2009.09.29 Press Release
From the Mine to Mirant, Coal is Dirty Business
Contact: Kate Pollard, Beyond Coal Campaign: (703)442-0435, kate.pollard@sierraclub.org
Northern Virginians gathered in Old Town Alexandria on Tuesday to show their concern about mountaintop removal coal mining, which supplies the coal burnt to provide electricity at plants such as the Mirant facility.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2009
From the Mine to Mirant, Coal is Dirty Business News Conference
Virginians Call for Strong Rules to Move Beyond Coal
Alexandria, VA – The Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition held a press conference today in Market Square, Old Town Alexandria, not two miles from the Mirant Power Plant highlighting local concern about coal pollution. Dozens of locals turned out to show support for strong regulations that will put an end to mountaintop removal coal mining and the carbon-intensive energy generation process it feeds.
Residents in these communities have long suffered from the toxic emissions of this facility. Though Mirant has improved its standards, its global warming emissions and the environmental damage resulting from its continued demand for mountaintop removal-mined coal remain of great concern.
“Residents of Alexandria are both conscious and supportive of the reforms needed to address climate change through reduction of carbon emissions. There is a shared sense of responsibility to reduce the demand and shift to cleaner, renewable energy alternatives,” said Glen Besa, Virginia Chapter Director for the Sierra Club.
There is also a growing appreciation for a source of great suffering that Virginians in the southwestern region of the state experience due to our dependence on coal – mountaintop removal. To date, 67 of Virginia’s mountains have been destroyed, and counting.
“Mountaintop removal has created a crisis and must end immediately,” said J.W. Randolph of Appalachian Voices. “Mountaintop removal is used specifically to take the miner out of the mine, and is an absolute job-killer. In southwest Virginia, mountaintop removal is doing the same thing to our economy that it is to our mountains, leaving a wasteland with nothing upon which to build a sustainable future.”
The fate of the region is likely to remain bleak – both in terms of economy and ecosystems – if this surface mining does not give way to innovative development of alternatives. Mountaintop removal coal mining, like that happening at Black Mountain, VA, has damaged or destroyed nearly 2,000 miles of streams and threatens to destroy 1.4 million acres of land by 2020. At least 150 miles of streams and 156,000 acres of land have already been lost in Virginia. The mining contaminates drinking water, destroys wildlife habitat, and increases the risk of flooding, threatening entire communities.
Though it has spent millions on ‘clean’ coal advertising, the coal industry’s active fight against cleaning up is no secret to Virginia. Recent ties to fraudulent letters aimed at lobbying Virginia’s elected officials to oppose strong climate legislation, revealed these companies to be as dirty in politics as they are neighbors and employers.
Addressing the need for solutions, Kent Baake, CEO and Founder of Continuum Energy Solutions, a clean energy firm based in Alexandria, offered his perspective on the benefits of solar: “Solar translates into local job creation, income for purchasers, and is vitally important to our national security. It is a unique investment because it is one that reduces your risk while increasing the value of your house. Prices have dropped 30% for solar electric systems in the last 12 months.”
Today, Alexandrians made clear that a better, more secure future means one that is fueled by clean energy rather than the dirty fuels we have too long relied upon. As one of dozens of events held nationwide, the resounding statement is a readiness for change that considers energy central to a bright future.
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The mission of the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition is to halt the construction of new coal-burning power plants, end the destruction of mountaintop removal coal mining in Virginia, and repower the Commonwealth with cleaner, less expensive and sustainable energy sources. The coalition includes Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club and Southern Environmental Law Center, and a growing number of affiliate groups.
Contact: Kate Pollard, Beyond Coal Campaign: (703)442-0435, kate.pollard@sierraclub.org