Here’s a letter I sent to folks today, figured it’d be a great addition to this blog. Also, if you want to head up the mountain for a few hours in the morning I can pick you up. If so, shoot me an email.

Hey Everyone,

Here is a list of the media and blog exposure we’ve received for the Coal River Wind Project so far. As most of you know, Coal River Mountain Watch has been working hard for nearly a year – with the strong and unrelenting support of many of you – to get a wind farm developed on Coal River Mountain as a viable alternative to a proposed Mountaintop Removal (MTR) mine.

The proposed mining would span ten square miles, bury over 20 miles of streams with valley fills, contaminate local water resources, put local communities (who already experienced a deadly flood back in 2001 that has been attributed to clear-cutting and a nearby MTR mine site) in further danger of flash floods, and completely eliminate the available wind resource (to name just a few of the inevitable impacts).

The Coal River Mountain Wind project is a 400 MW wind farm that stands as the alternative that the state has supposedly been waiting for, that they’ve been saying hasn’t existed, thereby suggesting that once that alternative was proposed they would act on it and support it. In pushing for and promoting that alternative, we have been asking Governor Joe Manchin for months to use his power to rescind the mining permits and give wind power a chance on Coal River Mountain. So far, even as we’ve proven that the wind farm is the better moral and economic option for the area, the Governor has refused to “intervene,” stating only that it would be “inappropriate” for him to do so. What this response implies is that:

1) Intervention on the part of the Governor is NOT IMPOSSIBLE, it is only “Inappropriate” in his opinion, and speaking to that, only the coal company, the land company and the Governor are of the opinion that stepping in and helping to protect the local residents and diversify the local economy would be “inappropriate.” Over 10,000 others, including nearly 100 local residents and over 1,000 West Virginians, are of the opinion that government intervention on behalf of the wind proposal would not only be Appropriate, but also urgent and highly necessary for all the reasons that have been presented to him.

2) The Governor has no other answer to our call for a wind farm and a rescinding of Massey’s MTR permits than to say that doing his duty on behalf of the state and the public and acting within his executive powers would be Inappropriate (so why is there even a Governor??). This implies that there is a deeper reasoning, and many of us can only speculate as to what that reasoning is. It could either be that the Governor is afraid of being sued by Massey, in which case there is something seriously wrong with this state and its laws when they hand over all economic and land use decision-making powers – and therefore the future vitality, social welfare and economic health of the state and its citizens – to coal companies that have offices based in other states, and to coal CEO’s that have homes outside of West Virginia.

When our government’s hand are tied for the mere fear of a lawsuit, and lady justice is locked in Don Blankenship’s trunk, then there is truly no hope for this state, and there is no hope for economic transition and diversification in southern West Virginia. Another possible reason that the Governor may be refusing to intervene is related to the fact that we have only seen him standing at a podium decorated with a Friends of Coal placard, but never have we seen him standing in front of a Friends of the Mountains or a Friend of Wind or a Friend of WV Citizens placard. Does this mean that Gov. Manchin relates the welfare of his constituents to that of the coal industry?? If so, that is a scary thought indeed, especially given the fact that the coal industry accounts for only 14% of state economic activity, and less than 1% of its annual General Revenue Fund.

The Governor CAN still intervene, it IS POSSIBLE, and it is the RIGHT THING TO DO for West Virginia and for the Coal River communities. We hope that he understands this, and that come Monday morning he calls Massey and tells them to bring on that lawsuit, he is going with Wind Power for Coal River Mountain. If he were to do that, he would have all the backing and support of folks not only in the Coal River Valley, and not only across West Virginia, but across the entire nation, as the news pieces and blogs listed below suggest. 62% of West Virginians would rejoice at the Governor’s decision to “intervene.” That is what a Governor is supposed to do, protect its citizens and support economic opportunities that are of the most benefit to local, county and state governments. For Coal River Mountain (and for every mountain that has good wind potential), it is clear that wind power is the way to go, so keep up the pressure on the Governor, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT, and lets hope that Governor Manchin decides that rescinding the Mountaintop Removal permits is the “Appropriate” thing to do.

– Happy Holidays from Coal River Mountain Watch –