Previous Actions

Lexington, KY- Early this morning, Kentucky Mountain Justice organizers made a bold statement about the proposed "Wildcat Coal Lodge" by hanging a banner from Memorial Coliseum. The banner, reading 'University of Coal? Or University of Kentucky?', along with the Mountain Justice website, criticized a recent decision by UK's housing board to accept "Coal" in the name of a new athletics facility.

Coal River Valley residents and supporters associated with Mountain Justice and Climate Ground Zero delivered a letter to Governor's Manchin's office in the State Capitol building. The statement from Coal River Valley residents called on Manchin to use his executive powers to halt mountaintop removal mining operations on Coal River Mountain, one of the last intact mountains remaining in the Coal River Valley area.

Seven protestors, ages 18 to 22, were arrested in a sit-in at Governor Manchin’s State Capitol office. They were cited with misdemeanor trespassing and obstruction for refusing to leave the office at closing time.

Concerned citizens nationwide rallied together at regional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters for National Days of Action protesting mountaintop-removal coal mining (MTR). Demonstrations took place in Atlanta, New York, Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, DC.

Photo: Eric Loftis

Pedestrians walking around downtown on Sunday were met with the songs and rhythms of an activist parade targeted at the coal industry and Tennessee Valley Authority. Organizers with environmental groups Mountain Justice, United Mountain Defense, and Three Rivers Earth First! paraded through the streets of downtown Knoxville, with a headcount of nearly 100 participants. The musical parade marched around the TVA headquarters and the John J. Duncan Federal Building, which houses the Office of Surface Mining environmental regulator.

Photo: Jamie Goodman

Mountain Justice joined with the residents of Coal River Valley at Marsh Fork Elementary School in Raleigh County, WV for a rally and to deliver a list of demands to Massey Energy. Thirty-one were arrested including Goldman Environmental Prize winner, Judy Bonds, dozens of coal field residents, 94-year-old former U.S. Congressman Ken Hechler, NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen, and actor/activist Daryl Hannah.

Photo: Margaret Killjoy

More than seventy-five residents of the Coal River Valley and members of a coalition that includes Mountain Justice and Climate Ground Zero picketed the entrance to Massey Energy's Marfork mining complex today at noon. Seven people were arrested. The actions were in protest of the company's plans to blast 100 feet away from the Brushy Fork coal sludge impoundment.

Two people wearing hazmat suits and respirators were arrested after boating onto the Brushy Fork impoundment and floating a banner that read, "No More Toxic Sludge." At a third action, six activists hung a "Never Again" banner and chained themselves to a massive dump truck on a Patriot Coal-owned mountaintop removal mine on Kayford Mountain.

On the morning of March 20th, 2009 a small crew of Mountain Justice and Earth First! activists from Florida and Appalachia disrupted the lobby of the Bank of America branch in downtown Sarasota Florida to protest BoA's continued funding of mountaintop removal coal mining and the construction of new coal-fired power plants despite recent claims of environmental concern. While several folks distributed informational hand-outs about BoA's investments in coal to tellers and account-holders, one individual played bluegrass banjo to celebrate the culture of the Appalachian region that BoA's investments so threaten. The activists' signs read 'Bank of America: still funding coal, killing communities.'

Local residents joined dozens of activists from across the country today in a demonstration at the Tennessee Valley Authority's headquarters, which resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals, after participating in a "die in" in front of the building . This event was held to in solidarity with communities affected by the destructive impacts of Mountaintop Removal coal mining and the surivors of the recent coal ash disaster in Harriman.

Protesters from across the country join Wise County VA residents to oppose power plant's impact on environment and health, and to demand a clean energy future.

Ten activists locked down to steel barrels and other devices to blockade two gates at the site.

This action was organized by Mountain Justice, Blue Ridge Earth First!, Rainforest Action Network, Asheville Rising Tide, and Students for Democratic Society.

Residents of coal-impacted communities throughout Tennessee and Appalachia took a stand today for the mountains of East Tennessee by marching on Zeb Mountain, a surface mining site owned by Knoxville-based National Coal Corporation. In the tradition of American Civil Disobedience, the march, organized by United Mountain Defense, Mountain Justice, and Three Rivers Earth First!, included a diversity of coal-impacted citizens ranging from hunters fighting for the state’s wildlife to religious leaders promoting environmental stewardship

Nearly fifty protesters gathered in opposition to a new coal project in Massachusetts, donning haz-mat suits and delivering a pile of coal while displaying "global warming crime scene" caution tape on the front steps of the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs at 100 Cambridge Street in Boston. The office has recently dismissed an appeal of the state's approval for a coal gasification project in Somerset, MA.

On the morning on June 30, 2008 activists with Blue Ridge Earth First! (BREF!) and Mountain Justice (MJ) blockaded the entrance to Dominion's corporate headquarters on Tredegar St. in Downtown Richmond. They were protesting Dominion's promotion of new coal and nuclear facilities as solutions to climate change. The blockade consists of four activists locked to a weighted barrel and a fifth suspended above the road.

On April 1, 2008, Fossil Fools Day, activists throughout the world joined together in hundreds of autonomous actions against the fossil fuel industry and thier facilitators.

On March 11, 2008, Action Jackson, this time accompanied by Blue Ridge Earth First!, protested yet another Bank of America as part of Mountain Justice's sustained campaign to pressure BoA to divest from coal.

Today's event in Blacksburg Virginia included 8 musicians and activists. Interactions with the employees and customers were, for the most part, very positive. One bank employee even wished us well and thanked us for stopping by, even though she didn't seem to fully understand what was happening.

Mountain Justice Blacksburg meets AEP CEO Michael Morris
Virginia Tech, February 18, 2008

Mountain Justice Blacksburg along with the Concerned Citizens of Giles County met AEP CEO Michael Morris with critical questions during AEP's latest University Listening Tour.

Check out the video to see well articulated and poignant questions about energy production and coal. Michael Morris seems to totally miss the point. He didn't come to listen, he came to indoctrinate students with clean coal lies! Mountain Justice bring an intelligent argument and exposes the evils of the coal industry.

On October 19th and 20th, as the 'Coal Quality '05' Expo took place in Huntington, local community members took the opportunity to stand in solidarity with their neighbors in the coalfields, just an hour south of the city.

This morning, a dedicated group of citizens reclaimed Zeb Mountain in Campbell County,TN, from National Coal, an ecologically destructive Tennessee mining company.

Hundreds of people converged on the steps of the capitol building in Charleston Saturday to learn about and voice their opposition to Mountaintop Removal coal mining. The atmosphere of the rally was similar to a festival throughout the varied line-up of speakers and performers.

From July 19 through the 21st Coal River Valley residents and concerned people from around the globe came together to oppose Mountaintop Removal coal mining in the heart of MTR country. Each day highlighted a different site and a different atrocity perpetrated on the people of West Virginia by Massey Energy. From toxic dust storms and community displacement to enormous leaking dams, this 15 mile stretch of Rt. 3 has seen the full range of devastation brought on by a Massey MTR site.

Protest targets Massey 300 demonstrators rallied against the coal company's practices in Appalachia.

At approximately 2:30 pm, Governor Joe Manchin granted an impromptu meeting with Ed Wiley, grandfather of a Marsh Fork Elementary School Student. Ed Wiley, who went on a hunger strike earlier this morning, vowed to remain on the Capitol steps until the Governor addressed his concerns regarding the health and safety of the students of Marsh Fork Elementary School.

Concerned parents and other citizens of Coal River Valley, West Virginia, with support from Mountain Justice participants, today delivered a list of demands to Massey Energy's headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, insisting that Massey respond. The citizens are demanding that Massey shut down its preparation plant, coal silo, 1,849-acre mountaintop removal coal mine and 2.8 billion-gallon coal sludge dam—a toxic waste storage facility—at the kindergarten through fifth-grade school.

Kentucky Coal Association president Bill Caylor, left, tasted a small amount of coal slurry, brought to him by a group from the "Rally to End Mountain Top Removal Mining" a protest that was being held at Triangle Park.

Approximately 45 activists surprised the first-ever shareholders meeting of Knoxville-based National Coal Corporation, at the Holiday Inn Select in west Knoxville.

The procession, which included a marching band, a bear costume and other animals. Protestors demanded that National Coal stop mountaintop removal mining, while distributing informational flyers to shareholders.3 activists were arrested and slapped with a $46,000 bail.