The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network Shows Concern for Mining Practices
Hagerstown, Maryland—“Oh the West Virginia hills, how majestic and how grand,” words of the state song learned by every school child. Mountains are one of the unique features of the state. Yet, as members of The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network learned that in some places the natural beauty of the mountains is being destroyed.
Meeting at Temple UMC in Beckley, West Virginia for its bi-annual meeting UMAMN members were exposed to the vastness of the practice of blasting off whole tops of mountains to expose the rich coal seams beneath. The aerial view of the breadth of mountain top mining was staggering. The destruction is indescribable. From the Stanley homestead on Kayford mountain the up close view of huge “dump trucks” moving loosened earth and dumping it in the “hollow” (valley) seemingly with no regard for the people, streams and rivers below nor the consequences for the future seemed obscene.
Mountaintop removal mining is a form of strip mining in which coal companies use explosives to blast as much as 800 to 1000 feet off the tops of mountains in order to reach the coal seams that lie underneath. The resulting millions of tons of waste rock, dirt, and vegetation are then dumped into surrounding valleys, burying miles of streams under piles of rubble hundreds of feed deep.
Some relief has been provided through a March 23, 2007 ruling by a federal judge in West Virginia who ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the law by issuing mountaintop removal mining permits that allowed headwater streams to be permanently buried.
The ruling will affect dozens of pending mining permits across Appalachia’s coals fields in West Virginia, Kentucky, southern Virginia and eastern Tennessee.
Reflecting on conversation with Larry Gibson whose family has refused to sell the mineral rights under their Kayford mountain homestead, one Network member said, “I was struck by the strong sense of family pride in Larry and his extended family. In spite of the fact that this narrow strip of land at the crest of the mountain was not 'prime farm land'—there was the sense that it was 'ours'—and nobody is about to tell the Stanley clan what they should do with it. It remains a tiny island in a sea of destruction. One has to wonder how long the family can hold out—or will even want to hold out after this generation is gone.” Another reflected, “To witness the destruction of God’s creation reminded me that we are to be stewards…we have failed to be good stewards of the mountain tops, the valleys, the rivers and streams and the people affected in West Virginia. May God forgive us for both what we have done and for what we have not done. May God empower us to be prophetic stewards of the mountains of West Virginia.”
Why should UMAMN be concerned about mining practices? Advocacy education for both public policy that affects communities in the Appalachian region as well as concern for developing and strengthening church leaders is one of the foci of the Network. All United Methodist need to know and understand the impact this type of natural resource extraction has not only on the immediate communities but on all of us as it feeds our energy needs. Coal fired power plants are one of the major contributors to mounting carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere creating climate warming across the world and emissions of mercury which concentrates in our waters. Every United Methodist needs to think about how their use of energy feeds the destruction resulting from this supposedly economical method to remove coal from the earth--a method that seems to put profit and production above care for creation and has resulted in fewer and fewer, although good paying jobs, in the coal mining industry.
During its meeting UMAMN also:
. heard a report from the Appalachian Assembly Planning Team. The Assembly will be held September 19-22, 2007 at Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, NC. The featured educational element of the Assembly will be “Asset Mapping and Capacity Building, led by Luther K. Snow. Mr. Snow has over twenty-five years of experience in asset building in communities, congregations and faith-based organizations. The Assembly will also celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the organization’s recognition by General Conference as a coordinating body for United Methodist ministries in Appalachia.
· learned that Phase II of the strategic analysis project will be completed by mid-April. During May a survey will be distributed widely to seeking feedback to information collected during Listening Posts conducted in February and March.
· approved a Resolution on Immigration Reform that will be distributed to federal government and church bodies.
· approved grants from the Appalachia Hunger and Poverty Advance Special fund in the amount of $5,500 to two ministries addressing poverty in the region. Application deadline for the submitting grant applications for the fall is September 1.
· Received a report from Bishop Tom Bickerton, Chair, of an offer made to assist the Network in seeking a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.
For additional information contact: N. Sharon Leatherman, Executive Director,
Phone and Fax 301-791-7355
Email: umadc@aol.com
Website: www.gbgm-umc.org/appalachia
Hagerstown, Maryland—“Oh the West Virginia hills, how majestic and how grand,” words of the state song learned by every school child. Mountains are one of the unique features of the state. Yet, as members of The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network learned that in some places the natural beauty of the mountains is being destroyed.
Meeting at Temple UMC in Beckley, West Virginia for its bi-annual meeting UMAMN members were exposed to the vastness of the practice of blasting off whole tops of mountains to expose the rich coal seams beneath. The aerial view of the breadth of mountain top mining was staggering. The destruction is indescribable. From the Stanley homestead on Kayford mountain the up close view of huge “dump trucks” moving loosened earth and dumping it in the “hollow” (valley) seemingly with no regard for the people, streams and rivers below nor the consequences for the future seemed obscene.
Mountaintop removal mining is a form of strip mining in which coal companies use explosives to blast as much as 800 to 1000 feet off the tops of mountains in order to reach the coal seams that lie underneath. The resulting millions of tons of waste rock, dirt, and vegetation are then dumped into surrounding valleys, burying miles of streams under piles of rubble hundreds of feed deep.Some relief has been provided through a March 23, 2007 ruling by a federal judge in West Virginia who ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the law by issuing mountaintop removal mining permits that allowed headwater streams to be permanently buried.
The ruling will affect dozens of pending mining permits across Appalachia’s coals fields in West Virginia, Kentucky, southern Virginia and eastern Tennessee.
Reflecting on conversation with Larry Gibson whose family has refused to sell the mineral rights under their Kayford mountain homestead, one Network member said, “I was struck by the strong sense of family pride in Larry and his extended family. In spite of the fact that this narrow strip of land at the crest of the mountain was not 'prime farm land'—there was the sense that it was 'ours'—and nobody is about to tell the Stanley clan what they should do with it. It remains a tiny island in a sea of destruction. One has to wonder how long the family can hold out—or will even want to hold out after this generation is gone.” Another reflected, “To witness the destruction of God’s creation reminded me that we are to be stewards…we have failed to be good stewards of the mountain tops, the valleys, the rivers and streams and the people affected in West Virginia. May God forgive us for both what we have done and for what we have not done. May God empower us to be prophetic stewards of the mountains of West Virginia.”
Why should UMAMN be concerned about mining practices? Advocacy education for both public policy that affects communities in the Appalachian region as well as concern for developing and strengthening church leaders is one of the foci of the Network. All United Methodist need to know and understand the impact this type of natural resource extraction has not only on the immediate communities but on all of us as it feeds our energy needs. Coal fired power plants are one of the major contributors to mounting carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere creating climate warming across the world and emissions of mercury which concentrates in our waters. Every United Methodist needs to think about how their use of energy feeds the destruction resulting from this supposedly economical method to remove coal from the earth--a method that seems to put profit and production above care for creation and has resulted in fewer and fewer, although good paying jobs, in the coal mining industry.
During its meeting UMAMN also:
. heard a report from the Appalachian Assembly Planning Team. The Assembly will be held September 19-22, 2007 at Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, NC. The featured educational element of the Assembly will be “Asset Mapping and Capacity Building, led by Luther K. Snow. Mr. Snow has over twenty-five years of experience in asset building in communities, congregations and faith-based organizations. The Assembly will also celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the organization’s recognition by General Conference as a coordinating body for United Methodist ministries in Appalachia.
· learned that Phase II of the strategic analysis project will be completed by mid-April. During May a survey will be distributed widely to seeking feedback to information collected during Listening Posts conducted in February and March.
· approved a Resolution on Immigration Reform that will be distributed to federal government and church bodies.
· approved grants from the Appalachia Hunger and Poverty Advance Special fund in the amount of $5,500 to two ministries addressing poverty in the region. Application deadline for the submitting grant applications for the fall is September 1.
· Received a report from Bishop Tom Bickerton, Chair, of an offer made to assist the Network in seeking a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.
For additional information contact: N. Sharon Leatherman, Executive Director,
Phone and Fax 301-791-7355
Email: umadc@aol.com
Website: www.gbgm-umc.org/appalachia
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