Mountaintop Removal Clearinghouse

Columnist David Hawpe of The Courier Journal (Louisville, KY) in his colum entitled “The safety train is running, and Bush nominees got tossed on the tracks” observes that coal mining in general and strip mining and mountaintop removal in particular are taking a beating in the mainstream press these days. He talks about the unexpected collateral damage - Bush mining nominees Richard Stickler and John Correll.

Clean energy advocates of wind power are meeting stiff resistance in Vermont from those, including environmentalists, who don’t want their rural mountain views obscured by wind turbines. I understand this, but it sure comes at the expense of their mountain cousins in the south who actually don’t really have to worry about ruined mountain views, just ruined mountains.

Vermont’s Reformer has this to report:

“For us to say we don’t want wind turbines in Vermont is irresponsible,” said James Moore, an environmental advocate with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. “If not wind, are we going to be supporting coal and mountain top removal? Are we going to support oil and aging nuclear power plants and nuclear waste?”

And here’s more, a little closer to home. The West Virginia Gazette reports that the West Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, along with Coal River Mountain Watch - a strong opponent of mountaintop removal coal mining, have thrown thier weighty support behind Beech Ridge Energy’s 124 electricity-generating wind turbine project along mountain ridges in Greenbrier County pitting anti-wind power enviros against those opposed to mountaintop removal.