Coal Ash Flood in the News

The recent TVA disaster reminds us of what could happen right here in Giles County, Virginia. Still, the politicians and AEP ignore the threat. The folks at Appalachian Voices have put up a good website which has linkages to photos, videos, and articles regarding the spill (flood?):

I Love Mountains website on TVA Spill

The cookbook Serving Giles County One Recipe at a Time Cookbook is for sale! I have already tried many recipes from the book and they are good. The cookbook is an interesting mix of easy-to-cook, country, or old family favorites. Go to the CCGC website and click on Store tab. You can print the page there to use as order form.

Roanoke Times editorial

Paul Hale, retired high school principal, has written an excellent commentary "Poor choices made in Giles County"

The Concerned Citizens of Giles County will be having a bake sale on April 24 (10-3 p.m.) on the Squires/Library Plaza on the Virginia Tech campus. The group is also holding a panel discussion in Squires 245 at 4 p.m.

Cookbook gone to press

Last week, I took this picture to use for the front pages of the cookbook the Concerned Citizens of Giles County has put together to use for fundraising. The book has gone to press and will be available for purchase next month, hopefully.


The town of Narrows is just around the corner....

This is what I wrote about the New River for the cookbook:

Giles County is home to 37 miles of the New River, designated a National River in 1998 by President Clinton. As the river meanders through the county, scenic sights abound including Eggleston Cliffs and Castle Rock. The New River cuts a fifteen hundred feet deep gap through the East River and Peters Mountains and through the town of Narrows, close to the site of the controversial Cumberland Park Project. New River is considered to be one of the best fishing rivers, attracting outdoor enthusiasts from across the country.

Now, why would anyone want to put 256,000 cubic yards of coal ash on such a beautiful river?

Students Learn about Coal Ash Fill Project

Students from Randolph College met with some members of the Concerned Citizens of Giles County on Saturday. They also visited Cumberland Park Project site. Earlier in the day, they visited Kayford Mountain in West Virginia where they learned about mountain top removal coal mining. and the Glen Lyn Power Plant. The tour was a part of the American Culture program which was focusing on the impact of using coal to generate electricity.

Clear choice for Giles County School Board

An editorial in the New River Current of The Roanoke Times today (see link "Editorial: Fly ash dirties Giles schools") calls for the Giles County School Board to make a clear choice: Either distance itself from the Giles County Partnership for Excellence or exercise its oversight responsibilities to stop the Cumberland Park Project. I couldn't have said it better!

Newspaper Articles

Extensive coverage of the issue of the Cumberland Park Project was in the New River Current section of The Roanoke Times newspaper on Tuesday, January 29. Links to these two articles can be found on the About Giles County's Fight Against Coal Waste section on the right side of this blog.

The House of Delegates Bill (HB514) is discussed in one article. This bill would have required a public hearing before Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality could issue a permit for use of coal combustion waste as structural fill but the bill died in committee already! Hopefully, the senate version will fare better.