By Roy Silver, Harlan County chapter member

"The biggest thing is our water resource.  Our water is really good now. What’s more important the water or the coal?  This is the best place in the world to live. You're not just taking out the coal, you're destroying generations of people who could live here and raise their families here.”  Bennie Massey, Lynch City Council

Harlan Development/A & G wants to strip mine Black Mountain above Lynch.  It would drain into Looney Creek, which feeds the Lynch Reservoir.

The discharge is a violation of the Kentucky Five-Mile Policy.  It “prohibits discharges into a stream within five miles upstream from any public water supply intake. Looney Creek feeds the head waters of the Cumberland River.  The strip mine could also impact downstream communities. 

This strip mine would place 18 new sediment ponds above the community, set off blasts near homes and historic buildings.

It will encroach on the upper elevations of Black Mountain.  Harlan Counties. The Kentucky Resources Council, KFTC and many others protected in 1999.

  To strip mine this area, the company must get a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers US EPA.  It will mine through and create a sediment pond at the headwaters of Long Rock Branch, (Magazine Hollow).  This feeds the Lynch Reservoir.  This strip mine could damage four other headwater streams.  

A&G’s Ison Rock Ridge strip mine in Wise County, Va. has been suspended.   It had history of federal violations.  Owners of Harlan Development Corporation owed over $1.5 million in mine safety violations.  Lynch residents are asking that this permit be denied.  They are also asking for a public hearing from the US Army Corps of Engineers. 

Send an email to the US Army Corps of Engineers and EPA asking officials to respect the concerns of Lynch residents, protect their water and community resources.

Submit comments by 4pm on Monday, February 1st.
Click here to go to the KFTC Action Page to send your letter.

Comments will be accepted after the deadline. For more information, contact colleen@kftc.org.

You can also send a letter by fax to:
Nashville District Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
(Attention: Marty Tyree)
3701 Bell Road, Nashville, TN 37214
Fax 615-369-7501

All across the Commonwealth, KFTC members participated in events today celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

We also took some time to raise awareness of our Voting Rights campaign to challenge archaic laws in Kentucky that still disenfranchise 1 in 4 African Americans.

In Lexington, ten KFTC Members marched in the powerful MLK Freedom March with our banner starting at 10am, passing out voting rights handbills throughout the route. 

This is an important event for us to be at every year,” said Jerry Moody, A dedicated Central Kentucky KFTC leader who made the long march despite suffering a stroke just over a month ago.  “Building solidarity with community groups, particularly people of color groups, is key – and this is a good way to do that.”

 In Louisville, KFTC member Tayna Fogle was part of a motorcade with Wayside Christian Mission, inviting people to sign postcards to legislators about voting rights. 
In Perry County, members participated in a breakfast with a keynote speaker, followed by a march from Consolidated Baptist Church.  They took the opportunity to re-connect with the local NAACP chapter about our big voting rights lobby day in Frankfort on March 4th. 

Harlan County KFTC members participated in similar community events several days ago. 

In Scott County, KFTC members participated in a march and community event at Gano Baptist Church for the first time, with ten members participating over all.  At the community tabling event late in the evening, we connected with lots of new people in the community, including Scott County NAACP allies and three dozen people signed postcards about voting rights. 

Homer White remarked that it was one of the best community tabling events we’ve had in Scott County and many other members agreed that we should be involved every year. 

Elmer Lloyd video

Residents of Closplint and other communities above Evarts on Hwy 38 have started to organize around issues of coal dust, diesel smoke and overweight trucks in their community.  People are concerned about the impact on their health and the damage to their homes.

"I worked in the mines for 29 and half years.  My problem was when one day I went up the road, and my porch was covered up with mud," Wayne Dean, a resident reflected.

At the most recent meeting, coal company representatives and workers came out and had a positive dialogue about possible solutions to the coal dust problem.  Rex Coal Company is one of the companies affecting the community, and they are in the process of paving the entrances.  They also just recently purchased a truck washing system. 

"All we want is a healthy environment.  I think this meeting was an important first step.  We look forward to working with this company and the others to address this problem," Chuck Taylor another resident shared.

Harlan Daily story about recent meeting.

       

It was 28 years ago that KFTC became "official."  According to the book Making History: The First Ten Years of KFTC,

"Twenty-six people from 12 counties formally organized and named the Kentucky Fair Tax Coalition on August 17, 1981. They also agreed on a statement of purpose:

The Kentucky Fair Tax Coalition is a group of community based organizations and individuals promoting more effective and efficient community services through a fair and equitable taxation system throughout the state of Kentucky, with a particular interest in coal counties.

Also at that meeting, members "passed the hat for the first time. They netted KFTC's first funds, $38.

This Hazard meeting was not the first meeting of this group of people who were coming together from across eastern Kentucky. The group had met on several prior occasions to explore the possibilities of working together on common issues. Shared concerns included the quality of (or lack of) community services and public education in coal counties (which suffered from gross inequalities in the tax system) and the rights of landowners.

Many of the people involved were organizing in their respective home counties around these and related issues. The decision to launch a new organization was based on the understanding that the issues were all related and shared a common underlying roots cause: "the inequality of life with a single dominant industry – coal – that was not contributing its fair share."

"People, especially in eastern Kentucky, were getting to know each other. All around the region there was a loose network of people who had worked together with each other in various ways over the past 15 years or so. What we didn't have in those days was a structured connection between us. There was a no interlocking of these community-level efforts, until KFTC" — Herb E. Smith

Thanks to everyone who is helping KFTC continue to make history! If you're not a member click the here or Join button at the top of the page and become a part of the next 28 years!

About 200 people attended the dedication of the Miners' Memorial in Cumberland.  Stella Morris spearheaded this effort following the death of her husband.  The ceremony included music and various speakers including Rep. Charlie Siler, Rep. Rick Nelson, and Co. Judge Grieshop.  Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers, gave a rousing speech about the history of the labor movement and the need for more support for mine safety for all miners.

Check out the news coverage about the event:

Lexington Herald-Leader news story

WYMT TV

Knoxville TV

Harlan Daily

To view more photos, click here.

Harlan County KFTC members encourage all to attend Friday's unveiling of the Miners Memorial Monument in Cumberland. 

"We are with and respect all coal miners.  It's a tragedy when one is lost," Rodney Adams, a retired union miner.

The ceremony will begin at 11:00 am on Friday, August 14 at Southeast Community College's theater in the Appalachian Center. The guest speakers will be Cecil Roberts, president of the UMWA. Also speaking will be the mayor of Cumberland, Loretta Cornett, and state represenative, Rick Nelson. A folk-singing duo, "Jeni & Billy" from Southwest Va., will be performing a few songs from their latest album, "Jewell Ridge Coal". Also, Judy Morris, a local singer will be singing Darrell Scott's "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive".

"Any number of KFTC-ers who worked in the mines could very well be on this wall too.  We think it's important to honor those who gave their life for their families.  We can all agree of the importance of better mine safety," Carl Shoupe, disabled coal miner and former UMWA organizer.

"This is one of the best ways we can honor our fallen miners, so I really hope each one of you can attend!" Stella Morris, who spearheaded the effort to create this monument.

After the ceremony, the crowd will relocate to the monument for the unveiling. Afterwards we will return to the theater for refreshments.

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth strongly believes that we need better candidates if we want better decisions made in state and local government – and we want YOU to seriously think about what it would be like to run for office or to help one of your friends run.

Come to a powerful, energetic weekend at the beautiful Hindman Settlement School where we’ll build skills, connections, and confidence to work on elections or run for public office.

Led in partnership with Wellstone Action, a national center for training and leadership development for progressives, workshops topics will include campaign planning and budgeting, telling your story, grassroots voter contact, fundraising, base-building, stump speeches, developing a winning message and more.

For more information and to register online, Click Here.

     

“I was a mine inspector for 30 years. As mayor and as a supervisor with the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing, my No. 1 concern is safety. I don’t care how much coal you get — if it has 1 ounce of blood on it, it’s not worth it,”

That was Lynch Mayor Ronnie Hampton leading a large group of citizens who turned out last night to express concerns about the proposed A&G strip and auger mining operation that would threaten the town's water supply and quality of life.

Others expressed concern about the company's long record of violations and unpaid fines, and the impact it would have on the quality of life for Lynch residents.

“I just can’t see destroying the town for that little bit of coal,” said Lynch City Council member Bennie Massey.

Read more about last night's hearing in Jarrod Sherman's story in the Harlan Daily Enterprise.

Roy Silver put together a video about the proposed mine and views of Lynch residents, which you can view here or below.

These companies are just concerned about getting the coal and aren't really concerned about the community and the people who live here. Residents are really concerned because we don't want our community destroyed. A lot of people want to come home, and if they destroy our mountains, there won't be anything to come home to.

— Rutland Melton

Residents of Lynch in Harlan County are asking KFTC members to help in protecting their town’s drinking water supply and other community resources from the impacts of mining.

Harlan Development Corporation (previously A&G Corporation) wants to strip and auger mine 1,100 acres above Lynch. The mine would drain into Looney Creek, which feeds the reservoir servicing Lynch and the downstream town of Benham. The company also wants to place 18 new sediment ponds above the community, set off blasts near homes and historic buildings, and possibly encroach on the upper elevations of Black Mountain that KFTC and many others worked to protect a few years ago.

Other reasons to be concerned: A&G’s Ison Rock Ridge operation in Wise County, VA has been suspended because of its history of violations, and the owner of Harlan Development Corporation owed over $1.5 million in mine safety violations.

How to take action:

Attend the hearing

Lynch residents have requested and received a permit conference with the Kentucky Division of Mine Permits. This will take place on Thursday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Southeast Community College’s Appalachian Center Theatre in Cumberland. If you can attend the hearing it would be a great way to show support for the community.

Submit comments

We are asking that KFTC members and allies send an email to the Division of Mine Permits asking officials to listen to and respect the concerns of Lynch residents and to give priority to protecting water supplies and community resources. Please do this by Thursday at 4 p.m.

If you wish to submit comments via mail, please send them to:
Director, Division of Mine Permits
#2 Hudson Hollow US 127
South Frankfort, KY 40601

For more information, contact Anne Carr at 606-848-2949. Folks going to the permit hearing will be gathering at 5:30 p.m. to go over the permit.

The biggest thing is our water resource and the purification. Our water is really good now. There is not enough of coal to be mined through mountaintop removal to justify destroying the water system. This is the best place in the world to live. You're not just taking out the coal; you're destroying generations of people who could live here and raise their families here.

— Bennie Massey