Mountain State Matters

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported yesterday that the North Carolina General Assembly will hear a proposal to halt the state’s use of coal obtained through mountaintop removal.

“Mountaintop removal coal mining presents a clear and present danger to the Appalachian Mountains, which are home to a vibrant and indelible culture, stunning biodiversity and enormous economic potential,” said Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, the bill’s sponsor.”

Apparently nine of the state’s power plants get their coal from mountaintop removal. I have no idea if the bill will pass, but check out I Love Mountains to find out if your electricity is also coming from mountaintop removal.

The New York Times had a front page article today on clean coal…and how the industry seems to have slowed moving forward on the technology.

President Bush is for it, and indeed has spent years talking up the virtues of “clean coal.” All three candidates to succeed him favor the approach. So do many other members of Congress. Coal companies are for it. Many environmentalists favor it. Utility executives are practically begging for the technology.

But it has become clear in recent months that the nation’s effort to develop the technique is lagging badly.

In January, the government canceled its support for what was supposed to be a showcase project, a plant at a carefully chosen site in Illinois where there was coal, access to the power grid, and soil underfoot that backers said could hold the carbon dioxide for eons.

Perhaps worse, in the last few months, utility projects in Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, Minnesota and Washington State that would have made it easier to capture carbon dioxide have all been canceled or thrown into regulatory limbo.

True, this is a story in the business section, but I know few (or no) environmentalists who are into clean coal. The whole concept is basically a blind to make people think that coal could ever be environmentally friendly. If the industry is slowing down, it may be a reluctance to invest more money in something that doesn’t offer a long-term environmentally-viable solution. But probably not. It probably means people are questioning the profitability of clean coal.

The Charleston Gazette reported today that smaller hospitals in West Virginia want to be able to offer heart procedures–and they’re meeting resistance from three of the state’s large hospitals that offer the surgery. Currently, only six hospitals in the entire state offer open heart surgery.

The issue has become contentious, in part because heart catheterizations are one of the few profit-making services that hospitals offer.

In letters to the Health Care Authority, executives at large hospitals said they’ve invested millions of dollars in catheterization labs to diagnose and treat heart disease. They predict they’ll lose patients to nearby hospitals that duplicate services.

For instance, Wheeling Hospital, which offers open-heart bypass surgery, would have to compete with hospitals only a few miles away, if Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial Hospital started to offer life-saving catheterizations.

“Creating duplicative programs at hospitals across town will do nothing to increase access, will do everything to increase costs and, most important, will decrease quality,” wrote Wheeling Hospital Chief Executive Officer Ron Violi last week.

True, but what about the rest of the state? The Wheeling area is pretty heavily populated (by West Virginia standards) and is right by both Ohio and Pennsylvania. Currently, Charleston is the southernmost city in the state offering heart surgery (there are two hospitals offering procedures there). Wouldn’t it, in fact, improve access to care to allow smaller hospitals in smaller cities to do the surgery as well?

If hospitals in Princeton, Bluefield, Beckley, Welch, Williamson and Lewisburg could all perform heart surgery, at least the costs of having to airlift heart attack patients to Charleston would be eliminated. I have no idea how legitimate Violi’s concerns about quality are, but if it is a legitimate concern maybe having qualified surgeons staffing the state’s hospitals should be a priority. You can check out West Virginia health stats here…they aren’t really uplifting.

Photo by: Graf3000

The death of a man from Connecticut on Sunday marks the third whitewater rafting fatality in West Virginia in a week. Whitewater rafting is amazing, and is something that West Virginia is known for (the Gauley River is one of the best advanced whitewater rivers in the country), but carries a ton of risks. In case you’re lucky enough to get the chance to raft (whether in W.Va. or elsewhere) here are some safety tips, with help from essortment.com.

1. There are a ton of rafting companies operating near whitewater rivers. Therefore, you have a choice where to spend your (large amounts of) money. Check safety records, whether you have to go to the owner of the company or local authorities.

2. This should be obvious, but don’t go without a professional guide. Most people can’t get away with jumping into the river with a rubber raft. You’ll probably die.

3. Make sure you get the proper safety equipment when you get on the raft. You should definitely have a Coast Guard Approved life jacket that fits snugly. Helmets are also a very good idea, though not required by law.

4. Wear shoes. I know you’re in the water, but find some sandals or old sneakers that you don’t mind getting wet. If you get out of the boat, you’ll need something to protect your feet.

5. Choose a trip that’s appropriate for your skill level. If it’s your first time on a raft or your swimming skills are questionable, don’t go on an advanced trip. Also make sure to tell your guide that you’re a beginner at the beginning of the trip.

For a bunch of instructional videos on whitewater rafting, check out the selection at Expert Village.

Photo by: James Sullivan

Child abuse is a huge problem in the United States, and West Virginia is no exception. In fact, in 2005 (the last year for which data was available) WV had the highest child abuse referral rate in the nation–about one referral for every 10 children. The same year, West Virginia also had the second-highest child death rate from abuse and neglect.

How can one recognize the signs of child abuse and do something about it? In the video below, Emily Chittenden, an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the Child and Youth Advocacy Center in Lewisburg, WV, answers those questions.

Let’s talk about moonshine.

This potent beverage, also known as “white lightening,” “’shine,” “corn likker” and “rotgut” is still technically illegal in the United States. It used to be brewed in the light of the moon, hence the name, in old-fashioned moonshine stills (like in the picture). Today, however, it’s just as likely to be brewed in someone’s kitchen. Depending on the distiller’s taste, you can get many flavors, ranging from apple to cherry to peach.

The truth is though, that moonshine tastes like very strong liquor, regardless of the flavor. So why the allure? Is it a desire to get drunker while drinking less, or curiosity about moonshine? It sure isn’t cheap to buy, and will definitely set you back more than a cheap bottle of vodka.

A recent article in the Knoxville Voice addresses the mystique surrounding moonshine. The whole article is really interesting, but here’s a snippet:

The average jar of moonshine ranges between 90- and 140-proof. The masters say once beyond the 100-proof level, 50 percent alcohol content, the fun component begins to wane and the headaches increase exponentially. Everclear grain alcohol is sold at 190-proof. Southern Comfort whiskey is 100-proof. Moonshine can be made stronger than those, but it usually isn’t. Even if it were, most wouldn’t want to drink it, as it would contain a flavor similar to lighter fluid — which it practically is; 190-proof alcohol is highly flammable.

Although I couldn’t find the fabled land of moonshine bars and open stills, I’ve still seen plenty of jars passed around at parties and gatherings in the area. So why do some go to the trouble of obtaining it, paying cash and risking arrest or fine? Why do people still risk everything they have to make it?

“Right now, there’s a whole lot of nostalgia involved,” says Stephen Feinstein, East Tennessee moonshine maker and historian. “My grandfather did it. He got sick, but then his uncle was one of the largest bootleggers in Nashville. It’s a family thing, and it’s very important to me. My grandfather was a legend, and that’s why I got into the whiskey.”

And that is a common answer: People who make moonshine are celebrating their family’s history and culture. Perhaps people who drink moonshine want a piece of that history, want to be a part of that narrative.

“People buy it now out of curiosity,” says Feinstein. “People call other people to say ‘I got moonshine.’ It’s expensive, but people want to say they have it. I don’t think most of them like it. Some just buy it to have it at a party. It’s the allure.”

For anyone who wants to try their hand at manufacturing it, here’s a convenient video from YouTube. I’m not a huge fan of the music choice (”Banana Boat Song” and “Eye of the Tiger,”) and I have no idea how accurate it is, but I suppose there’s only one way to find out.

Photo by: Bluegrass Annie

The United Mine Workers of America endorsed Obama today. This follows Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s (D-W.Va.) Obama endorsement yesterday and Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-W.Va.) in February.

I wonder if the UMWA’s endorsement will help Obama’s popularity in a state in which he was so soundly defeated.

The state’s second coal mining death of 2008 happened this Saturday when Nathan Dove, 24, was killed in Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine in Logan County. Dove was electrocuted, and preliminary investigations suggest that he cut a live cable.

This is the same mine in which two miners died in early 2006, immediately following the tragedy at Sago.

In the Pump Handle, a blog about public health, Celeste Monforton addressed the issue yesterday, noting that Aracoma Alma No. 1, a Massey mine, received a safety award about a month ago. Yet, just a year ago MSHA fined the mine $1.5 million. Hmm…

From the Pump Handle:

In my post, “Safety Awards Gone Bad”, I reminded readers that just one year ago, MSHA issued a record-setting $1.5 million penalty against Massey for its ”reckless disregard for safety” in the disaster which killed Bragg and Hatfield. Between January 1, 2006 and April 1, 2008, this mine has been cited for nearly 1,200 violations of MSHA health and safety standards, with 665 of them designated “serious and substantial.” Moreover, this Massey operation has been assessed more than $2,226,000 in monetary penalties, and they’ve only paid $35,651. The vast majority of the violations are being contested, including the dozens of penalties associated with the Aracoma Alma disaster which are classified as “reckless disregard” for miners’ safety.

One of the most common things you’ll hear when talking to a West Virginian about the state is that the young people all move out. Indeed, West Virginia has a hard time holding onto its population, which is perhaps why 15.3 percent of the state was over age 65 in 2006 (the U.S. average is 12.4 percent). That number is closely tied to the economy; if there are no jobs, it’s hard for people to justify remaining in the town they grew up in. In a Wall Street Journal report last December, West Virginia had a 0.2 percent population growth between 2006 and 2007. This is far from the giants in the west that grew anywhere from 2.5 to 2.9 percent, but it’s not at the bottom of the list either (Michigan and Rhode Island had negative growth).

The thing about West Virginia is that even when locals move away, they always want to go back. I’ve heard that it’s something in the water. A New York Times article, written two years ago, does a pretty good job of talking about the efflux of people from the state. Even better, the accompanying multimedia piece tells the story of three West Virginians who left but ultimately came home.

Photo by: Carol von Canon

In the first of a several-part series about some West Virginia (specifically Wyoming County, in the southern coalfields) folklore, below is a recording of Bugs Stover telling the tale of the Wyoming County Courthouse Ghost.

Bugs is the county’s Circuit Clerk, and knows more about local legends than anyone else I’ve come into contact with. He collects the stories of others and tells them around a campfire at Twin Falls State Park when the weather is warm. He’s a wonderful guy, and a great storyteller. More from him next week…I’ve got a recording of him telling the tale of the Poke Gap Monster.

Please excuse the quality of the recording–it’s not great because I was in a public place. The transcription of the story is below, too.

Download Bugs Stover–The Courthouse Ghost

Transcript:

In 1935, the circuit clerk of Wyoming County, for whatever reason, turned up a bottle of carbolic acid, a pint jar, and drank enough to end up killing himself. It dissolves your insides. He was a likeable guy—everybody liked him and would bring things to him. Moonshine or elderberry wine or apple cider. Just bring things. And he was friendly and young and 30-some and quite popular. And there was speculation of why he did this. It was, of course, in the heights of the Great Depression and the Republican Party was in a collapse. In fact, he is the last Republican clerk until me…from 1935 when he died until now.

The two speculations are that he was just sad and ended up committing suicide, and the newspaper articles don’t use that word, but they do imply it. The other thing is that they were getting ready to build a road through a little town in this county called John McGraws. There was a 100-and-some thousand dollars worth, and most of that money ended up disappearing. And there’s some speculation that he knew it, knew who did it, or participated in it, or didn’t but knew about it, and was about to come clean and someone killed him. And if you’re a guy who simply appears one day and there’s a pint jar on your desk and that’s just normal and you turn it up and drink a little moonshine out of it. But he turned up and drank enough what he thought was moonshine, which would burn going down anyway and it turned out to be carbolic acid. And he ran out into the courtroom and apparently died in his wife’s arms…she was the assistant clerk that was in the courtroom that day.

Which is a neat little story, but didn’t end there. Because almost immediately, employees began to hear things moving around the courtroom, both in the upstairs where I am now, and in the courtroom itself. Doors would open, people would walk, some folks even claimed to have heard someone screaming in pain and dashing about. That’s been going on ever since.

In fact, in the 1970s, I was here at a political meeting about clean government or something—I was a fairly young guy. The door burst open and I looked up and didn’t see anyone. We were sitting out in the courtroom. And I assumed because I didn’t see anyone and the door burst open that they had gone out. So I asked a man who was sitting there, Mr. Moler, who was quite a colorful figure, an attorney and former prosecuter, and said ‘Mr. Moler, who just left in such a tizzy?’ And he goes, ‘Aw, no one left, that was just the courthouse ghost!’ That was my first understanding, but people don’t even react much to it now.

But anyway, it did happen and is still said to have occurred. And I still hang around here on the, maybe it was January 18, I’m don’t remember the date for sure without looking it up, but I always anticipate that date and hang around a little bit. We do have some odd things occur around that date. The phone will ring, no one’s on it. You hear people walking, but you know, I’m not sure it’s any more than other times too, those kind of things occur. I don’t know anyone who’s actually walked up and had a conversation with it. But the rumor persists that the courthouse ghost still haunts the courthouse. So that would seem to imply that he probably hadn’t committed suicide, but someone had got to him and he needs to have that solved, I guess.