KFTC members Carl Shoupe and Teri Blanton were part of a group of coalfield citizens who attended the shareholders meeting for the Bank of America today to help expose the company's role in financing mountaintop removal coal mining operations.

I came all the way from Kentucky because I am trying to save my homeland from the total destruction caused by Mountaintop Removal (MTR) Coal Mining, which Bank of America is a leading financier of. The southern Appalachian Mountains have some of the most biodiverse forests in the world; MTR coal producers, funded by Bank of America, are exploding the tops off these mountains, and off our culture. This is not just about saving the climate, but also about the survival of our culture for our grandchildren and future generations.

-Carl Shoupe, a third generation coal miner and Benham city council member

The action was coordinated by the Rainforest Action Network and you can read an account of the meeting, including what Teri Blanton had to say, at their web site.