The West Virginia Catastrophe

Corporate media will mostly ignore this West Virginia catastrophe, yet it's important to remember that if your electricity comes from Dirty Coal, you have contributed to this disaster.

Since Massachusetts still has Dirty Coal Power Plants such as Brayton Point, we all share the responsibility.

You probably already know that 300,000 West Virginians are without usable water. On Thursday morning or before, up to 7,500 gallons of a coal preparation chemical leaked into the Elk River just upstream of the WV American Water system intake. That evening, America Water began notifying customers in nine counties not to use the water for anything other than flushing toilets or fighting fires. The situation is both a state and federal emergency, with schools, restaurants, and several businesses closed. Authorities have declined to predict a date that clean water service will be restored, but it will be at least days from now.

On Friday, Coal River Mountain Watch staff and volunteers collected water samples and began delivering clean water to the affected area. Can you please contribute to the relief effort? Also providing assistance are our friends at Aurora Lights, OVEC, Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, and others.

Our office, volunteer house, and staff are all outside the affected area. However, friends, family, and much of the Coal River community are affected. Our board vice-president reports that she did not receive the call from American Water until 8:00 a.m. Friday, long after her family had already been exposed.

Will you please donate to help us get water to people who need it? Please write "water relief" in the notes section, or otherwise donate to support our ongoing work. Much of what we're delivering is clean tap water, so we can use more large containers (water barrels, 5-gallon water jugs, etc.). If you live in or near Raleigh County and have suitable containers to donate, please contact our volunteer coordinator at strangur@graffiti.net.

This disaster is not an isolated incident. Chemical spills and coal sludge spills are not unusual. Decades of failure to enforce even basic safety measures are taking their toll. Please sign this petition demanding effective regulation of the industry that puts our lives in danger every day. And please share with your friends to raise more opposition to mountaintop removal and related threats to our health and safety.

One last thing, but it's very important. The US Congress is considering a "fast track" bill to facilitate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, which was negotiated in secret without congressional members having full access to the details. The fast track bill would allow quick approval of the TPP without debate or amendment. Among other things, TPP would create tribunals governed by international corporations. These tribunals could nullify US, state, and local laws if they determine that those laws (such as environmental and food safety laws) would cause a loss of profit for corporations. Please sign this petition, and please call your US Representative and Senators to urge them to oppose the Fast Track bill and the TPP.

We appreciate your support. Please consider a donation to support our water relief efforts, or a small monthly recurring donation to sustain our ongoing work. And please like us on Facebook to follow frequent updates. Thank you!

Vernon Haltom, Executive director, Coal River Mountain Watch