Everyone reading this email knows that we need to switch to a clean energy economy. It will create jobs, protect vulnerable communities, and save our ailing climate.

This obvious logic is an abomination for coal corporations like Massey Energy. Though Massey was bought earlier this year by Alpha Natural Resources, Massey’s corporate charter still exists. This means business as usual for Appalachia‘s most notorious mountain destroyer

Nestled at the base of Eastern Kentucky‘s rugged Black Mountain are two historic mining towns working hard to define a future beyond coal. Local residents of Lynch and Benham are in the midst of reinventing their towns as historic tourist destinations of Appalachia.

Much to their dismay, the coal barons at Massey Energy have other plans for Black Mountain. The same company whose negligence contaminated countless Appalachian waterways and took the lives of 29 coal miners just last year is one of several companies attempting to mine coal on Black Mountain.

Putting a coal mine on Black Mountain means putting the health and culture of local communities on the line.

Local Lynch city councilmember Bennie Massey explains, “The biggest thing is our water resource. Our water is really good now. You’re not just taking out the coal, you’re destroying generations of people who could live here and raise their families here.”

For a clean energy future,

 
Amanda Starbuck
            Energy & Finance Program Director

Twitter: @DirtyEnergy