while i sit here, 6 months pregnant, winter quickly moving in, i am forced to realize i will likely not be able to work much on my project until sometime near the middle of next year.
i do have a few coal fired plants in mind, that id like to visit.
particularly meigs county, ohio. where they currently sit under the stacks of 4 coal plants, with another proposed. not to mention the countless other environmental tragedies theyre forced to deal with.
over this period, i will continue to research, learn, and spread the word. as thats what i likely do best.
id like to share a speech jason howard gave at the lexington forum recently, regarding "the true costs of coal"
while were searching for a better way, lets at least conserve what we have.
it pains me, to know, that children born in southeastern cities (such as the one i live in) face higher rates for sids, asthma, allergies, etc. etc. etc. all because of the impurities my air is forced to take on due to the power company, and those plugged into its excessive use.
11/9/09
10/4/09
need a movie to watch?
recently, we watched kilowatt ours (NOTE: the previous link will allow you to watch the complete film.) at the recommendation of a cousin whom i was discussing my documentary goals with.
pretty good film. the first half discuss' a good part of what im trying to cover (though i think the toxicity, use, and misuse of coal ash needs to be covered as well)
so, following that i finished up somethings rising and was duely impressed.
what better way to learn about the history, in addition to current events, in appalachia, than from those who live it? numerous stories, from those best equipped to tell them.
such rich history, makes me jealous that i didnt grow up with that. but alas, i have found my.... "calling"? if you will.
and then, last night, thanks to our local library and someone leaving the search field of "dvd" up without my realizing it, we checked out and began watching harlan county, usa .
which just reinforces the damage coals been doing to this area since long before i was born.
knowledge is power, eventhough ignorance is bliss. i think, that regardless of what you may think or feel, its important to know where your electricity comes from, and what it really costs. your bill puts a monetary value on it, and there is so much more to it than that. coal may very well be cheap. for the power companies that burn it, but so are clothes and toys made in china. everything has its price, even if its not represented in a dollar amount.
pretty good film. the first half discuss' a good part of what im trying to cover (though i think the toxicity, use, and misuse of coal ash needs to be covered as well)
so, following that i finished up somethings rising and was duely impressed.
what better way to learn about the history, in addition to current events, in appalachia, than from those who live it? numerous stories, from those best equipped to tell them.
such rich history, makes me jealous that i didnt grow up with that. but alas, i have found my.... "calling"? if you will.
and then, last night, thanks to our local library and someone leaving the search field of "dvd" up without my realizing it, we checked out and began watching harlan county, usa .
which just reinforces the damage coals been doing to this area since long before i was born.
knowledge is power, eventhough ignorance is bliss. i think, that regardless of what you may think or feel, its important to know where your electricity comes from, and what it really costs. your bill puts a monetary value on it, and there is so much more to it than that. coal may very well be cheap. for the power companies that burn it, but so are clothes and toys made in china. everything has its price, even if its not represented in a dollar amount.
7/27/09
coal ash has all kinds of uses
heres an article about a town built on coal ash, i wonder if thats like building a city on rock and roll?
in any case. the proponents of coal insist coal ash is useful as well. its great for road fill, ground fill, building fill, etc. not enough dirt? just use coal ash.
well, heres just one small towns story of what happens when you make such wonderful use of the substance.
in any case. the proponents of coal insist coal ash is useful as well. its great for road fill, ground fill, building fill, etc. not enough dirt? just use coal ash.
well, heres just one small towns story of what happens when you make such wonderful use of the substance.
7/7/09
kayford mountain
practically everyone remotely interested in mountain top removal (whether your for or against it) knows of a man by the name of Larry Gibson, for good reason.
mr. gibson has property on a mountain called kayford mountain, when i look at an aerial shot of west virginia, kayford mountain jumps out at me due to... well, its lack of existence? i dont want to tell all of Larry's story (im not sure thats possible), but ill attempt to introduce you to the basics, in case youre unfamiliar with him. (feel free to visit his site for more information.) larry inherited this land and can trace it (being in his family) back over 250 years. in the early 1900s, his grandfather signed over the "mineral rights" to this property, like many others in this area, for .01c an acre (its my understanding that they originally had over 1000 acres.) people did this, because they only knew of deep mining, and could respect the wealth this brought to their communities, they in no way saw this as a threat to the land they lived and played on.
over 20 years ago they began to surface mine on kayford mountain, taking over much of Larry's property. somehow, at some point, he managed to get 50 acres into a land trust, making it so that no one could purchase, sell, trade, etc.
originally, Larry looked up 400ft. to the peak of the mountain from his property, his property is now the highest point among multiple mountain top removal projects.
due to his courageous efforts, Larry receives more harassment and threats than i can fathom. but alas, he is the "keeper of the mountains", and a wonderful one at that.
upon walking out to the site, were greeted with a pile of rubble, including a large rock with a hole drilled in it, this hole is a remnant from the coal company drilling down, to fill with explosives (like those used in the Oklahoma City bombing), to blast away "overburden". in addition to a no trespassing sign.
we stepped up on the high wall, and looked down at what was going on. immediately in front of us were the alien grasses character of "reclamation". far off in the distance, a lovely mountain range. and in between, something id expect to see on the moon, with a group of heavy machinery.
i think i could have stayed, and just watched, shocked, in awe, all day. i wanted to know what was really running through these miners minds. deep down, the secrets they share with no one. i understand that this is about the only decent paying job in the entire state. i understand that they have families to feed. but surely, some of them think beyond that on occasion, but are just too scared to tell anyone. for those, my heart goes out.
7/2/09
the last house in mud.
on june 20th me and my family began to take a road trip that would involve a few stops in west virginia. i hoped to see the devastation of mountain top removal first hand, for the first time. it was a success.
sunday morning (the following day) we were up bright and early, in charleston, wv. not sure what to do with our day we decided to check out their unitarian universalist congregation, it wasnt until shortly before the service that i realized this could have multiple benefits, a big one being finding potential resources to help in my journey. upon walking through the parking lot i noticed several bumpers proudly wearing "i love mountains" bumper stickers, and knew i was in the right place. inside a gentleman appeared to me almost like an angel of sorts, sporting a shirt that largely exclaimed "i love mountains", named julian.
naturally i began to discuss my goals and ask questions, he was eager to provide stories and information and even offered to take us on a tour of a couple places, one of them being "the only house left in mud, wv". yes, mud is a town, or was. i guess. most towns have communities, stores, animals, etc. not this one. after a drive down a long winding dirt road, mostly lined in trees we got to the infamous house. it was a quaint little farm house style residence, unfortunately the family wasnt home, but julian was happy to tell us about them and their property.
when the coal company decided to mine on this land they insisted all the residents leave, as they often do using various tactics (mineral rights, bribes, threats, etc.). this particular family had no interest in relocating and went all the way to the supreme court to assure they could keep a portion of their property. with that they also included a single stipulation, that they be able to sit on their porch and only see the land the way it was intended (no site of mining). and thats what they got.
the first site is right through the trees to the left of their home (in the first image you can see it midway down on the left). the trees disappear and theres... dirt?
julian walked us along through the trees to see what lied beyond, the sky was beautiful on this particular day, one of the most photogenic skies ive photographed to date, it contrasted the land that lie ahead very dramatically. you look one way and see forest, another, something more like desert.
this particular company apparently takes sundays off, as the equipment was all lined up and not a soul in sight. it was just so surreal, to imagine a beautiful mountain where all this rubble was. human and environmental impacts asside, there was nothing remotely pleasant about the acres and acres that spanned beyond my view filled with tossed up rocks and minerals yet no trees, water, or wildlife. in the middle of the appalachian mountains, the north american rainforest, oldest mountains in the world, richest ecosystem in north america.
this final photo, is of our dear friend julian, standing in front of what is considered a "reclaimed mountain" (that sits just off the property line of the aforementioned house). this land is what the coal companies tout as being restored to natural contour and ready for plant and wildlife reintroduction. they also claim this land is much more useful than the previous hillside. perfect for shopping centers, airports, golf courses, etc. im wondering where the customers for such attractions will come from?
6/15/09
keeping dangerous coal ash storage sites a secret
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31327223/ns/us_news-environment/?wid=18298287
my favorite parts...
"The Army Corps of Engineers in a letter dated June 4 told the EPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the public should not be alerted to the whereabouts of the sites because it would compromise national security."
""If these sites are so hazardous, and neighborhoods nearby could be harmed irreparably, I think it is essential to let people know," said Boxer, adding that she was told the location of the sites with the understanding that she could tell only Senate colleagues whose states have one or more of the storage facilities. The EPA was allowed to inform local emergency officials, but not the public."
"The latest Energy Department data indicates that 721 power plants nationwide produced 95.8 million tons of coal ash in 2005. The ash can contain heavy metals and other toxic contaminants, but there are no federal regulations or standard that govern its storage or disposal"
i mean, its all relevant, those just stuck out most to me.
p.s. the epa is trying to classify coal ash as a "household waste" type of waste product. meaning it would be permitted to enter our regular landfills potentially seeping into our ground water. yum!
my favorite parts...
"The Army Corps of Engineers in a letter dated June 4 told the EPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the public should not be alerted to the whereabouts of the sites because it would compromise national security."
""If these sites are so hazardous, and neighborhoods nearby could be harmed irreparably, I think it is essential to let people know," said Boxer, adding that she was told the location of the sites with the understanding that she could tell only Senate colleagues whose states have one or more of the storage facilities. The EPA was allowed to inform local emergency officials, but not the public."
"The latest Energy Department data indicates that 721 power plants nationwide produced 95.8 million tons of coal ash in 2005. The ash can contain heavy metals and other toxic contaminants, but there are no federal regulations or standard that govern its storage or disposal"
i mean, its all relevant, those just stuck out most to me.
p.s. the epa is trying to classify coal ash as a "household waste" type of waste product. meaning it would be permitted to enter our regular landfills potentially seeping into our ground water. yum!
5/31/09
electric cars are all the rage.
my family just invested in the 2010 honda insight for the sake of being "greener". (honestly, we really just want to save money. saving the earth is always a perk though.)
now im aware of the...not so goodness that is hybrid cars, batteries are a yucky yucky thing, as with coal, the metals that make up said batteries must be mined, exposing the environment to all kinds of things that it wasnt meant to be exposed to, in addition to the people employed to mine said metals. then comes the disposal, which is inevitable at some point in time.
the car we traded in wasnt even old, nor was it anything remotely close to a "gas guzzler". but yet, this felt like a good idea, despite my feelings of feeling somewhat selfish.
so where am i going with this? well, weve (americans, and the world) have been going on and on about electric vehicles (ev's) for years and years now. currenty there tons of talk about "plug in hybrids" as well as ev's. i have to ask myself, are these really a better option than the gasoline powered vehicles currently on the market?
and my educated answer is no.
gasoline is dirty, thats no secret. while im sure i could expose a few secrets (as well as enlighten myself a little) on petroleum production, im going to focus solely on the environmental cost after use.
i dont have the energy this evening to find and share statistics, but its a fact that coal fired power plants emit MANY more emissions than gasoline powered cars for the same amount of energy. (i hope that makes sense) smokestack to exhaust pipe, coal is far worse. this alone tells me that petroleum is the more conscious option.
i did a brief search for this topic, to see what others had to say. and it makes me sad to see that the most talked about issue is cost. because coal (and the power it generates) is so much cheaper than petroleum, they expect less than a us dollars worth of energy to equate to a gallon of gasoline. if price represented environmental impact than clearly, that would be the better option. but it doesnt. yes, gasoline is expensive, and it seems like the cost only rises. yes, at the rate of consumption its likely that not so distant future generations will only read about petroleum in history books. but lets face it, coal is a NONrenewable resource as well (as are our mountains). until we come up with a better source for electricity, i will scoff at the thought of production ev's.
now im aware of the...not so goodness that is hybrid cars, batteries are a yucky yucky thing, as with coal, the metals that make up said batteries must be mined, exposing the environment to all kinds of things that it wasnt meant to be exposed to, in addition to the people employed to mine said metals. then comes the disposal, which is inevitable at some point in time.
the car we traded in wasnt even old, nor was it anything remotely close to a "gas guzzler". but yet, this felt like a good idea, despite my feelings of feeling somewhat selfish.
so where am i going with this? well, weve (americans, and the world) have been going on and on about electric vehicles (ev's) for years and years now. currenty there tons of talk about "plug in hybrids" as well as ev's. i have to ask myself, are these really a better option than the gasoline powered vehicles currently on the market?
and my educated answer is no.
gasoline is dirty, thats no secret. while im sure i could expose a few secrets (as well as enlighten myself a little) on petroleum production, im going to focus solely on the environmental cost after use.
i dont have the energy this evening to find and share statistics, but its a fact that coal fired power plants emit MANY more emissions than gasoline powered cars for the same amount of energy. (i hope that makes sense) smokestack to exhaust pipe, coal is far worse. this alone tells me that petroleum is the more conscious option.
i did a brief search for this topic, to see what others had to say. and it makes me sad to see that the most talked about issue is cost. because coal (and the power it generates) is so much cheaper than petroleum, they expect less than a us dollars worth of energy to equate to a gallon of gasoline. if price represented environmental impact than clearly, that would be the better option. but it doesnt. yes, gasoline is expensive, and it seems like the cost only rises. yes, at the rate of consumption its likely that not so distant future generations will only read about petroleum in history books. but lets face it, coal is a NONrenewable resource as well (as are our mountains). until we come up with a better source for electricity, i will scoff at the thought of production ev's.
5/2/09
how bad is fly ash?
from TVA's management discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations...
"Fly ash is a by-product of a coal-fired plant. It is a gray material with a consistency similar to flour. It is made up mostly of silica, similar to sand. Though the ash itself is inert, it may contain trace amounts of other substances that occur naturally in coal, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium. It is used in building products such as cement, mortar, stucco, and grout. It also is used in some potting soils and as a soil conditioner. TVA has sold fly ash commercially."
then go on to read a study involving CFA (coal fly ash) and rats...
"Exposure to CFA [coal fly ash] is a health concern because coal is a major power source used world wide, especially in developing countries such as China and India, and human exposure to particulate matter is associated with increased respiratory and cardiac disease."
here are a few articles involving CFA usage and its effects on communities.
angry residents grill officals about coal ash
let me know if CFA is something you want used for construction of your homes, road ways, etc.?
this is where your power comes from. coal. when its burned, it creates this ash. what do you suggest be done with it?
credit: this grandmother is clearly hard at work digging up the "dirt" (no pun intended) on CFA lifeonswanpond.livejournal.com and it reveals a whole new side of the coal issue to me daily. thank you!
"Fly ash is a by-product of a coal-fired plant. It is a gray material with a consistency similar to flour. It is made up mostly of silica, similar to sand. Though the ash itself is inert, it may contain trace amounts of other substances that occur naturally in coal, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium. It is used in building products such as cement, mortar, stucco, and grout. It also is used in some potting soils and as a soil conditioner. TVA has sold fly ash commercially."
then go on to read a study involving CFA (coal fly ash) and rats...
"Exposure to CFA [coal fly ash] is a health concern because coal is a major power source used world wide, especially in developing countries such as China and India, and human exposure to particulate matter is associated with increased respiratory and cardiac disease."
here are a few articles involving CFA usage and its effects on communities.
400 residents sue Dominion, developer over fly-ash site
whats wrong on tobacco road?angry residents grill officals about coal ash
let me know if CFA is something you want used for construction of your homes, road ways, etc.?
this is where your power comes from. coal. when its burned, it creates this ash. what do you suggest be done with it?
credit: this grandmother is clearly hard at work digging up the "dirt" (no pun intended) on CFA lifeonswanpond.livejournal.com and it reveals a whole new side of the coal issue to me daily. thank you!
4/29/09
larry gibson
i got a few responses today. all very friendly, and fairly informative, but the best one of all...
"Hi Jes my name is Larry Gibson I live on Kayford Mountain. My property is surrounded by mountaintop removal. You can actually see them blowing up the mountains from my property. If you would be interested in coming to West Virginia I would spend time with you and show you all around my mountain. thanks Larry Gibson Keeper of the mountains"
so im really excited about this. west virginia is a bit of a trek, but i have no doubt that it will be worth it, ten fold or better.
now i just have to figure out when would be the best time to go. im terribly impatient, but we cant afford (and i dont want to) to make this just a day trip.
"Hi Jes my name is Larry Gibson I live on Kayford Mountain. My property is surrounded by mountaintop removal. You can actually see them blowing up the mountains from my property. If you would be interested in coming to West Virginia I would spend time with you and show you all around my mountain. thanks Larry Gibson Keeper of the mountains"
so im really excited about this. west virginia is a bit of a trek, but i have no doubt that it will be worth it, ten fold or better.
now i just have to figure out when would be the best time to go. im terribly impatient, but we cant afford (and i dont want to) to make this just a day trip.
4/27/09
southwings
there is an organization that someone from KFTC told me about, southwings . they have pilots that volunteer time and resources to fly groups and individuals over areas of... concern?
one of them being mountain top removal.
this is great, since coal companies can be very hostile about "their" land. and how else could i capture something of such magnitude on film, but from the air?
so i emailed them last week and anxiously awaited the operations assistants return from vacation/response. heres what i got...
"Thanks for your inquiry. SouthWings is a nonprofit organization supporting conservation efforts across the Southeast through providing access to the aerial perspective for educational purposes. Typically, flight requests must originate with a nonprofit organization. Our pilots are volunteers, and as such we have limited resources available. All requests we receive are reviewed by our flight review committee in order to determine which requests we are able to meet given available volunteer pilot resources. Expected outcome from the flight is the committee’s criteria. Given that our resources are limited, we are not often able to provide flights for documentaries.
one of them being mountain top removal.
this is great, since coal companies can be very hostile about "their" land. and how else could i capture something of such magnitude on film, but from the air?
so i emailed them last week and anxiously awaited the operations assistants return from vacation/response. heres what i got...
"Thanks for your inquiry. SouthWings is a nonprofit organization supporting conservation efforts across the Southeast through providing access to the aerial perspective for educational purposes. Typically, flight requests must originate with a nonprofit organization. Our pilots are volunteers, and as such we have limited resources available. All requests we receive are reviewed by our flight review committee in order to determine which requests we are able to meet given available volunteer pilot resources. Expected outcome from the flight is the committee’s criteria. Given that our resources are limited, we are not often able to provide flights for documentaries.
Many regional airports have small planes for hire, so this may be an option to consider. Albatross Air out of Beckley, WV can provide you with a plane and pilot for about $130/hour. If you call around to regional airports near the sites you want to visit, there are often similar services available. We have coordinates on file for mine sites near Hazard, KY; Charleston, WV; and a few other areas in Appalachia. While it is unlikely that we could provide you with a flight, we would be happy to share coordinates of mine sites with you. KFTC may be able to help in that regard as well."
so. a little discouraging. so im going to mail the previously mentioned email out to a few groups, hope for some encouragement, and rack my brain for a proposal for southwings, that they cant refuse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
