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west virginia
Working-Class Journalist's Speech Hailed as 'Most Radical' in DNC History
John Russell urged Democrats to serve working Americans "looking for a political home, after years of both parties putting profit above people."
Aug 23, 2024
The Democratic National Convention on Thursday featured a video and speech from More Perfect Union reporter John Russell, who stressed to the Chicago crowd that the party has an opportunity to win over working-class people.
"Thank you to the workers that make this convention happen," Russell began. "Let's never forget how essential all of our labor is."
"I come from Appalachia," he explained. "We kept the lights on in this country for generations. But the wealth made by our broken backs and our black lungs never did trickle down. And Washington listened to rich men demanding that we stick with dirty energy at any cost."
"Across the country, working-class people are looking for a political home, after years of both parties putting profit above people," he said before taking aim at the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump—who has chosen Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), author of Hillbilly Elegy, as his running mate.
"Now Trump, a billionaire, says that he'll take on the elites, but then he promises handouts to Big Oil and he punches down at anyone with the guts to be different," Russell noted. "Populism that insists we are too different to get along is just divide and conquer by a different name."
More Perfect Union reporter @heyjohnrussell just spoke directly to the DNC crowd:
"It is our choice to build on this progress and to create a political home for the mass of working Americans fighting for control over their government, their workplaces, and their planet." pic.twitter.com/lbZaCpJKgw
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) August 23, 2024
"There's another sort of populism, with roots in this party, that we—in West Virginia—know well," said Russell, a resident of the state. He pointed to a century ago, when the term "rednecks" was used to deride organized coal miners who "wore red bandanas around their necks as they fought and died for respect and a living wage."
"Their fight yesterday is our fight right now," Russell declared to a roaring crowd. "It is our choice to build on this progress and to create a political home for the mass of working Americans fighting for control over their government, their workplaces, and their planet. And it is our moment to live up to. Let's get after it."
The Nation president and Jacobin founding editor Bhaskar Sunkara said on social media: "I'm pretty sure that John Russell just made the most radical speech in the history of the DNC. A call for class solidarity and a world where working people control their workplaces and their futures."
Antonia Juhasz, a senior researcher on fossil fuels at Human Rights Watch, also responded with praise. Sharing the video, she said, "A great speech on climate action: Climate Action is action for workers, for justice, and for health from John Russell."
In addition to Russell's address, the DNC audience saw a two-minute More Perfect Union video in which he spoke to workers across the United States and highlighted positive impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act, which congressional Democrats passed and President Joe Biden signed two years ago.
Our team has traveled America documenting the impact of historic investments in clean energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure.
From Las Vegas to Tennessee, working people’s lives are changing.
Watch the video we aired at the DNC on why we need an agenda that centers workers: pic.twitter.com/cXio7CbzPm
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) August 23, 2024
One of multiple "influencers" or content creators to take the stage this week, Russell has a significant social media following and a newsletter calledThe Holler. Before West Virginia, he lived in Ohio, where he ran for state House in 2016 and Congress two years later.
Russell told Justice Hudson of the Wheeling Free Press that "we need a populism that doesn't divide us, but unites us."
"That's the way forward, especially as we are fighting against right-wing politicians who are offering us a fake version of populism—and we know it's fake because they want us to point fingers at each other rather than at the wealthy," he continued.
Russell also acknowledged that "we have not heard Palestinian voices on the stage, even as this party claims to be working to stop the carnage unfolding in the Middle East," and urged Democrats to stop "silencing or burying their heads in the sand at protestors outside making the very simple ask of five minutes of speaking time so that Palestinians are represented."
Other champions of the working class who have addressed the DNC this week included United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—who also spoke Monday at a Progressive Democrats of America event, where he celebrated people across the country who are organizing "on a class basis" and "prepared to take on big money interests."
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'Shameful and Deadly Decision': FERC Gives Go-Ahead to Mountain Valley Pipeline
"Allowing this 303-mile disaster to move forward is a slap in the face to the communities who have fought tirelessly over the last decade to protect their land and water."
Jun 12, 2024
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday gave the primary owner of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline a green light to begin operating the project after years of litigation and local opposition to the costly and destructive fracked gas infrastructure, a top priority of lawmakers bankrolled by the fossil fuel industry.
In a letter to the deputy general counsel of Equitrans, the director of FERC's Office of Energy Projects wrote that the federal agency has concluded that the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) "has adequately stabilized the areas disturbed by construction and that restoration and stabilization of the construction work area is proceeding satisfactorily."
The letter came in response to the pipeline operators' request to allow gas to flow through the system, which runs from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia. An Equitrans spokesperson said Tuesday that the company is "pleased" with FERC's decision and that "final preparations are underway to begin commercial operations."
FERC's move drew immediate outrage from environmental groups that have been warning against the pipeline's approval for years, pointing to its projected emissions impact—the equivalent of dozens of new coal-fired power plants—and threat to water supplies and local communities.
"Since developers first proposed the ruinous Mountain Valley Pipeline, their disregard for community and environmental safety has been clear," said Jessica Sims, Virginia field coordinator of Appalachian Voices. "Community members and environmental watchdogs have pointed out the flaws in this project for years, and these fundamental problems with the pipeline remain. By allowing MVP to advance despite all these serious hazards, the system meant to protect our communities, land, and water has failed."
"When a fracked gas pipeline fails testing, literally explodes, fails to meet the safety standards its developers agreed to, what are communities on the ground left with?"
Sierra Club noted in a statement that "it has long been clear that the pipeline is unable to comply with basic environmental protections, with hundreds of water quality-related violations throughout the course of construction." Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality fined MVP's operators earlier this year for 29 separate violations along the pipeline's route through the state.
Last month, a segment of the pipeline in Virginia
ruptured during testing, amplifying opponents' concerns about future gas leaks.
"Allowing this 303-mile disaster to move forward is a slap in the face to the communities who have fought tirelessly over the last decade to protect their land and water," Patrick Grenter, Sierra Club's deputy chief energy officer, said Tuesday. "This pipeline has already marred private property and damaged countless water resources, and the gas it will transport will worsen the climate crisis. We will continue to fight back against the reckless expansion of dangerous, unnecessary fracked gas pipelines."
The decision by FERC—an agency increasingly beloved by Republican lawmakers and the fossil fuel industry—came a year after President Joe Biden signed into law a debt ceiling-related bill that included provisions requiring federal agencies to approve all permits necessary for the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline and preempting judicial review of the project.
The MVP-related provisions were inserted by retiring West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin—who recently switched his party registration to Independent—and other allies of the oil and gas industry.
Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, co-founder and director of 7 Directions of Service, said Tuesday that "this shameful and deadly decision by our establishment leaders and regulatory agencies to put MVP into service only reinforces what we've known all along: They do not care about our safety."
"When a fracked gas pipeline fails testing, literally explodes, fails to meet the safety standards its developers agreed to, what are communities on the ground left with?" Cavalier-Keck asked. "We will continue to demand safety and accountability, while ramping up our efforts to bring down such horrific corruption and instill ethical laws and policies, like the Rights of Nature, to prevent more loss of life and the climate crises from spiraling out of control."
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Green Groups Secure Deal to Clean Up Coal-Polluted West Virginia Streams
"This is a monumental step forward in our ongoing fight to protect West Virginia's precious wildlife and natural resources," said one campaigner.
Mar 29, 2024
The Sierra Club announced on Friday that it had reached an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address pollution in West Virginia streams that originates from coal mining in the state.
The agreement specifically focuses on what's called ionic toxicity pollution, which is created in the mining process. The pollution that enters the freshwater streams increases their salinity, which kills the aquatic life in them. The Sierra Club is joined by the West Virginia Rivers Coalition and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy in the agreement.
The EPA will now be creating limits—called total maximum daily loads (TMDLs)—for how much of this pollution can enter "11 high-priority West Virginia streams."
"This is a monumental step forward in our ongoing fight to protect West Virginia's precious wildlife and natural resources," said Sierra Club West Virginia chapter director Honey May. "By holding the coal industry accountable and ensuring the development of TMDLs, we are safeguarding the habitat of countless aquatic species and preserving the ecological integrity of our streams."
❗Today, Sierra Club, @OurWVRivers, and @WVHC secured a historic settlement to restore West Virginia streams harmed by coal mining pollution.
Read our statement on this important win for clean water and healthy communities ⬇️https://t.co/1uzMieP8eT pic.twitter.com/d0ERJ9sgGV
— Sierra Club (@SierraClub) March 29, 2024
The Sierra Club says this deal—which has been years in the making—will help restore important West Virginia streams and means the EPA will finally be fulfilling its obligations under the Clean Water Act.
West Virginia is one of the top coal producing states in the country, and it has faced serious problems with pollution from the state's many coal mines for decades. The coal mining industry has also long been able to avoid having to pay to clean up the pollution it causes.
"For far too long, West Virginia has failed to meet its obligations to protect our waters from coal mining pollution, willfully allowing the health of thousands of stream miles to continue to decline," said West Virginia Rivers Coalition interim executive director Autumn Crowe. "We are encouraged that this agreement will finally begin to get our damaged streams the help they deserve."
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