalachian Voices, formed the project as a multi-media venue for communicating with people around the country about the impact of coal mining and climate change.
“We really hope people see this play and are inspired to join the movement and do what they can. We’re going to have an action item available for people to take before they leave the theater so as to take the emotion and energy you feel and put it directly into something that will help people in Appalachia and help all Americans to move past this, so we have a better way of generating our electricity,” said Pistello, who portrays Marie.
Just about anyone with the time and energy can go to the show on Saturday. Though the online vendor, ShowClix prompts people buying tickets on the Available Light Theatre web-site to select a price range between $10 and $50, Slaybaugh said, “the price is wicked. It’s pay what you want, which is exactly what it sounds like. That’s actually something our (theater) company does : all of our shows, all of our tickets are pay what you want. If you got a dollar in your wallet and you want to see the show, great. Come to the show. We’ll take your dollar. This is possible because we also have some people with the ability to pay a lot more than that, and they do. So it all works out in the end, and everybody benefits.”
This particular night on the town can be an occasion for enjoying ourselves while we learn more about how to make the world more sustainable, just, and compassionate.
Actor and independent film-maker Ben Evans, who plays Hobie, uses what he calls “faux-mercials” to give the mountain top removal mining issue a satirical treatment , in a vein similar to that of his soon-to-be-released film (Your Environmental Road Trip.)YERT
“It’s a fairly serious play but we wanted to bring a little levity to the situation. When you really look at the facts and the history of coal, particularly in the last 25-30 years--how we’ve been mining it--- it would be funny if it weren’t so serious. Mountain top removal as a means of mining is almost comically absurd in its short-sightedness and in its devastation. If we were looking at it from another planet we would think ‘what are these people doing?’ There’s a fine line between stupidity and comedy, and insanity and comedy.”
Biggers, who blogs at the Huffington Post, performs in the play as a mysterious character named Harlan. In his newly released Reckoning at Eagle Creek and his earlier work The United States of Appalachia : How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture, and Enlightenment to America , he describes the political and cultural setting for mountain top removal mining and other forms of coal mining in the region.
Pistello said her work as an activist in D.C. setting up meetings between coal-field Appalachians and members of Congress has been a key source for her portrayal of Marie. “It was so important to me with this play that we just sort of show a snapshot of the lives of the people who deal with this.”
She said the play does not have an in-your-face, radical message. “It’s really a play about love: love for your spouse, love for your family, love for the land. And it’s about what you have to do to hold onto your love.”
But even if it is a play with a strong political message, Slaybaugh doesn't seem to mind. “Some people seem to think that if you’re trying to make your way as an artist, that it would be a bit of a liability to get a reputation for one political slant or another. We don’t feel that way. We feel that it may even be an advantage. You find that in theater pretty often. I’m thinking that pretty much any major city--and I’m including Cleveland and Cincinnati in that--has at least one group that comes out and declares itself the socially active theater company. Maybe it’s just the fact of the matter that your chances of financial success are so small anyway, you might as well go ahead and do what you believe in.”
Monday, November 2, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
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