Teri Blanton honored by Rainforest Action

Also honored were Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Rivani Nopor and Uki Serara for being true defenders of the rainforest, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who, along with Teri, was honored for work to stop the destructiveness of coal and for sustainable energy.

Revel: The Art of Activism awards were presented at RAN's 25th anniversary gala in San Francisco.

RAN has been the leader in corporate campaigns to get banks to stop financing mountaintop removal mining. Within the last two years, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo along with Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley have passed policies limiting their financial relationships with coal operators that practice mountaintop removal.

Over the last couple of years, KFTC members have joined RAN at several bank shareholder meetings to educate corporate officers and other shareholders of the effects that their decisions have on the lives of the Appalachian people. The public witness continued in September during Appalachia Rising with an action at a PNC Bank location in Washington, DC. 

PNC and UBS continue as lead financiers of mountaintop removal. PNC finances mining companies responsible for almost half of all mountaintop removal coal mined in the U.S. PNC has numerous locations in Kentucky, including in counties that produce coal. UBS has operations in Louisville, Lexington and Paducah.

Read RAN's Mountaintop Removal Report Card for banks here.