The Associated Press reported yesterday that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has drafted a 100-page law requiring “gas companies to submit comprehensive water management plans for future Marcellus shale drilling operations,” which often involve a process known as hydraulic fracture (using high-pressure water to break the underground rock and release the gas), known popularly as “fracking.”
The proposed legislation would mandate that companies “ identify when, where and how much water they withdraw for drilling operations… what chemicals they add, how much wastewater they produce, and when and where they would dispose of the waste…[and] requires companies to replace any water they contaminate.”
The AP also reports that the Secretary of DEP, Randy Huffman—who is generally viewed by environmentalists as being a creature of the coal industry—says “the document will change before it goes to lawmakers in January,” and that Huffman handed over the draft to AP “to avoid any appearance of secrecy.”
It looks to me like the draft was leaked this far in advance to give the gas industry plenty of time to grease the proper wheels in the legislature. But if it does what it says, it would make this one of the most progressive laws on fracking in the country. It’s definitely moving in the right direction. This is one of the most immediate environmental emergencies we face in this state, and county. No water, no life.
--Michael Hasty
Monday, November 15, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Health care reform explained
This is a letter to a constituent from Senator Jay Rockefeller, explaining some of the benefits of the health care reform law (aka "Obamacare"). It's remarkable that the Democrats couldn't turn these benefits into a winning campaign. But there was no hiding the sellout to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. -MH
Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts about the passage of health care reform. I know there are a lot of questions about this new law, and I appreciate this opportunity to be in touch.
On December 24, 2009, I voted to support passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). My vote reflects the urgent need to improve the health care coverage people have today, expand access to affordable care for the uninsured, control runaway health care costs, and end unfair health insurance industry practices. H.R. 3590 was subsequently passed by the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010, and signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. A second bill, which included improvements to our health care system – the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (H.R. 4872) – was signed into law by President Obama on March 30, 2010. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, will provide Americans with more affordable and comprehensive coverage options, improve the quality of health care that all Americans receive, and reduce the federal deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years.
The legislation is not perfect – no law is – and it may not address every concern. There are many who thought we should go much further, and there are many who thought we should do far less. However, there has always been broad agreement that reform is necessary because our current system is broken and needs to be fixed. The health reform law gets us much closer to that goal.
Many have asked what health care reform will mean for West Virginia. As we begin the process of implementation, I truly believe this groundbreaking new law is major step towards building a stronger health care foundation for our great state. I am proud to share that West Virginians are already seeing the benefits of health care reform, including:
o West Virginian seniors that fall in the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap will receive a $250 rebate. Medicare covers 75 percent of the first $2,830 in prescription costs (in 2010), but seniors must pay the full cost after that until out-of-pocket spending reaches $4,550. This gap in coverage is referred to as the "doughnut hole." Health reform will completely eliminate the doughnut hole by the year 2020. In the meantime, the new law will provide financial help to seniors who fall into the doughnut hole each year. Seniors who hit the doughnut hole in 2010 will receive a $250 rebate, and the doughnut hole will be completely closed by 2020. Already this year, 12,800 West Virginia seniors have received the rebate. For more information, please call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11464.pdf to view a brochure about this rebate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
o Tax credits to make health coverage more affordable for West Virginia's small businesses. This year, small businesses in West Virginia will have access to tax credits for up to 35 percent of the cost of health coverage for their employees. This law will help as many as 20,000 small businesses in West Virginia afford to offer health coverage. For more information on small business tax credit eligibility and enrollment, please visit http://www.irs.gov.
o Financial Assistance for West Virginia's Employers to Help Them Maintain Coverage for Early Retirees. The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program provides $5 billion in temporary financial assistance to employers and unions to help them maintain coverage for early retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare. As many as 41,500 retirees in West Virginia could be eligible for assistance. Applications are being approved each day, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources has already approved several organizations in West Virginia.
o West Virginians who are uninsured due to a pre-existing condition now have access to affordable insurance options through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP). You can learn more about and apply for the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan online at https://www.pcip.gov/.
o As of September 23, 2010, health care reform brought some of the worst abuses of the insurance industry to an end. Insurers are not longer be able to:
o Deny coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions. Health plans cannot limit or deny benefits or deny coverage for a child younger than age 19 simply because the child has a pre-existing condition like asthma.
o Put lifetime limits on benefits. Health plans can no longer put a lifetime dollar limit on the benefits of people with costly conditions like cancer.
o Cancel your policy without proving fraud. Health plans can't retroactively cancel insurance coverage – often at the time you need it most – solely because you or your employer made an honest mistake on your insurance application.
o Deny claims without a chance for appeal. In new health plans, you now have the right to demand that your health plan reconsider a decision to deny payment for a test or treatment. That also includes an external appeal to an independent reviewer.
o As of September 23, 2010, West Virginians now have new health care rights, benefits, and protections. Consumers in new health plans are able to:
o Receive cost-free preventive services. New health plans must give you access to recommended preventive services such as screenings, vaccinations and counseling without any out-of-pocket costs to you.
o Keep young adults on a parent's plan until age 26. If your health plan covers children, you should now be able to add or keep your children on your health insurance policy until they turn 26 years old if they do not have coverage on the job. Young adults just starting out will no longer be ignored by our health care system, and will have more affordable options available to them.
o Choose a primary care doctor, obstetrician or gynecologist and pediatrician. New health plans must let you choose the primary care doctor or pediatrician you want from your health plan's provider network and let you see an OB-GYN doctor without needing a referral from another doctor.
o Use the nearest emergency room without penalty. New health plans cannot require you to get prior approval before seeking emergency room services from a provider or hospital outside your plan's network – and they cannot require higher copayments or co-insurance for out-of-network emergency room services.
These are just some of the benefits that are available from health care reform now, and this is only the beginning. In the coming months, even more provisions will be implemented that will have real benefits for West Virginians. To learn more about the new health reform law – including the text of the bill, descriptions of specific provisions, and an implementation timeline – please visit http://www.healthcare.gov. If you do not have a computer in your home, you may access the Internet at your local library, free of charge.
As we continue implementation of this new law, your views and experiences will be critically important to me. Thank you again for writing. I wish you all the very best.
With Warm Regards,Jay Rockefeller
Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts about the passage of health care reform. I know there are a lot of questions about this new law, and I appreciate this opportunity to be in touch.
On December 24, 2009, I voted to support passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). My vote reflects the urgent need to improve the health care coverage people have today, expand access to affordable care for the uninsured, control runaway health care costs, and end unfair health insurance industry practices. H.R. 3590 was subsequently passed by the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010, and signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. A second bill, which included improvements to our health care system – the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (H.R. 4872) – was signed into law by President Obama on March 30, 2010. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, will provide Americans with more affordable and comprehensive coverage options, improve the quality of health care that all Americans receive, and reduce the federal deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years.
The legislation is not perfect – no law is – and it may not address every concern. There are many who thought we should go much further, and there are many who thought we should do far less. However, there has always been broad agreement that reform is necessary because our current system is broken and needs to be fixed. The health reform law gets us much closer to that goal.
Many have asked what health care reform will mean for West Virginia. As we begin the process of implementation, I truly believe this groundbreaking new law is major step towards building a stronger health care foundation for our great state. I am proud to share that West Virginians are already seeing the benefits of health care reform, including:
o West Virginian seniors that fall in the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap will receive a $250 rebate. Medicare covers 75 percent of the first $2,830 in prescription costs (in 2010), but seniors must pay the full cost after that until out-of-pocket spending reaches $4,550. This gap in coverage is referred to as the "doughnut hole." Health reform will completely eliminate the doughnut hole by the year 2020. In the meantime, the new law will provide financial help to seniors who fall into the doughnut hole each year. Seniors who hit the doughnut hole in 2010 will receive a $250 rebate, and the doughnut hole will be completely closed by 2020. Already this year, 12,800 West Virginia seniors have received the rebate. For more information, please call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11464.pdf to view a brochure about this rebate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
o Tax credits to make health coverage more affordable for West Virginia's small businesses. This year, small businesses in West Virginia will have access to tax credits for up to 35 percent of the cost of health coverage for their employees. This law will help as many as 20,000 small businesses in West Virginia afford to offer health coverage. For more information on small business tax credit eligibility and enrollment, please visit http://www.irs.gov.
o Financial Assistance for West Virginia's Employers to Help Them Maintain Coverage for Early Retirees. The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program provides $5 billion in temporary financial assistance to employers and unions to help them maintain coverage for early retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare. As many as 41,500 retirees in West Virginia could be eligible for assistance. Applications are being approved each day, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources has already approved several organizations in West Virginia.
o West Virginians who are uninsured due to a pre-existing condition now have access to affordable insurance options through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP). You can learn more about and apply for the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan online at https://www.pcip.gov/.
o As of September 23, 2010, health care reform brought some of the worst abuses of the insurance industry to an end. Insurers are not longer be able to:
o Deny coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions. Health plans cannot limit or deny benefits or deny coverage for a child younger than age 19 simply because the child has a pre-existing condition like asthma.
o Put lifetime limits on benefits. Health plans can no longer put a lifetime dollar limit on the benefits of people with costly conditions like cancer.
o Cancel your policy without proving fraud. Health plans can't retroactively cancel insurance coverage – often at the time you need it most – solely because you or your employer made an honest mistake on your insurance application.
o Deny claims without a chance for appeal. In new health plans, you now have the right to demand that your health plan reconsider a decision to deny payment for a test or treatment. That also includes an external appeal to an independent reviewer.
o As of September 23, 2010, West Virginians now have new health care rights, benefits, and protections. Consumers in new health plans are able to:
o Receive cost-free preventive services. New health plans must give you access to recommended preventive services such as screenings, vaccinations and counseling without any out-of-pocket costs to you.
o Keep young adults on a parent's plan until age 26. If your health plan covers children, you should now be able to add or keep your children on your health insurance policy until they turn 26 years old if they do not have coverage on the job. Young adults just starting out will no longer be ignored by our health care system, and will have more affordable options available to them.
o Choose a primary care doctor, obstetrician or gynecologist and pediatrician. New health plans must let you choose the primary care doctor or pediatrician you want from your health plan's provider network and let you see an OB-GYN doctor without needing a referral from another doctor.
o Use the nearest emergency room without penalty. New health plans cannot require you to get prior approval before seeking emergency room services from a provider or hospital outside your plan's network – and they cannot require higher copayments or co-insurance for out-of-network emergency room services.
These are just some of the benefits that are available from health care reform now, and this is only the beginning. In the coming months, even more provisions will be implemented that will have real benefits for West Virginians. To learn more about the new health reform law – including the text of the bill, descriptions of specific provisions, and an implementation timeline – please visit http://www.healthcare.gov. If you do not have a computer in your home, you may access the Internet at your local library, free of charge.
As we continue implementation of this new law, your views and experiences will be critically important to me. Thank you again for writing. I wish you all the very best.
With Warm Regards,Jay Rockefeller
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Undeserved smiles
Anyone who sheepily believes that George Bush's out of court book testimony relieves him (while he smiles) of responsibility for allowing thousands of American children to be callously slaughtered for a dishonest reason are out of touch with parenthood.
Watch "War Torn" on HBO beginning tonight.
--Bill Arnold
Watch "War Torn" on HBO beginning tonight.
--Bill Arnold
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Public banking
Wall Street's latest insult to the public's trust is paying out billions of dollars in bonuses to their executives: 4,793 bankers and traders with more than $1 million each in bonus payments.
These bonuses weren't tied to national economic growth or some reasonable percentage of company profits. Morgan Stanley, $1.7 billion earnings, paid $4.475 billion bonuses; Goldman Sucks $2.3 billion earnings, $4.8 billion bonuses; JP Morgan Chase $5.6 billion earnings, $8.69 billion bonuses (plus, 1,626 of its execs (that’s a lot of execs for one company) got $1 million or more.
Today we hear so much about a public option for healthcare. How about a progressive public option for banking?
A bank's charter brings with it the privilege of creating "credit" simply as an accounting entry on the bank's books. The flaw in the private banking scheme is that banks create the principal portion of their loans but not the interest, which is continually drawn off the top as profit.
New borrowers must continually be found to take out new loans to create this extra profit, making private banking effectively a pyramid scheme. And like any pyramid scheme it has mathematical limits. Today those limits have been reached. Personal and government debts have gotten so large relative to incomes that it is no longer possible to maintain the fiction of solvency. We soon won't have the money even to pay the interest on our existing debts, let alone to incur new ones.
Public banking does not suffer from that flaw because interest is not drawn off the top but is returned to the public's coffers. Public banking is thus mathematically sound and sustainable.
In several large countries (Canada, India, and China), publicly owned banks have operated alongside privately-owned banks for decades. In those countries the current crisis has served to show that public banks do a better job of serving the people and protecting their interests (mortgages, small business loans) than their private counterparts (1% startup loans for farms).
North Dakota has owned its own bank for nearly a century and is one of only two states (Montana) that are currently not facing shortfalls (WV is close). Ever since 1919, North Dakota's revenues have been deposited in the state owned bank (BND). Under the "fractional reserve" lending plan open to all banks, these deposits are then available for leveraging many times over as loans.
--Bill Arnold
These bonuses weren't tied to national economic growth or some reasonable percentage of company profits. Morgan Stanley, $1.7 billion earnings, paid $4.475 billion bonuses; Goldman Sucks $2.3 billion earnings, $4.8 billion bonuses; JP Morgan Chase $5.6 billion earnings, $8.69 billion bonuses (plus, 1,626 of its execs (that’s a lot of execs for one company) got $1 million or more.
Today we hear so much about a public option for healthcare. How about a progressive public option for banking?
A bank's charter brings with it the privilege of creating "credit" simply as an accounting entry on the bank's books. The flaw in the private banking scheme is that banks create the principal portion of their loans but not the interest, which is continually drawn off the top as profit.
New borrowers must continually be found to take out new loans to create this extra profit, making private banking effectively a pyramid scheme. And like any pyramid scheme it has mathematical limits. Today those limits have been reached. Personal and government debts have gotten so large relative to incomes that it is no longer possible to maintain the fiction of solvency. We soon won't have the money even to pay the interest on our existing debts, let alone to incur new ones.
Public banking does not suffer from that flaw because interest is not drawn off the top but is returned to the public's coffers. Public banking is thus mathematically sound and sustainable.
In several large countries (Canada, India, and China), publicly owned banks have operated alongside privately-owned banks for decades. In those countries the current crisis has served to show that public banks do a better job of serving the people and protecting their interests (mortgages, small business loans) than their private counterparts (1% startup loans for farms).
North Dakota has owned its own bank for nearly a century and is one of only two states (Montana) that are currently not facing shortfalls (WV is close). Ever since 1919, North Dakota's revenues have been deposited in the state owned bank (BND). Under the "fractional reserve" lending plan open to all banks, these deposits are then available for leveraging many times over as loans.
--Bill Arnold
Monday, November 8, 2010
A Superpower in Decline
This is a fascinating, though disturbing view of America's decay, from a European perspective, headlined "A Superpower in Decline: Is the American Dream Over?"
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,726447,00.html
Here's a paragraph, early in the piece, that stands out in the wake of last week's elections:
"The country is reacting strangely irrationally to the loss of its importance -- it is a reaction characterized primarily by rage. Significant portions of America simply want to return to a supposedly idyllic past. They devote almost no effort to reflection, and they condemn cleverness and intellect as elitist and un-American, as if people who hunt bears could seriously be expected to lead a world power. Demagogues stir up hatred and rage on television stations like Fox News. These parts of America, majorities in many states, ignorant of globalization and the international labor market, can do nothing but shout. They hate everything that is new and foreign to them."
Definitely worth a read.
--Michael Hasty
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,726447,00.html
Here's a paragraph, early in the piece, that stands out in the wake of last week's elections:
"The country is reacting strangely irrationally to the loss of its importance -- it is a reaction characterized primarily by rage. Significant portions of America simply want to return to a supposedly idyllic past. They devote almost no effort to reflection, and they condemn cleverness and intellect as elitist and un-American, as if people who hunt bears could seriously be expected to lead a world power. Demagogues stir up hatred and rage on television stations like Fox News. These parts of America, majorities in many states, ignorant of globalization and the international labor market, can do nothing but shout. They hate everything that is new and foreign to them."
Definitely worth a read.
--Michael Hasty
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Just wondering
This is a letter that Virginia Lynch Graf sent out after the election to her supporters. -MH
The voters of West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District decided to reward Representative Shelley Moore Capito with two more years in office. As her opponent, I wondered why. Was it her continual votes for war funding? It's now over 3 trillion dollars. Perhaps that makes West Virginians feel secure. Was it her ties to special interests to perpetuate her campaigns? I guess that takes the burden off of ordinary contributors to elect a Congresswoman. Could it be the fact that corporations get tax breaks, loopholes, and other financial incentives from her votes that enable them to trickle their wealth down to the rest of us? Maybe it's the fact that she opposes unions and stimulus money to keep Americans working. After all, if we got rid of unions we could return to unbridled labor laws, which would make all those lazy people work longer and harder for their salaries.
And we all know stimulus money was bad, so Ms. Capito opposed it. Clearly, she knew better than most economists who encouraged an even bigger stimulus to avoid another Great Depression. Ms. Capito knew wasteful spending when she saw it: a tax break for the middle class and small business owners and funding to keep policemen, firemen and teachers at their jobs were just too expensive. Nonetheless, she did get her picture taken each time stimulus money was awarded.
Did our citizens like the lack of oversight for banks or corporations; and did they agree that unemployed workers didn't deserve an extension of benefits in these hard times? Even though Capito said during the campaign that she would protect Social Security (she is on record for wanting to privatize it), I guess it was just a slip-up when she voted against equal pay for equal work for women. Lack of pay equity negatively impacts not only women's current earning power but their future Social Security checks too. We all know how disastrous for society it is if women are paid as much as men. Does it feel good to see Ms. Capito challenge the EPA and keep us fixed on the Fifties? If we deny climate change, then we have no carbon problem.
On the other hand, I wondered why I didn't get more support for my campaign. I didn't even win in my own county of Jefferson where I was sure phone calls would be made in my behalf. Was it the fact that I wasn't born here, but rather chose to make West Virginia my home? Was it that I took no special interest money in my campaign, and the sages knew I couldn't possibly win if I didn't seek mega bucks? Many prophets made sure their prophecy bore truth by not even contributing ten bucks to my campaign. I guess they couldn't believe in a publicly funded campaigner who knows the issues, cares about WV, has a plan to improve our economy, supports unions, and favors revamping our tax system! Why waste your time calling neighbors to support a retired educator who was determined to transform our educational system so that our children and grandchildren could find a career in West Virginia! Why support a candidate who wants our farms and food protected; believes that mountaintop removal is destroying our beautiful state and poisoning our water system; wants to continue working on health insurance reform so that four West Virginians don't unnecessarily die every week?
I’m perplexed. Perhaps I should have skipped sticking my neck out, and just colored my gray hair blond!
--Virginia Lynch Graf
The voters of West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District decided to reward Representative Shelley Moore Capito with two more years in office. As her opponent, I wondered why. Was it her continual votes for war funding? It's now over 3 trillion dollars. Perhaps that makes West Virginians feel secure. Was it her ties to special interests to perpetuate her campaigns? I guess that takes the burden off of ordinary contributors to elect a Congresswoman. Could it be the fact that corporations get tax breaks, loopholes, and other financial incentives from her votes that enable them to trickle their wealth down to the rest of us? Maybe it's the fact that she opposes unions and stimulus money to keep Americans working. After all, if we got rid of unions we could return to unbridled labor laws, which would make all those lazy people work longer and harder for their salaries.
And we all know stimulus money was bad, so Ms. Capito opposed it. Clearly, she knew better than most economists who encouraged an even bigger stimulus to avoid another Great Depression. Ms. Capito knew wasteful spending when she saw it: a tax break for the middle class and small business owners and funding to keep policemen, firemen and teachers at their jobs were just too expensive. Nonetheless, she did get her picture taken each time stimulus money was awarded.
Did our citizens like the lack of oversight for banks or corporations; and did they agree that unemployed workers didn't deserve an extension of benefits in these hard times? Even though Capito said during the campaign that she would protect Social Security (she is on record for wanting to privatize it), I guess it was just a slip-up when she voted against equal pay for equal work for women. Lack of pay equity negatively impacts not only women's current earning power but their future Social Security checks too. We all know how disastrous for society it is if women are paid as much as men. Does it feel good to see Ms. Capito challenge the EPA and keep us fixed on the Fifties? If we deny climate change, then we have no carbon problem.
On the other hand, I wondered why I didn't get more support for my campaign. I didn't even win in my own county of Jefferson where I was sure phone calls would be made in my behalf. Was it the fact that I wasn't born here, but rather chose to make West Virginia my home? Was it that I took no special interest money in my campaign, and the sages knew I couldn't possibly win if I didn't seek mega bucks? Many prophets made sure their prophecy bore truth by not even contributing ten bucks to my campaign. I guess they couldn't believe in a publicly funded campaigner who knows the issues, cares about WV, has a plan to improve our economy, supports unions, and favors revamping our tax system! Why waste your time calling neighbors to support a retired educator who was determined to transform our educational system so that our children and grandchildren could find a career in West Virginia! Why support a candidate who wants our farms and food protected; believes that mountaintop removal is destroying our beautiful state and poisoning our water system; wants to continue working on health insurance reform so that four West Virginians don't unnecessarily die every week?
I’m perplexed. Perhaps I should have skipped sticking my neck out, and just colored my gray hair blond!
--Virginia Lynch Graf
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Appalachian Art for Appalachian Families
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Appalachian Art for Appalachian Families (AAAF) is on a mission to raise funds for the Sludge Safety Project's purchase of water testing kits for West Virginia communities concerned about the water quality impacts of coal slurry injection and coal sludge impoundments. This month, AAAF will raise funds for the kits in two ways:
· The organization will hold an Art Exhibition at the Shepherdstown Train Station on Friday, November 19, 2010, and is announcing a call for art submissions. (Artists will receive 50 percent of proceeds from their art sales; AAAF will apply 10 percent of art proceeds to the cost of venue and food preparation; and the remaining 40 percent will be designated for the Sludge Safety Project.) AAAF encourages artists who live in the Appalachian mountains — and those inspired by them — to submit their arts and crafts (all artistic mediums welcome) by its November 15 deadline. The exhibition opens at noon on November 19, with the artists’ reception at 6 p.m.
Artwork collection will occur in the Charleston, W.Va., area (phone: 540-535-8458), as well as in Shepherdstown, W.Va. (phone: 304-876-9900).
· AAAF will also host a "Deers & Beers" Fundraising Dinner at the Shepherdstown Train Station at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 20, 2010. Cost of the dinner is $25 and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Sludge Safety Project. The dinner will feature locally brewed beer and wild game.
AAAF remains concerned about toxic slurry injection, drinking water quality and the safety of West Virginia residents. As a result, proceeds from the above-mentioned events will benefit the Sludge Safety Project (www.sludgesafety.org), a nonprofit organization that advocates for West Virginia residents' access to clean water and safety for communities at risk from coal slurry injection and coal sludge impoundments.
About Appalachian Art for Appalachian Families
AAAF's mission is to stand with families of southern West Virginia and pool its resources to help ensure clean water and healthy, safe homes. The nonprofit organization, based in Shepherdstown, W.Va., builds unity among all West Virginian families by showcasing the arts and crafts that celebrate West Virginia's mountain region. AAAF aims to bring people together across county lines so that their lives may be enriched with unity, pride, artistic expression and a shared commitment to human rights.
About the Sludge Safety Project
The Sludge Safety Project (SSP) is a collaborative effort of the Huntington, W.Va.-based Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, the Whitesville, W.Va.-based Coal River Mountain Watch and West Virginia communities concerned about the quality of their drinking water, coal sludge impoundment safety and slurry injection hazards.
SSP (www.sludgesafety.org) educates and advocates on issues related to slurry-based health and safety dangers and access to clean drinking water. The group is currently calling for a ban on ban of wet slurry production in West Virginia.
--Submitted by Viv Stockman
· The organization will hold an Art Exhibition at the Shepherdstown Train Station on Friday, November 19, 2010, and is announcing a call for art submissions. (Artists will receive 50 percent of proceeds from their art sales; AAAF will apply 10 percent of art proceeds to the cost of venue and food preparation; and the remaining 40 percent will be designated for the Sludge Safety Project.) AAAF encourages artists who live in the Appalachian mountains — and those inspired by them — to submit their arts and crafts (all artistic mediums welcome) by its November 15 deadline. The exhibition opens at noon on November 19, with the artists’ reception at 6 p.m.
Artwork collection will occur in the Charleston, W.Va., area (phone: 540-535-8458), as well as in Shepherdstown, W.Va. (phone: 304-876-9900).
· AAAF will also host a "Deers & Beers" Fundraising Dinner at the Shepherdstown Train Station at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 20, 2010. Cost of the dinner is $25 and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Sludge Safety Project. The dinner will feature locally brewed beer and wild game.
AAAF remains concerned about toxic slurry injection, drinking water quality and the safety of West Virginia residents. As a result, proceeds from the above-mentioned events will benefit the Sludge Safety Project (www.sludgesafety.org), a nonprofit organization that advocates for West Virginia residents' access to clean water and safety for communities at risk from coal slurry injection and coal sludge impoundments.
About Appalachian Art for Appalachian Families
AAAF's mission is to stand with families of southern West Virginia and pool its resources to help ensure clean water and healthy, safe homes. The nonprofit organization, based in Shepherdstown, W.Va., builds unity among all West Virginian families by showcasing the arts and crafts that celebrate West Virginia's mountain region. AAAF aims to bring people together across county lines so that their lives may be enriched with unity, pride, artistic expression and a shared commitment to human rights.
About the Sludge Safety Project
The Sludge Safety Project (SSP) is a collaborative effort of the Huntington, W.Va.-based Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, the Whitesville, W.Va.-based Coal River Mountain Watch and West Virginia communities concerned about the quality of their drinking water, coal sludge impoundment safety and slurry injection hazards.
SSP (www.sludgesafety.org) educates and advocates on issues related to slurry-based health and safety dangers and access to clean drinking water. The group is currently calling for a ban on ban of wet slurry production in West Virginia.
--Submitted by Viv Stockman
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