Defend Our Drinking Water: Public Hearing 8:30 a.m. Monday
Massive thanks to WV Rivers Coalition for this action alert, which has all the details you need to attend public hearing on HB 2289, to reclassify the Kanawha River to be protected as a drinking water supply (Category A), set for 8:30 a.m., tomorrow Monday, Feb. 16. The weather forecast is not the greatest, so we really need folks already in the Charleston area to show up if at all possible.
Citizens Call on Oil and Gas Industry and Politicians to Safeguard WV Waters
Come out Monday evening! Oil and gas industry lobbyists are among those leading the efforts to pass H.B. 2574/S.B. 423, “Amending the Aboveground Storage Tank Act.” This bill would gut last year’s unanimously-passed SB 373, the Above Ground Storage Tank Act, drafted in the wake of the MCHM chemical spill that contaminated the drinking water of about a sixth of the state’s population.
On Now: NAACP Day at WV Capitol
Solar energy helps promote equality. We need just energy policies. Come out today.
Monday: Attend Public Hearing on Bill That Hurts Renewable Energy
Stand up for renewable energy and energy efficiency. We need you to attend the hearing and publicly speak out in opposition to HB 2004. Come out Monday!
Hog Slurry Lagoons New “Future” for Old MTR Sites? Hog Wash!
Helmick says another thing that government officials have avoided saying out loud: MTR mining activity makes places remote. From our experience, that's because people have been driven away by the approaching mining. Helmick likely overstated himself and knows that there are some people and communities still near some MTR sites, but the folks living near MTR sites are far more likely to be unhealthy and facing early death than people who don't live near MTR sites.
Come Out for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Huntington
In Huntington, WV, OVEC will again team up to march with the Cabell-Wayne Branch of the NAACP. We assemble at 4:30 p.m. at the 16th Street Baptist Church at Elm Street and 9th Avenue in Huntington. At 4:45 p.m. we march to the Joan C. Edwards Theater (Marshall University Campus),where starting at 5:30 p.m., events include a recitation of Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech.
Grassroots Report on Mountaintop Removal Reveals Gaps in Obama Administration’s Promises
The grassroots coalition The Alliance for Appalachia (of which OVEC is a member group) is releasing a Grassroots Progress Report that assesses the work the Obama administration has done (or not) in our region.
SOS! National Day of Action to Save Our Southern Forests
Today’s biggest threat to Southern forests is the growing biomass industry. The wood pellet industry is expanding at a rate that is impossible for Southern forests to sustain. Our beautiful forests are being clear-cut, processed into pellets and then shipped to Europe to be burned for electricity.
Starting Tonight in Charleston and Live-Streamed: Summit on Race Matters in Appalachia
The Summit on Race Matters in Appalachia starts tonight in Charleston, WV and continues tomorrow. If you can’t make it in person, you can tune into live streaming — details here. Also, follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #RaceMattersWV.
Buy Shannon Bell’s Award Winning Book, Support OVEC
Congratulations to long-time OVEC member Shannon Bell and all the warrior women in her book Our Roots Run Deep as Ironweed: Appalachian Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice. The book continues to rack up awards, the latest of which is 2014 Association for Humanist Sociology (AHS) Book Award. The AHS is a professional organization committed to “using sociology to promote peace, equality, and social justice."
Who’s Happy Now? Don’t Mourn, Organize
A story in news headline-links: Unofficial Voter Turnout In WV Tuesday Estimated At 37.3 Percent Nationwide, Actual election turnout far lower than reported (Too late this time, but: 5 Ways Life in America Would Be Better if Everyone Voted) Why Democrats lost
Vote! No, Really! #changethecurrent
If you haven't voted yet, then be sure to get out and vote tomorrow.Vote! Change the Current If you don't know candidates feel on issues that matter to you, then see if VoteEasy can help you out. If you are a student, then get out and vote. If you are a woman, then get out and vote. If you are any other version of a human, then give a s*!t and get out and vote. If you care about climate change, then get out and vote.
Debunking the Misleading Claims of the Oil and Gas Industry
Debunking the misleading claims of the oil and gas industry Dr. Randi Pokladnik and her husband Joel are long-time OVEC members. Randi is from eastern Ohio and has lived for 59 years in the strip-mined coal counties of Jefferson and Harrison. Unfortunately, deep shale gas fracking activities have become the latest way to destroy these beautiful areas.
Need Clean Water? Vote! #changethecurrent
FB-CoverPhoto41 West Virginia’s major water sources, like the Kanawha River, have had the highest rate of reproductive toxins that can lead to birth defects and reproductive disorders in the country. That’s just one reason why OVEC has partnered with WV FREE and other groups for the #changethecurrent campaign. Without adequate safe water regulations and requirements, West Virginia’s most valuable resource – families and children – are at risk of exposure.
Livestream on Now: Wellness and Water
If you can't make it out to Charleston today, check out the Livestream of Wellness and Water here.
Gainesville votes to avoid using mountaintop coal
Tears of joy and massive thanks to Gainesville Loves Mountains for their efforts! Their efforts could be a model for communities nationwide (see page 3 at link).
Safe Drinking Water Among the Things That Make For Peace: OVEC at International Day of Peace Event
On September 19, the Church Center for the United Nations will open its doors to commemorate the International Day of Peace, and continue its historical mission of fostering dialogue and cooperation between the United Nations and civil society around “the things that make for peace.”
Wherever You Are: Support The People’s Climate March
Count OVEC members and other Appalachians among the tens of thousands of people gearing up for the September 21 People's Climate March in New York City.
DC: ‘Shine Tonight – Come Taste It
Time to get your 'shine on! Moonshine that is. If you are in or near the Washington, D.C. area, please come out tonight starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Stewart R. Mott House.Help raise awareness and funds, while sampling some traditional Appalachian beverages with the experts!