Posted by Tanya Turner on Tue, Jan 26, 2010 @ 9:18 am
Student Activists Demand Alternative Energies on Campus Burning Coal on Campus is Hazardous to Student Health and the Commonwealth
LEXINGTON, Ky: Tuesday, January 26, an anonymous group of students from the University of Kentucky hung a banner from a parking structure near Rose Street to protest the university’s use of coal power on campus. The banner, reading “COAL: A Tradition of Oppression. STUDENTS: Let’s Change Our Legacy”, included a reproduction of the familiar UK symbol, with a burning smokestack between the letters instead of the usual Memorial Hall steeple.
Deemed the “midnight strike force” by local news sources, the students are fueling a campaign to move the university beyond the “outdated” technology of coal power and in the direction of cleaner energies. One of the students, an economics and environmental studies senior, said, “You can’t argue facts. Coal is a finite resource and the shift to alternative energies has to begin immediately. Kentucky must realize its potential to be progressive and enterprising in the country’s transition toward environmental awareness.”
Posted by Tanya Turner on Wed, Nov 4, 2009 @ 1:15 pm
In response to the naming of the new “Wildcat Coal Lodge”, University of Kentucky students staged a multi-banner drop on campus early this morning. The drop was intended to illustrate the corporatization of the University, especially embodied by one banner in particular, which read “YOUR AD HERE. Call: 257-1701”, UK President Lee Todd’s office number.
Posted by Tanya Turner on Tue, Oct 27, 2009 @ 6:48 am
Action Speaks Out Against UK Alliance with Coal
Lexington, KY- Early this morning, Kentucky Mountain Justice organizers made a bold statement about the proposed “Wildcat Coal Lodge” by hanging a banner from Memorial Coliseum.The banner, reading ‘University of Coal? Or University of Kentucky?’, along with the Mountain Justice website, criticized a recent decision by UK’s housing board to accept “Coal” in the name of a new athletics facility.
Posted by Tanya Turner on Tue, Oct 27, 2009 @ 5:14 am
HUNTINGTON, W. VA. - On Sunday, October 25, over a hundred youth from
West Virginia, Kentucky and beyond rallied at Marshall University's
Buskirk Field in Huntington to celebrate a sustainable future in
Appalachia before marching on to the Army Corps of Engineers
Huntington District Office to praise the agency's steps to end
nationwide permitting of valley fills for mountaintop removal.
He calls on the company to "act responsibly in Marsh Fork."
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) blasted Massey Energy officials in a late afternoon press release. Senator Byrd, reacting to news reports, criticized Massey for refusing to provide assistance to replace Marsh Fork Elementary School.
The school is beside a Massey coal silo and at the foot of one of the company's slurry ponds. Massey has received approval to build a second coal silo adjacent to the school.
In the release, Senator Byrd said, “If Massey were not operating near Marsh Fork Elementary, we would not be debating what to do about moving these young students someplace safer. This is not the taxpayers’ burden to remedy. This is Massey Energy’s responsibility to address.”
Byrd added that, “Let me be clear about one thing – this is not about the coal industry or their hard-working coal miners. This is about companies that blatantly disregard human life and safety because of greed. That is never acceptable.”
Massey could not be reached for comment about Byrd's statements.
Please Call Senator Byrd's office and congratulate him on making such a noble and responsible statement! 202-224-3954
Posted by Tanya Turner on Tue, Oct 6, 2009 @ 10:05 am
EPA is finally admitting the truth about coal
By Miranda Brown
September 30, 2009
The recent Environmental Protection Agency statement that all of the mountaintop removal mining permits submitted to them by the Army Corps of Engineers were in violation of the Clean Water Act was a big step for the agency.
Posted by Tanya Turner on Sat, Sep 19, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
This new study reveals the skewed initiatives of our elected officials! It is clear the future they see... What future do YOU see??
On October 23rd through the 25th, join concerned students and citizens as we not only envision a better future, but demand it!
The Power Shift Campaign is repowering and reclaiming our future right here in Appalachia! Join Us!
Study Finds that US Subsidies for Fossil Fuels Are Almost 2.5x Those for Renewables
18 September 2009
US subsidies for fuels and renewable energy, 2002-2008. Nuclear was not included in the analysis. Source: Adeyeye et al. 2009. Click to enlarge.
The vast majority of US federal subsidies for fossil fuels and renewable energy from 2002-2008 supported fossil energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases when used as fuel, according to research released on Friday by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
The study, “Estimating US Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2002-2008”, found that fossil fuels benefited from approximately $72 billion over the seven-year period, while subsidies for renewable fuels totaled $29 billion.
These figures raise the pressing question of whether scarce government funds might be better allocated to move the United States towards a low-carbon economy.
