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Voices of I Love Mountains Day

February 15, 2013 at 03:57pm

“Every time I do something with KFTC, it’s energizing and inspiring. It gives you energy. When you’re with a big group of people, you know you're in this together and are sharing this experience.” – Katie Pirotina, Perry County

People traveled from across Kentucky and beyond to I Love Mountains Day Thursday in Frankfort. Some came for the first time; others come every year.

Here are some quotes from the day:

“I’m here because I’m so frustrated with mountaintop removal, and it’s just got to stop. It’s destroying mountains we’ll never have again and people are getting sick and the water’s getting polluted, and it’s just got to stop.” – Jenny Neat, Frankfort

“I am 12 years old and I want my kids when I grow up to be able to see all the beautiful mountains and be healthy and not have orange water like I do. PLEASE HELP!” – Isaac Owens, Floyd County, in a note to Rep. Greg Stumbo

“I’m here because this means something to me. I care about my mountains. Once we lose them, we can’t get ’em back. This is all we have to give our young people. We need them to stay here and they have to have something to stay for.” – Bennie Massey, Harlan County

“I love the mountains where I live and the streams, and they’re being destroyed, simple as that. I know it creates jobs, but it seems to me a lot of people can’t see beyond their jobs to what they’re doing.” – Carter Castle, Magoffin County

“Mountaintop removal is a broad-spectrum injustice. It affects our water, air, and soil quality. It threatens our natural beauty and biodiversity; attacks our identity; endangers property and culture; divides communities; and negatively impacts health and safety of our people. And contrary to what the coal industry would say, it negatively impacts our economic future.” – Cari Moore, Knott County

Here are links to a few news articles about the day:

Flour Sack Mama blog Kentucky.com WYMT-TV Courier-Journal   Take Action

Want to take action? Call the Legislative Message Line (800-372-7181) and leave a message to your Representative and Senator to express your support for the Clean Energy Opportunity Act (House Bill 170) and the Stream Saver Bill (House Bill 86 / Senate Bill 29).

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Over 1,000 people turn out for I Love Mountains Day!

February 14, 2013 at 04:34pm

ILM Day 2013 - march front.jpg

KFTC members and friends celebrated their hope for Appalachia’s Bright Future at the annual I Love Mountains Day march and rally in Frankfort today.

“I believe in Harlan County’s Bright Future, in Kentucky’s Bright Future, in Appalachia’s Bright Future,” KFTC member Carl Shoupe of Benham told the crowd on the capitol steps. “But we must do more than want it. We have to dream it. We have to build it and protect it, together. We have to demand it and work for it every day. We have to organize for it and we have to vote for it.”

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Live streaming I Love Mountains Day

February 13, 2013 at 04:44pm

If you can't make it out to Frankfort tomorrow for I Love Mountains Day, you can still participate from the comfort of your own computer.  We will be providing a live video feed from our Ustream account starting at around 12 p.m. EST.  You'll be able to watch the feed on this page once we get started.

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Lexington loves mountains events were a hit!

February 12, 2013 at 07:38pm
Communities Taking Action, , Mountaintop Removal and Strip Mining, Central Kentucky

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Strong testimony helps delay bad selenium rule

February 11, 2013 at 04:46pm
Enforcement, Big Sandy

A legislative subcommittee today took action to defer for at least 30 days approval of a weakened water quality standard for selenium.

That was a victory for Kentucky residents who made that request to the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee at a hearing Monday afternoon.

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Live streaming today's selenium hearing

February 11, 2013 at 10:59am

We will be providing some live video coverage from this afternoon's hearing to weaken our state's water quality standards on selenium on our Ustream channel. We will begin streaming near the start of the hearing at 1 p.m. EST.

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Beshear administration rushing to weaken water quality standard for selenium

February 11, 2013 at 08:11am

Today in Frankfort, a group of lawmakers will consider a rushed proposal from Kentucky’s Division of Water to significantly weaken the water quality standard for selenium pollution. This is a big deal. Your help is needed to stop this proposal in its tracks.

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Are you ready for I Love Mountains Day?

February 4, 2013 at 06:03pm

We are 10 days out from our annual I Love Mountains Day rally, and we are getting excited! Members are making Valentines cards,organizing buses, and hosting at-home events to get ready for the big day. Additionally, we have confirmed great line up of speakers for the rally including Kentucky author Silas House, KFTC leaders Elizabeth Sanders and Sue Tallichet, our Youth Essay Contestwinner, and more. Our rally will also feature music by one of our favorite bands, Sugar Tree!

If you haven't had been to I Love Mountains Day before, or you'd like a refresher on our bills and the logistics for the day, please join us for one of two informational webinars that we will be hosting this week. These quick webinars will give you a quick overview of our work in Frankfort and how you can plug in this year. The webinars will be held on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. and on Friday morning at 10 a.m.

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CKY lobby training was a success

January 30, 2013 at 02:09pm
Just Transition, , Communities Taking Action, , Mountaintop Removal and Strip Mining, Central Kentucky

DSC_4709The Central Kentucky chapter of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth had their monthly chapter meeting on January 17th at 7 p.m. with 24  members in attendance. The chapter meeting focused on a lobby training for members and an opportunity to meet the new Central Kentucky organizer Beth Howard. The lobby training focused on topics such as how a bill becomes a law, what grassroots citizen lobbying looks like, and what bills KFTC members will be actively suporting during the 2013 general assembly. Members also came together to make Valentine’s Day cards for Governor Steve Beshear to be delivered on I Love Mountains Day on February 14th. The valentines urge the governor to do more to protect Kentucky's air, water, mountains and communities.

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Consider health impacts of mining, U.S. Army Corps told

January 29, 2013 at 11:56pm
Communities Taking Action, Perry County

A coal company's plans to destroy 3.5 miles of streams in the Lotts Creek area of Knott County should have drawn scrutiny for its potential health impacts on nearby residents, attorneys for those residents, KFTC and the Sierra Club argue in a motion for summary judgment filed Tuesday in a lawsuit challenging those plans.

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