As I type this, a group of 13 activists are holed up in the office of Kentucky's governor, Steve Beshear (D), and are planning on spending the weekend there.
Their purpose? To get the Governor to reconsider his pro-coal, anti-mountain position.
Pictures and more below the fold.
For years, coal companies have been carrying out mountain-top removal in this state. They have fouled the waterways, wrecked the land, and destroyed the communities. And for years, activists like Kentuckians for the Commonwealth have tried to stop it.
Monday is "I Love Mountains Day," the annual rally on the steps of the Capitol to try to persuade our elected officials to take a stand against Big Coal. This year, some of the leading activists decided to take it a step further. They staged a sit-in in the Governor's office until he agreed to meet with them.
And, they had a list of demands:
- Accept a long-standing invitation to view the devastation in eastern Kentucky caused by mountaintop removal mining
- Foster a sincere, public discussion about the urgent need for a sustainable economic transition for coal workers and mountain communities
- Withdraw from the October 2010 lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, in which the Beshear administration partnered with the coal industry to oppose the EPA's efforts to protect the health and water of coalfield residents
Among the activists were Wendell Berry, the well-known Kentucky author, who has been speaking out about mountaintop removal for years:
This is not something we're doing for pleasure. We're doing it because it's the next thing to do after all our attempts to attract serious attention to these problems have failed. We're doing this as a last resort. Our intention is to appeal first to our elected representatives and the governor, and failing that, to appeal over their heads to our fellow citizens.
The sit-in worked -- the Governor agreed to meet with them. Unfortunately, the man who used his State of the State address to tell the EPA to "get off our backs!" didn't change his tune. Even after being presented with a jar of ugly brackish water, brought by one of the activists straight from their kitchen tap, Beshear said that his administration was adequately monitoring the coal companies, and that mountaintop removal was not harmful if done properly.
Berry noted afterward:
... the idea here that two sides can legitimately disagree is simply wrong. I don't think there can be a legitimate disagreement about the destruction of ecosystems and watersheds.
So, since the Governor would not reconsider his position, the group decided to continue the sit-in and risk being arrested. Instead, the Capitol security officers told the group that they may remain in the Governor's office for "as long as they wish." So, the group has decided to stay until the rally on Monday!
Here is the story on HuffPo, with ongoing updates: Wendell Berry Joins Retired Coal Miners and Residents in Kentucky Capitol Sit-in
And here is the blog at KFTC, which may have live video later in the weekend: KFTC Blog