**HE MADE IT!!!** Ed Wiley (the W. VA Grandfather) Arrives in Washington

[Sapphire Blue]

Previous threads:

*** PLEASE *** Call Congress (end mountaintop removal coal-mining forever): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2117860 (please call your Representative & ask them to Co-sponsor HR 2719, the “Clean Water Protection Act” and help end mountaintop removal coal-mining forever! )

Grandpa marches on DC for clean air and safe schools: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2107558

Ed Wiley Arrives in Washington
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 13, 2006

WEST VIRGINIA GRANDFATHER COMPLETES 455-MILE WALK TO WASHINGTON TODAY SEEKING HELP FOR SCHOOL THREATENED BY MINING

WASHINGTON, DC – West Virginia grandfather and former coal miner Ed Wiley today completed his 455-mile walk from Charleston, WV to Washington, DC, seeking help for a southern West Virginia school threatened by mountaintop removal coal mining. Supporters from across the nation joined Wiley for the last mile of his walk, from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Capitol.

Wiley walked to Washington to bring attention to the plight of children at Marsh Fork Elementary School in Sundial, WV, which is on the front lines of the controversial practice known as mountaintop removal coal mining. A 1,849-acre mountaintop removal coal mine surrounds the school area with more mining permitted. Marsh Fork Elementary sits just 225 feet from a coal loading silo that releases coal dust, with independent tests confirming the presence of coal dust in the school. A leaking earthen dam holding back 2.8 billion gallons of toxic coal-sludge is located just 400 yards above the school. The Pennies of Promise campaign was created to build a new school for the children of Marsh Fork Elementary.

(snip)

Wiley’s arrival in Washington coincides with Mountaintop Removal Week, during which supporters from across America have traveled to the nation’s capitol. These citizens have come to alert Congress to the dangers posed by the radical form of strip mining that involves blowing up the tops of mountains and dumping the rock into valleys below, burying streams. Mountaintop removal is spreading rapidly across Appalachia, particularly in the area around the Marsh Fork School.

Wiley was joined today by joined by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ); Lois Gibbs, the housewife from Love Canal who alerted the nation to the dangers of toxic communities and who is known as the mother of Superfund; Teri Blanton of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth; and Mary Anne Hitt of Appalachian Voices,

(snip)

In addition to the event, a major new online campaign was launched today at http://www.iLoveMountains.org. The site features the National Memorial for the Mountains, an interactive, online memorial that uses Google Earth technology to show the locations and tell the stories of the over 450 mountains that have been destroyed to date. Visitors can watch a video featuring an interview with actor Woody Harrelson and download a new acoustic version of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin in the Wind,” performed by music legend Willie Nelson. Harrelson and fellow actor Edward Norton are among the many supporters of Wiley’s walk to Washington.

More @ http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/avforum/newsforum/ed_wiley_arrives_in_washington/

Please watch this video: Ed Wiley on Marsh Fork Elementary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9afd2K6xx_I

Please watch symbolman's video: http://www.tbtmradio.com/video/mtrgibson.wmv

Links:

Appalachian Voices: http://www.appvoices.org

Coal River Mountain Watch: http://webpages.charter.net/crmw/index.htm

Pennies of Promise: http://duke.securenet-server.net/~mnoerpel/pennies /?

OHVEC: http://www.ohvec.org /

Save Our Cumberland Mountains: http://www.socm.org /

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth: http://www.kftc.org /

Sludge Safety Project: http://www.sludgesafety.org/index.html

Please help keep this kicked!

Thank you all so very much!!! :grouphug:

[TAPat]

1. Yay Grandpa! K&R

[Sapphire Blue]

3. Thanks for the K&R & YES! Yay Grandpa!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[HughBeaumont]

2. "The Straight Story" Pt 2?

The day should be dedicated to this great man and his cause. It'd be great if others were as steadfast in their conviction.

[Sapphire Blue]

4. I agree, this day should be dedicated to Mr. Wiley & this important cause!

:hi:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. YAY! I'm so proud of him!

455 miles, can you imagine?

Go Grandpa, go!

[Sapphire Blue]

10. I'm proud of him & all the other courageous people fighting this battle!

:hi:

[WildClarySage]

6. I live in WV

and this is the first I've heard of this. The media sucks, our local media doubly so.

[shortcake]

9. Thanks for posting.

K & R

http://www.wvmetronews.com/index_forsub.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=16503

Sometimes Metro News has articles the papers don't.

[Sapphire Blue]

14. Thanks for the link, shortcake, and Welcome to DU!

:hi: :hi: :hi:

[Sapphire Blue]

11. Please pass this info on to all your friends & family!

:hi:

[Cameron27]

7. Great news......

Keeping this kicked for Mr. Wiley

[Sapphire Blue]

12. Yes, it is! I'm looking forward to his meeting w/Sen. Byrd!

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

18. I sure wouldn't count on Byrd to oppose mining interests.

Despite Byrd's defense of the Constitution against the predations of the Bushiolini fascists, he's a paleoconservative Democrat and has a long history of favoring mining interests as the major economic force in West Virginia.

[Sapphire Blue]

20. Which is why we need to flood his office w/calls & emails!!! Contact info:

http://byrd.senate.gov/issues/byrd_contact/byrd_contact.html

[JNelson6563]

8. Don't mess with pissed off grandparent

Go Ed, go!! I'm so pullin' for this guy!

Julie

[Sapphire Blue]

13. Rightfully pissed off, too!

:hi:

[Sapphire Blue]

15. Back to the top for Mr. Wiley & our Appalachian neighbors!

:kick:

[Lochloosa]

16. ...

[Sapphire Blue]

17. Hi, Lochloosa!

:hi:

[Lochloosa]

44. Good morning Sapphire Blue

:hi:

[Sapphire Blue]

46. Good morning, Lochloosa!

:hi:

[Rainscents]

19. This Grandpa deserve Medal of Honor!!!

Kick and Recommended!!!:kick: :kick: :kick:

[Sapphire Blue]

21. Yes, he does!

Thanks for the K&R, Rainscents! :hi:

[SpiralHawk]

22. FYI: Another walk for the earth. America's wisdom keepers...

http://www.8thfire.net/

[Cameron27]

23. Another little kick

[Sapphire Blue]

24. ***** PLEASE CALL SENATOR BYRD IN SUPPORT OF MR. WILEY *****

Sen. Byrd's contact info: http://byrd.senate.gov/issues/byrd_contact/byrd_contact.html

Mr. Wiley met w/Sen. Byrd this morning; no info on the meeting posted yet, but Sen. Byrd's office said they have not been receiving many calls.

[Sapphire Blue]

25. ***** FLOOD SEN. BYRD'S OFFICE W/CALLS *****

http://byrd.senate.gov/issues/byrd_contact/byrd_contact.html

[Jcrowley]

26. K&R

Powerful

Thanks to Ed and to you.

[Sapphire Blue]

27. Thank you, Jcrowley!

:hi:

Please call Sen. Byrd: http://byrd.senate.gov/issues/byrd_contact/byrd_contact.html

[Dystopian]

28. Great news! Thank you! k & r n/t

[Sapphire Blue]

30. Thank you, Dystopian!

:hi:

Please call Sen. Byrd if you're able to. His contact info is posted upthread.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

29. Kickaroo

:kick:

[calimary]

31. Progress!

Worth a kick, here!

[Sapphire Blue]

33. Thank you, calimary!

:hi:

[Iowa]

32. K&R - Thanks for the updates Sapphire Blue!

[Sapphire Blue]

34. Thank YOU, Iowa!

:hi:

[Solly Mack]

35. Recommended

Thank you, SB.

[Sapphire Blue]

36. Hi, Solly Mack! Thanks!

:hi:

[Jcrowley]

37. Lives in the balance

Abstract
This study evaluated whether the rate of land disturbance associated with surface mining has increased over the last decade in the West Virginia counties of Boone and Logan.  The annual rate of surface disturbance was calculated by classifying one pair of Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite images acquired a year apart during the late 1980s and a second pair acquired during the early 2000s.  Results from the post-classification comparison indicate that 2.00% of the two counties was disturbed between 1987 and 1988, compared to 2.77% between 2002 and 2003. 
Background and Project aims

Surface coal mining comprised approximately 38% of West Virginia’s coal production in 2002 (WVMHS&T, 2003).  Mountaintop removal (Picture 1) is a process that involves the removal of mountaintops in order to gain access to low-sulfur coal deposits.  The overburden from this coal mining is then placed in adjacent valleys (Picture 2), and the topographic contour is not restored following mining.  These practices have recently become increasingly controversial.    

Picture 1:


Picture 2:


http://www.geo.wvu.edu/geog755/spring2004/10/project.htm

[Sapphire Blue]

39. This is a tragedy we have to try to prevent from worsening.

We just have to.

[ismnotwasm]

38. I was talking with a coworker about this today

We were at one of those education days where a "get to know you better" exercise had to be endured (sigh)

Anyway, I enjoyed getting to know this young man, he had gone from a career in advertising to nursing because of a commitment to people and ta-da! The environment. His goal was to become more actively involved in expressing his beliefs.

I told him about Ed Wiley and he's very interested. It's neat how we get to pass the word around.

[Sapphire Blue]

40. What a teriffic young man! I love hearing stories like this : )

Thanks for passing the word :hi:

[unkachuck]

41. hat's off to ya, Ed....n/t

[pecwae]

42. Kick for Mr. Wiley!

And for our own Sapphire Blue who has been tireless in following this, posting and taking action.

[Sapphire Blue]

45. Another kick for Mr. Wiley!

:kick:

:hug:

[AzDar]

43. Kick n/t

[bliss_eternal]

47. Kick

:kick: