NRCM calls for Maine mountain top removal, so that West Virginians will stop removing their mountaintops.

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Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on September 19, 2010 at 1:09pm

From American Spectator on Appalachian Voices
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/04/26/what-lies-beneath

The irony of President Barack Obama visiting Beckley, West Virginia, Sunday to read a eulogy at the memorial service for those who died in the Upper Big Branch Mine accident, has not been lost on some White House aides. "If we had our way we'd be mourning the mining industry, not miners," says a White House aide. "As an environmental issue, we want the majority of these mining related industries just to go away."

In fact, the White House and some Obama Administration staffers at the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have been coordinating with left-wing environmental groups to launch protests in West Virginia over such techniques as "mountaintop removal mining." This enabled the EPA to cite such protests as support for their new rulemaking. Earlier this month, the agency imposed rules sharply curtailing that form of strip mining in such states as West Virginia. The rules may end up costing several hundred West Virginians their jobs.

Now the Obama Administration is looking for ways to reward those groups they coordinated with. According to sources inside the EPA, the agency is attempting to find ways to get funding to several organizations it worked with on the mountaintop mining and other efforts, including Appalachian Voices and Coal River Mountain Watch. Meanwhile, the administration is attempting to identify ways to fund a much more influential "pass through" organization, the Appalachian Community Fund, an organization run out of Knoxville, Tennessee.

"Appalachian Community Fund is like the ACORN of West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee," says a Commerce Department political employee. "If we can get it just a few hundred thousand dollars, it can organize for us down there in ways to help us politically, and it's done great things for us with the EPA and other entities."

Comment by Bob Brooks on September 18, 2010 at 9:21am

I read recently about a push for wind in Appalachia and think they see wind as a way to stop the horrendous and massive destruction of their mountains. A lesser of two evils. Just a guess.

Comment by Bob Brooks on September 18, 2010 at 7:49am

I went to the Belfast meeting last night. I agree with Alan that their cause is noble but there is a disconnect (pun intended) between coal an d wind. When they were done talking and asked for questions I stood up, thanked them for what they are doing and told them that i was concerned that they had a presentation at Stetson Mt. That we in Maine have a growing grassroots movement about our own mountains being destroyed and that there is not one coal fired plant being closed by putting up wind farms due to their intermittent function. Austin Hall deferred discussion about wind to after the meeting. When I approached him after the meeting he still did not want to talk "until later". I handed all three visitors CTFWP brochures and asked them to please read it. They promised they would. I then went to talk to Dylan Vorhees of NRCM who is all wet IMHO and literally had nothing new to say. He asked me "what can we do? Where should we get our energy from? I told him that if the government gave me some of the money that they are giving the wind companies I would hire a local carpenter to tighten up my old country home, hire a local company to put solar panels on my house and get a car that will get 60MPG when they make one which should happen ASAP. I told him that after hearing him on the radio he needs to educate himself and gave him a brochure. Now I understand why Austin Hall refused to talk about wind after reading the above article, although I suspected that was the case. What we humans are doing to this earth is a tragedy!

Comment by freemont tibbetts on September 18, 2010 at 2:50am

Long Island , Your comment on NRCM, Mountaintop , Wind Power, hits the nail right on the head . 100% Good Old Fashion Common Sense . ( THE TRUTH IS OUR SIDE !!!!!!!!!!!!! ) Freemont Tibbetts , Dixfield , Miane .

Comment by Long Islander on September 17, 2010 at 8:00pm

Just found this on Appalachian Voices:

Mountain Ridge Protection Act Alliance
Protecting North Carolina's highest mountain ridges from Commercial Wind Plants

Appalachian Voices’ Wind Shill, Austin P Hall, Brainwashes the Students at Appalachian State University
BY: CYNTHIA HARDY WADSWORTH

Appalachian Voices uses their wind shill, Austin P. Hall to brainwash students at Appalachian State University. How? Through Appy State’s Club, Net Impact, Austin Hall promotes videos where he LIES about the 1983 Mountain Ridge Protection Act. He then tells the students to head on over to the student union to sign a petition that shows that they want Commercial Wind turbines in Western North Carolina.

PARENTS PLEASE BE AWARE OF WHAT IS BEING “SOLD” TO YOUR STUDENTS AND WHAT THEY ARE BEING ASKED TO SIGN!

Austin Hall, the Ridge Law was written to protect the mountains from people just like you, who want to industrialize the ridges with 400 to 500 foot wind turbines creating a power plant. One these turbines produce power, this plant gets to be like an electric company and all of the people living around this plant can end up with power lines and substations on their land….how….by eminent domain. You fail to mention this issue. There is no mention of the health problems suffered by people living close to wind turbines…this is documented all over the world, and even in the USA.

The biggest LIE sold to the students is that somehow these wind turbines will close a coal plant. We have 35,000 wind turbines in the USA and we have not closed a single coal plant. Why? Wind Power does not work. Coal or gas plants have to remain “on” for when the wind is not blowing, and when you ramp a coal or gas plant up and down to make up for no wind…what happens? LOTS OF CO2. There is no carbon reduction with wind. Wind power has no capacity value. When you need it, it can not be depended on, and most of the time it is not available. The capacity factor of wind turbines is about 20%, that would be like buying an 8 cylinder car, and getting it home only to find out it runs on 2 cylinders or less.

The fact that the mountains have to be blasted away to put up these turbines is not mentioned…and I mean really taking away the topographical features of our beautiful, ancient mountains.

Why would an environmental group such as Appalachian Voices support blowing up the mountains? What is in it for them?

The truth is wind is a highly subsidized scam. It is a way for big wind to hide money. Why is that not mentioned, Austin Hall? How much green is in this for you?

But, perhaps ASU is using Appalachian Voices to lobby for them? Will this affect teaching positions?

Here is the link to the club. By the way, the faculty advisor is Ged Moody…now where have we all seen him before?

http://netimpact.appstate.edu/

This is the link to the videos filled with LIES.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list…CD0

This group is holding a symposium in April…you can bet that we will be there….to see that the people attending hear both sides of the argument, as TRUTH IS ON OUR SIDE.

http://mountainridgeprotectionact.com/appalachian-voices-and-enviro...

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Comment by Mary Beth Nolette on September 16, 2010 at 9:32pm

You have GOT to be kidding.
MAINE DOESN'T BURN COAL. We burn biomass, mostly sustainable wood products. We use hydroelectric power. We do not need outrageously expensive and destructive wind.
And for that matter, how about cleaning up that destructive mountaintop mining. That just takes innovation and the will of the people. We have the technology to do without that dirty practice. Both here and in Appalacia.
Wind companies are grasping at straws. Flailing their arms as they drown in debt.
Wind will never be a cost effective solution.
Wind companies, Come back when you can stand on your own two feet. The day that happens, that will be the same day that hell freezes over.

Comment by Whetstone_Willy on September 16, 2010 at 8:57pm

Find out who is funding NRCM's little traveling show. Follow the money.

Mr. Didisheim knows full well we don't burn coal in Maine. The conversation here is about Maine, not the multi-state ISO.

If Didisheim insists upon using ISO numbers then figure out what all of the turbines from Baldacci's ridiculous wind goal (causing incredible environmental destruction to Maine) would mean for the ISO. The answer is virtually nothing!

Tremendous damage to Maine, and virtually no effect on ISO coal use.

What's that we hear now Mr. Didisheim, you wish to keep the conversation focused on just Maine in that case? Fine - WE DON'T BURN COAL.

Comment by freemont tibbetts on September 16, 2010 at 5:14pm

Ron, I am sure BDN"s Abigail Curtis will publish it. It"s just Good Old Fashion Common Sense . Thanks from all of us Citizen"s that live up and a round all the Mt"s in this Great State of Maine .
Freemont Tibbetts , Dixfield , Maine .