Rain doesn't dampen I Love Mountains enthusiasm

More than 1,200 KFTC members and clean energy advocates were at the state capitol on Tuesday, Valentine's Day, for the annual I Love Mountains Day. It was a great turnout despite the cold and wet day, and people brought high energy and strong commitment to protecting Kentucky's mountains and helping move Kentucky to a clean energy economy.

Speakers Steve Boyce, Ada Smith, Teri Blanton, Cody Montgomery, Randy Wilson and Stanley Sturgill called out many of the people inside the buildings on the capitol grounds -- from the governor to legislators -- who are responsible for the destruction of the mountains, the poisoning of the streams and working conditions for miners that are more dangerous than they need to be.

They also pointed out the tremendous jobs potential -- tens of thousands of Kentucky jobs --that would be realized with the passage of legislation that would put Kentucky on a path toward renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The crowd warmly welcomed Melina Laboucan-Massimo, a member of the Cree First Nation in northern Alberta, Canada and a leader in Canada and the U.S. in the fight against tar sands extraction, including the dangerous Keystone XL pipeline. A number of KFTC members have supported that effort by participating in actions last year at the White House.

Tar sands extraction has created massive destruction of the land, water and heritage in Melina's ancestral lands, similar to the destruction that has taken place in the Appalachian coalfields from strip mining. She came to stand in solidarity with the struggle against mountaintop removal and provide a connection to the broader climate change movement.

"If you want to stop climate change, stop mountaintop removal. Stop tar sands," she said.

Here is a slide show from today. We'll post some more information tomorrow.