Sep 30, 2011
The House Natural Resources Committee has some explaining to do.
In a blatant disregard of the concerns of affected West Virginia coalfield residents who actually live under the fallout of devastating mountaintop removal operations, a press release summary from the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources' field hearing on "Jobs at Risk: Community Impacts of the Obama Administration's Effort to Rewrite the Stream Buffer Zone Rule" completely deleted any mention of the official testimonies by Appalachian coalfield leaders Maria Gunnoe and Bo Webb. The press release reported exclusively on testimony from coal industry representatives, Big Coal-bankrolled politicians and hired coal industry supporters.
"Yesterday a House Natural Resources subcommittee tried its very hardest not to hear West Virginians' concerns about the destruction and heartbreak of mountaintop removal in their communities," noted Natural Resources Defense Council staff Melissa Waage. "Now the subcommittee leadership is trying to pretend these people don't even exist."
Makes you wonder: Is such censorship in an official document released by the House committee a violation of Congressional rules? And will Democrats on the subcommittee or Natural Resources Committee follow up with an investigation and hold responsible committee staff and members accountable?
A resident of Raleigh County, West Virginia, and a long-time mountaintop removal critic, Webb had openly challenged the hearing's focus: "The very title of this hearing indicates a bias from this committee against those that are living (and dying) in mountaintop removal mining communities. The title suggests that jobs are at risk if the SBZ rule is corrected. The SBZ rule must be corrected in order to protect The People's health. It was rewritten by George W. Bush at the cost of people's health and it needs fixed."
Gunnoe, who was awarded the prestigious Goldman Prize in 2009, foretold such unfair tactics: "The coal industry and the politicians have for most of my life manipulated and twisted the law in order to legally break this law by destroying our valuable headwater streams. Surface mining has demolished our quality of life and life expectancy in our native homes."
Here's the video of Goldman Prize winner Maria Gunnoe:
Maria Gunnoe testifies at Congressional hearing from jordan freeman on Vimeo.
Video courtesy of Jordan Freedman
Here's the video of Purpose Prize winner Bo Webb:
Untitled from jordan freeman on Vimeo.
Video courtesy of Jordan Freeman
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jeff Biggers
Jeff Biggers is the author of numerous books, including his latest: "Resistance: Reclaiming an American Tradition?" His previous works include: "State Out of the Union: Arizona and the Final Showdown Over the American Dream;" "The United States of Appalachia;" and "Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland."
The House Natural Resources Committee has some explaining to do.
In a blatant disregard of the concerns of affected West Virginia coalfield residents who actually live under the fallout of devastating mountaintop removal operations, a press release summary from the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources' field hearing on "Jobs at Risk: Community Impacts of the Obama Administration's Effort to Rewrite the Stream Buffer Zone Rule" completely deleted any mention of the official testimonies by Appalachian coalfield leaders Maria Gunnoe and Bo Webb. The press release reported exclusively on testimony from coal industry representatives, Big Coal-bankrolled politicians and hired coal industry supporters.
"Yesterday a House Natural Resources subcommittee tried its very hardest not to hear West Virginians' concerns about the destruction and heartbreak of mountaintop removal in their communities," noted Natural Resources Defense Council staff Melissa Waage. "Now the subcommittee leadership is trying to pretend these people don't even exist."
Makes you wonder: Is such censorship in an official document released by the House committee a violation of Congressional rules? And will Democrats on the subcommittee or Natural Resources Committee follow up with an investigation and hold responsible committee staff and members accountable?
A resident of Raleigh County, West Virginia, and a long-time mountaintop removal critic, Webb had openly challenged the hearing's focus: "The very title of this hearing indicates a bias from this committee against those that are living (and dying) in mountaintop removal mining communities. The title suggests that jobs are at risk if the SBZ rule is corrected. The SBZ rule must be corrected in order to protect The People's health. It was rewritten by George W. Bush at the cost of people's health and it needs fixed."
Gunnoe, who was awarded the prestigious Goldman Prize in 2009, foretold such unfair tactics: "The coal industry and the politicians have for most of my life manipulated and twisted the law in order to legally break this law by destroying our valuable headwater streams. Surface mining has demolished our quality of life and life expectancy in our native homes."
Here's the video of Goldman Prize winner Maria Gunnoe:
Maria Gunnoe testifies at Congressional hearing from jordan freeman on Vimeo.
Video courtesy of Jordan Freedman
Here's the video of Purpose Prize winner Bo Webb:
Untitled from jordan freeman on Vimeo.
Video courtesy of Jordan Freeman
Jeff Biggers
Jeff Biggers is the author of numerous books, including his latest: "Resistance: Reclaiming an American Tradition?" His previous works include: "State Out of the Union: Arizona and the Final Showdown Over the American Dream;" "The United States of Appalachia;" and "Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland."
The House Natural Resources Committee has some explaining to do.
In a blatant disregard of the concerns of affected West Virginia coalfield residents who actually live under the fallout of devastating mountaintop removal operations, a press release summary from the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources' field hearing on "Jobs at Risk: Community Impacts of the Obama Administration's Effort to Rewrite the Stream Buffer Zone Rule" completely deleted any mention of the official testimonies by Appalachian coalfield leaders Maria Gunnoe and Bo Webb. The press release reported exclusively on testimony from coal industry representatives, Big Coal-bankrolled politicians and hired coal industry supporters.
"Yesterday a House Natural Resources subcommittee tried its very hardest not to hear West Virginians' concerns about the destruction and heartbreak of mountaintop removal in their communities," noted Natural Resources Defense Council staff Melissa Waage. "Now the subcommittee leadership is trying to pretend these people don't even exist."
Makes you wonder: Is such censorship in an official document released by the House committee a violation of Congressional rules? And will Democrats on the subcommittee or Natural Resources Committee follow up with an investigation and hold responsible committee staff and members accountable?
A resident of Raleigh County, West Virginia, and a long-time mountaintop removal critic, Webb had openly challenged the hearing's focus: "The very title of this hearing indicates a bias from this committee against those that are living (and dying) in mountaintop removal mining communities. The title suggests that jobs are at risk if the SBZ rule is corrected. The SBZ rule must be corrected in order to protect The People's health. It was rewritten by George W. Bush at the cost of people's health and it needs fixed."
Gunnoe, who was awarded the prestigious Goldman Prize in 2009, foretold such unfair tactics: "The coal industry and the politicians have for most of my life manipulated and twisted the law in order to legally break this law by destroying our valuable headwater streams. Surface mining has demolished our quality of life and life expectancy in our native homes."
Here's the video of Goldman Prize winner Maria Gunnoe:
Maria Gunnoe testifies at Congressional hearing from jordan freeman on Vimeo.
Video courtesy of Jordan Freedman
Here's the video of Purpose Prize winner Bo Webb:
Untitled from jordan freeman on Vimeo.
Video courtesy of Jordan Freeman
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.