The movement against extreme energy and extraction in Appalachia is uniting like never before. This morning, over a hundred coalfield and gasfield activists and youth allies from across the country stormed the Capitol building in Charleston, WV, and spoke clearly and in one voice against the industries which are poisoning communities.
The protest started out in the Capitol courtyard and was led by local residents.
Deirdre, an activist visiting from the Pennsylvania gasfields, spoke to the crowd:
“We are here to show that we are united and saying ‘no’ to all dirty and deadly industries. What we want is a clean and healthy economy in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and beyond, an economy that doesn’t poison our water, toxify our air, sicken our bodies and fracture our communities… The West Virginia governor, just like our governor in Pennsylvania, has blood on his hands. They have followed the orders of polluting industries. They have acted as traitors to the people who elected them.”
Next, Dustin Steele of Mingo County, West Virginia, took the megaphone: “A few months ago, a delegation of coalfield residents like myself tried to meet with the governor to talk about economic diversification, about preventing the boom and bust cycle that’s afflicted West Virginia for the past 125 years, that’s left our people addicted to drugs and with some of the highest poverty rates in the nation.”
Dustin echoed the late Judy Bonds to drive their point home:
“If coal is so great, why are all these hillbillies so poor?”
Activists then took the main stairs up into the capitol, and led chants inside the capitol rotunda. As their voices echoed through the heart of the building, a banner was unfurled over the balcony, which read, “Support the People, not the Polluters.”
Fired up, the crowd marched to the entrance of the governor’s office, chanting, “Hey, Governor Tomblin, stop mountain bombing!”.
Dustin White, of Boone County, took the megaphone and reminded us why we were there.
“It is not our patriotic duty to die for gas or coal. We will stand up and demand a better West Virginia. We will fight. We will fight for clean air. We will fight for clean water. We will fight for our history and our future. And one day we will win.”
Junior Walk, also of Boone County, made it clear that the governor could expect to see more of these protests outside of his office. “We will be back in more numbers until this stops. We’re not gonna stop.”
Activists at today’s protest also expressed their anger at a recent onslaught of proposed legislation, which would undercut West Virginia’s already meek pollution control standards, such as HB 2579, which would slash water safeguards for selenium poisoning. Protesters pointed to the all-but-defeated resource planning bill (HB 2803), which would encourage the use of energy efficiency measures to create jobs and meet electricity demand, as a far more appropriate course of action for the state legislature.
This rally was just the beginning of a spring and summer of escalating action against extreme energy that is being planned in Appalachia and around the nation. If you feel inspired to get involved, sign up on RAMPS website here. And stay tuned for Mountain Justice Summer!
Included at the protest were many students from campus groups helping to lead fossil fuel divestment campaigns, included many who recently attended the Swarthmore PowerUp! Convergence.
To watch the full video of today’s powerful action: click here. For more photos: click here.
I am encouraged by your dedication and strength to stand up for West Virginia and the individual right to clean air, water, and environment. I wish that I could be with you but am with you in spirit. Courage! Thank you.
Mountain topping is an abomination! Thank you so much for your courage! We are fighting sand mining where I’m at, ad it is an uphill battle with officials that don’t have to live with the mess. I hope your movement grows and grows, people have lost their voice and they need to find it!
Wonderful to see folks raising Cain on the stomping grounds where I grew up. Power to you folks from NC Idle No More and Asheville Idle No More!
Profound Gratitude for being on the front-lines of climate action against mountain-top removal:
‘Deirdre, an activist visiting from the Pennsylvania gasfields, spoke to the crowd:
“We are here to show that we are united and saying ‘no’ to all dirty and deadly industries. What we want is a clean and healthy economy in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and beyond, an economy that doesn’t poison our water, toxify our air, sicken our bodies and fracture our communities… The West Virginia governor, just like our governor in Pennsylvania, has blood on his hands. They have followed the orders of polluting industries. They have acted as traitors to the people who elected them.”’