http://appvoices.org/coal-ash-call-in-day/ 

ADDITIONAL POINTS (courtesy of Appalachian Voices)

• S.1751 endangers the health and safety of thousands of communities by preventing the EPA from ever revisiting a federal coal ash rule, even if future evidence shows that coal ash poses an even greater threat.
• S.1751 would allow the construction of coal ash dumps that don’t meet current drinking water standards for arsenic, lead and other pollutants.
• S.1751 will cost American jobs: A recent study by a Tufts University senior economist found that strong coal ash regulations, such as those proposed by the EPA in 2010, would generate 28,000 jobs annually.
• Currently, the cheapest method of coal ash disposal is ponds. Coal ash cannot be recycled once it is wet. S.1751 will prevent the recycling of coal ash by permitting the construction of new containment ponds.
• S.1751 fails to address the current threats. The bill will not phase out dangerous coal ash ponds or prevent another tragedy like the 2008 coal ash spill in Tennessee.
• Living near unlined coal ash ponds increases the likelihood of developing cancer to 1 in 50 – 2,000 times greater than acceptable risk levels

Yesterday, The New York Times released an article about the controversy over fracking, “in which water and toxic chemicals are injected at high pressure into the ground to break up rocks and release the gas trapped there.” Fracking    “occurs thousands of feet below drinking-water aquifers.”

There has been one documented case of a U.S. freshwater well being contaminated by hydrolic fracking. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes there may be more cases, but these cases have usually “lacked sufficient documentation or involved a type of contamination that was outside the scope of the study.”

If you are more of a visual or audio learner, check out “My World’s On Fire (The Fracking Song),” a creative song on Youtube that helps explain the process:

“Congress doesn’t deserve to thump its chest for reaching a debt ceiling compromise on a mess it created,” said William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society.

Click here to read more about what this deal means for our wild places.

I know that many other Americans also flocked to National Monuments and National Parks to commemorate America’s birthday.

In late June, The Wilderness Society encouraged people to get outdoors, recreate, and enjoy the lands that belong to all Americans this Fourth of July. It even provided a sampling of treasured places—some with historical ties to Independence Day—to celebrate our country’s freedom. They included Colorado National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument, Gold Butte, and Mule Cannon Wilderness Study Area.

“People might not realize that there are a lot of historical events that have taken place on public lands across the country,” said Nada Culver, director of The Wilderness Society’s BLM Action Center. “These are spectacular places that belong to all of us, and we hope that many families will make their own memories on these lands and develop stories that can be told for generations to come.”

Where did you celebrate the Fourth of July? If you didn’t make it to a national scenic attraction, why wait for a holiday as an excuse to go? Take your next vacation or weekend getaway to one of America’s public landscapes and tell us about your experience!

-Margaret

Yesterday was my first day working at The Wilderness Society headquarters in Washington DC, and I have already learned so much.

Arriving shortly before my scheduled starting time, I was able to browse through one of my favorite features of the entire building: a gallery of 75 original Ansel Adams photographs that were recently donated to the society by the Ansel Adams Foundation.

Awestruck, my jaw dropped as the photographs came alive in front of me. In one particular photograph, I could literally see and hear a waterfall crashing into the wild rapids below.  In that moment I knew I was in the right place. Nature’s ability to evoke so much wonder and fear inside me is the very reason that I want to contribute to the mission of protecting it.

Like a little girl being beckoned by her mother to leave a candy or toy store, I was suddenly forced to leave my world of imagination to meet the other interns and begin orientation.

After meeting all of my wonderful co-workers, getting acquainted with the building, and attending a policy meeting, it was time to get down to business.

My work for the day consisted of conducting research, participating in a conference call with The Wilderness Society base in the southeastern region, compiling press clips, and establishing professional goals for the summer.

Some of the most exciting news I learned yesterday is that Bill Meadows, the president of The Wilderness Society in DC, will participate in a live debate on NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show this morning at 11 a.m., discussing the protection and use of  millions of acres of wild lands in the United States.

Living and working in the heart of our nation’s government, I am thrilled to learn more about environmental policy and the ends and outs of protecting America’s wilderness. I am especially excited to be working alongside fellow bulldog and alumnus of the University of Georgia, Christopher Lancette. The professionals at The Wilderness Society offer an abundance of valuable knowledge, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.

-Margaret Watford

Communications Intern, The Wilderness Society

Former Creative Consultants team member at the University of Georgia

(Ansel Adams gallery photo via http://www.archdaily.com/119481/ansel-adams-gallery-group-goetz-architects/)

Unfortunately, there are millions of people on this planet who don’t have access to clean water. For these individuals, brushing their teeth every day is a small concern compared with the daunting task of walking for hours each day to find water, that may or may not be safe to drink.

Water is not an issue that can be brushed aside for a later date when the economy is more stable and you’re not applying for jobs. This is a problem that affects and consumes every hour of some people’s lives. It’s a global issue that pertains both human rights and women’s rights.

In Africa each year, people spend 40 billion hours walking in search of clean water. Killing more people every year than all forms of violence and war combined, unsafe water and basic lack of sanitation cause 80% of diseases. In many communities, women often bear the brunt of this task.

Many places in our world simply do not have the proper infrastructure to provide access to clean water, but this is an easy problem to fix and an opportunity for you to make a difference.

I am one of 17 PR students at UGA working this April to raise enough money with the non-profit organization charity: water to build one well – one well that provides clean water to 250 people in Africa. To learn more about what we are doing to make a difference and how you can help, check out www.mycharitywater.org/isyoursclean or visit our Facebook page, “Is Yours Clean?”

-Caitlin Sanders

]]> http://wildernessugeorgia.com/2011/04/22/happy-earth-day-everyone/feed/ 0 wildernessu full-20earth2 http://wildernessugeorgia.com/2011/04/12/lobbying-georgias-delegation-on-mountaintop-removal/ http://wildernessugeorgia.com/2011/04/12/lobbying-georgias-delegation-on-mountaintop-removal/#comments Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:12:19 +0000 WildernessU-Georgia http://wildernessugeorgia.com/?p=752 ]]> Small feel good win update: Georgia congressman Hank Johnson (D) from the 4th district will sign on to be a co-sponsor of the the Clean Water Protection Act. The meeting lasted no more than 5 minutes and I received instant success. Feels good after a rough last week with the Georgia delegation. It makes me happy that there is at least 1 representative in Georgia who is concerned about public health, communities, and the environment in Appalachia. Please visit http://ilovemountains.org/ to learn more.

In the mean time watch this NASA satellite footage of MTR at the Hobbit Mine in West Virginia http://is.gd/BnA6q1

My last meeting was with Republican Phil Gingrey (GA-11). His staffer was very busy dealing with budget deliberations but still took the time to listen to what Don and I had to say. As of now we have not received any co-sponsors from Georgia but we are looking forward to John Lewis and Bishop Sanford Jr. signing on to the Clean Water Protection Act.

Wednesday 2:50 I just had a meeting with Tom Graves (R) from the Georgia 9th district. We met with his legislative assistant named Bud Whitmire. Unlike my last meeting with Rob Woodalls office, Bud was an attentive and courteous listener. I want to thank Bud for his time.Don and I did our best to explain the long term economic impacts of continued mining by large multinational corporations. Although we probably won’t ever see Tom Graves on the Clean Water Protection Act, we can still do our best to educate him and his staff so that one day he and fellow republicans won’t stand in the way. Later today we are meeting with Phil Gingrey (R-11) at 4:30. I’ll post an update later.

2:43 Wow! What a meeting with Valentina J. Valenta the Senior Policy Advisor for my Congressman Rob Woodall (R) from the GA-7th. I have never been treated so poorly on Capitol Hill before. I was often cut off and made to feel like she was a bigger expert on environmental policy than me. Not only that, her demeanor was hostile, her comments were rude and left no room for a response. She told me that the federal government has no business in making environmental laws that we cannot afford. She also was scared that the Clean Water Protection Act may add a burden to mining companies around the country. She expressed her gratitude for NEPA but feels like it is time for it to go. Apparently she thinks the states have the institutional capacity to manage their own environmental affairs. Not only that but she would not let me air my grievances by telling me that I had no business asking the federal government to do something about this. I am livid, next election I am going to work my hardest to remove this guy and his awful staff from Washington.

Hey folks, I just had a meeting with Sanford Bishop of the 2nd District of GA. His staffer was very receptive to the environmental and economic consequences of MTR for coal field communities. He also understood that this is a federal issue because water crosses state lines and the poverty rate is a humanitarian crisis.

My last meeting of the day was with civil rights icon John Lewis of the 5th district of GA. His office has been a champion of environmental issues for decades. He is a former sponsor of the CWPA and we expect him to resign onto the bill within the next few days. I have to say that I think the budget battles are taking a toll on all the staffers on the hill — they look drained, overworked, and dead.

I just met with Congressman Paul Broun’s staffer from GA-10. This was a very productive meeting. This office doesn’t know much about MTR but felt somewhat squeemish about how extreme this form of strip mining is. Although they are a “drill now, drill anywhere” kind of office I think that with more work they could support the Clean Water Protection Act. The main concern was the similar name to a previous bill called The Clean Water Restoration Act which would redefined the term ‘navigable waters’ in The Clean Water Act. The staffer was a really nice guy and I appreciated that even though we disagree on just about everything that we could still have a cordial discussion about policy.

The next three days I am going to be on Capitol Hill working with the Georgia Congressional delegation to end mountain top removal. I just met with Senator Chambliss’s environmental staffer. She spoke about Chambliss having a balance between cheap domestic energy and environmental concerns. My question is, what environmental concerns has Chambliss ever had? He has a 0% rating from the League of Conservation Voters. Meanwhile Georgia’s growing appetite for coal destroys more mountains everyday.

Stay tuned for more updates about my meetings with the Georgia congressional delegation or follow my twitter feed @jcherson
Learn more at,

http://ilovemountains.org/

- Jeremy Cherson

Jeremy Cherson is an Environmental Policy student at American University and an intern at The Wilderness Society. He is a contributor every Tuesday.

Yesterday, during my weekly grocery run, I passed by a product in the produce aisle that made me chuckle: “Live Basil.” I couldn’t resist thinking of all the other ways a producer could have marketed this fresh basil but instead decided to go with “live,” as if it could dance or sing. Picking it up, I discovered its originality: this bunch of basil was locally grown in Athens and still in the bulb, meaning you could plant it in order to yield even more of the delicious herb, if so desired.

This got me thinking about local farmer’s markets – why don’t I go more? There are so many benefits to purchasing produce from local vendors:

1. Local Foods are Fresher (and taste better)

2. Local Foods are Seasonal

3. Local Foods Usually Have Less Environmental Impact

4. Local Foods Preserve Green Space & Farmland

5. Local Foods Promote Food Safety

6. Local Foods Support Your Local Economy

7. Local Foods Promote Variety

8. Local Foods Create Community

Considering these points and the fact that spring is just around the corner, why wouldn’t you go local? Don’t know where to go?  I suggest you look up local food markets in your area. And if you want to be even more healthy & environmentally friendly, walk there!

Happy local market buying!

-Austin Sewell

Just two weeks ago I had the heater turned on in our house and was bundled up in a sweatshirt. Now I’m ready to bask in the 70-80 degree weather that awaits us in Athens, Georgia this week.

Spring symbolizes new beginnings and promises happier moods for the majority of us.

It means…

1. Flowers are in full bloom

2. The opportunity to sport eco-friendly spring fashion (visit http://www.shopbeausoleil.com/ for cool green designer clothes)

3. Fishing and other outdoor activities

Say goodbye to cold weather and take advantage of the beauty of this season (which happens to be my favorite, by the way)!

-Margaret

Image Sources: http://cosmicallybeautiful.tumblr.com/, http://decideforyourself.wordpress.com/2008/09/, http://www.alaskafishing411.com/, http://www.shopbeausoleil.com/