FOR FOCUS THE NATION LEADERS

Are you organizing a Focus the Nation Town Hall Meeting?  Great!  Consider making coal one of your event themes.  Why?  Because coal burning power plants are our nation’s leading source of carbon dioxide, and if we’re serious about stopping global warming, we have to get serious about transitioning away from coal. 

Here are some common questions and answers to get you started.  Make sure to check out our links and supplemental materials, and feel free to contact us at any time prior to your event with questions:  email info@powerpastcoal.org or call Power Past Coal at 518.817.3222.


How am I connected to coal?

It’s easy to find out!  Go to www.ilovemountains.org/myconnection/, plug in your zip code, and trace your energy back to its source.

Why can’t coal be “clean”?

Well first off, the technology still doesn’t exist.  But more importantly, no matter how clean you try to make it coming out of the smoke stacks, coal is still dirty and dangerous at its source.  In the Powder River Basin, strip mining is draining aquifers and drying up surrounding farmland, while in  Arizona, coal “slurry” pipelines are polluting the sole source of clean drinking water on the Black Mesa Navajo reservation.  Across Appalachia, nearly 500 mountains have been leveled by mountaintop removal mining.  This process has buried streams, destroyed ecosystems, and polluted water supplies by releasing toxic chemicals and heavy metals into watersheds. 

What do we need to do to transition away from coal?

We need bold and immediate federal action, with support from states, counties, and local communities.  Here are three first steps in this important transition:

  1. Don’t build any new coal plants.  This may be simpler than we think, according to a recent study by the Energy Information Administration.  The study concluded that only two new coal plants would need to be built between 2013 and 2025 to satisfy our nation's energy needs, as opposed to the scores that have been proposed.
  2. End dangerous and destructive forms of coal mining, beginning with strip mining.  One important step in the fight against mountaintop removal – a form of strip mining – is the passage of the Clean Water Protection Act.
  3. Reinvest in the communities that have been impacted by coal with clean energy development and green job opportunities.

Won’t transitioning away from coal hurt jobs and the economy?

Not if we do it right.  Transitioning away from coal is a matter of environmental justice:  the communities that have provided us with coal have suffered economically.  Investing in these communities with clean energy development and green jobs could provide a pathway out of poverty and significant economic growth.  Want to see the numbers?  Check out this great article by Matt Wasson, Director of Appalachian Voices. 

How can I make my coal-focused event engaging and powerful?

Tell stories.  Let people know how they’re connected to coal, and show them where their coal comes from.  Bring photos of strip sites and mountaintop removal mines, samples of polluted water, and if you live near an impacted community, invite members of that community to come speak and share their story.  (If you need names of people to invite, feel free to contact us as info@powerpastcoal.org.)  And after you pull a few heartstrings, don’t forget to discuss positive solutions.  Many of these communities impacted by coal have tremendous opportunity for wind, solar power and efficiency measures. 

Do you have materials I can bring to my event?

Yes!  Please bring copies of our solidarity letter to your event – have your attendees sign the letter and add their story to stand in solidarity with thousands who have taken action in the last 100 days to demand “power past coal.”  On April 30th, we’ll deliver these letters to Congress and President Obama as part of our 100th Day of Action.

Also, our participating organizations have fact sheets galore about how coal is impacting their communities.  Please contact us a few days prior to your event if you’re looking for specific information. 

How can I stay engaged – and keep my community engaged – after my event is over?

First, tell us how your event went, and we’ll report it on our blog!  Enter any other actions you’re taking before the 100th Day, and keep checking back to www.powerpastcoal.org  for more action alerts.  Take our solidarity letter to your churches, your schools, your organizations.  Add your stories, and help us flood the White House and Congressional offices with our demands on April 30th.  Together, we can demonstrate the breadth, diversity, and power of this movement.

And even when the 100 days are over, don’t stop taking action!  Our leaders need to know how serious we are about transitioning away from coal to clean, just energy.

Helpful links from our partners:

Learn more about mountaintop removal:  www.ilovemountains.org

Learn about justice in the coalfields:  www.blackmesawatercoalition.org

Learn about coal pollution and environmental justice: http://www.lvejo.org/coalpower.htm

Learn about western strip mining:  www.worc.org/energy-coal/

Good luck, and keep up the fight!