Appalachian Voices teams up with Coal River residents, Google Earth

An interactive-video project that keys in on the issue of mountaintop-removal coal mining will be featured at the Copenhagen climate conference this month. Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore narrates the project’s introductory video.

Created by Google Earth Outreach and two regional environmental groups — Coal River Mountain Watch and Appalachian Voices, a Boone-based organization that publishes a newspaper — the Coal Mountain component is one of 15 stories that will be featured at the United Nations Climate Change Conference Dec. 7-18 and at the Google COP15 Web site. According to Appalachian Voices, the three-dimensional stories are “designed to help international representatives visualize climate change and features a region or group that is devising local solutions. The Coal River Mountain [section] focuses on a proposal by local residents to create a 320-megawatt wind farm on the mountain as an alternative to the mountaintop removal mine.”

 

Here are more details from the App. Voices press release:
“Google Earth has made it possible for us to show the world that this mountain is a symbol of hope,” said Lorelei Scarbro, a resident of Coal River Valley and the tour’s narrator. “If we can save this mountain and begin developing sustainable jobs and renewable energy, maybe we can have an impact on the climate crisis that faces us all.”

According to a study commissioned by Coal River Mountain Watch, the proposed Coal River Wind Project would provide $1.7 million in annual revenue and create jobs for the community; pursuing wind instead of mountaintop removal mining would also prevent the release of 134 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere-an amount equivalent to adding 1.5 million cars to U.S. highways for a period of 17 years.

Scarbro-a resident born and raised in West Virginia and whose father, grandfather, and husband were all coal miners-lives on property that borders Coal River Mountain. Massey Energy, operators of the mine, are currently blasting less than 200 yards from an immense earthen impoundment holding 8.2 billion gallons of toxic wet coal slurry, causing concern in Scarbro and other residents. If the impoundment were to fail, Massey itself has estimated that almost a thousand people in the valley below could lose their lives.

“We don’t live where they mine coal,” Scarbro has said. “They mine coal where we live.”

To date, over 500 mountains in Appalachia have been impacted and nearly 2,000 miles of headwater streams have been buried and polluted by mountaintop removal coal mining.

During the tour, Scarbro explains the scope of mountaintop removal coal mining plans for Coal River Mountain and discusses the ridge’s wind potential. High-resolution videos of blasting, colored overlays and informational charts provide visual methods of conveying the issue.

The tour also introduces viewers to other Coal River Valley residents and relays images of some health problems residents in these neighboring communities face.

“The Google Earth tour of Coal River Mountain will show the delegates in Copenhagen what’s at stake,” said Appalachian Voices’ Executive Director Willa Mays. “Coal River Mountain is ground zero in the fight against mountaintop removal coal mining, and represents the choice between a clean energy future and the threat of climate change.”

Appalachian Voices, based in Boone, N.C., is a regional organization that works to solve environmental problems having the greatest impact on the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. Coal River Mountain Watch is a West Virginia-based group united to protect the Coal River Mountain region and promote the Coal River Wind Project.

To view the tour online, visit google.com/cop15 and at YouTube.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Appalachian Voices teams up with Coal River residents, Google Earth

  1. travelah

    Mountaintop removal vs. underground mining … what does the choice of either have to do with climate change?

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.