Author Archives: CALM

Clean Energy Nation ~ A book review by Cathy Edmiston

Posted on by

clean energy nation book cover image“Clean Energy Nation, Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels” by Congressman Jerry McNerney, PhD, and Martin Cheek, American Management Assoc. 2012

Here’s a new, well-organized plan that offers us hope in a world with problems to solve regarding our energy future.  Congressman Jerry McNerney, PhD., serving his third term in California’s 11th District is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.   He’s also served as an energy consultant for Pacific, Gas and Electric, FlowWind, and The Electric Power Research Institute.  His coauthor, Martin Cheek, a journalist of over twenty years specializes in latest developments in science and high-tech industry.

“If we could harvest only a fraction of solar radiation, human civilization could easily end its dependence on Earth’s fossil-fuel reserves,” says Author McNerney in his chapter on “The Dawn of a New Energy Era.”

“America’s Energy Past and Present,” “America’s Energy Issues” and “America’s Energy Future” are the three sections of this inspiring book, with up-to-date research on our fast developing world in regard to energy needs.  He offers some solutions in his chapter on “Energy and Transportation” and “Energy and Agriculture.”

He tells how other countries in the world are working with alternative energy.  China has 30 million homes and businesses with rooftop solar panels that heat water for showers and dishwashing.  The Japanese are well-known for manufacturing energy efficient vehicles, such as the Prius, the hybrid car that runs on both gasoline and electricity and helps save fuel by recharging a storage battery system when the driver hits the brakes.  Some of Japan’s trains use an advanced braking system to generate electricity that can be stored.  The European Wind Energy Association has a goal of providing enough electricity for 107 million households by 2020.  Author McNerney tells of many other developments in his Chapter on “Energy and the World” in the United Kingdom and Denmark, Latin America, the South Pacific and Africa.

In his Chapter on Good Government, McNerney points out the importance of “upholding fairness, openness, and truthfulness when creating national energy policies.”  “Americans want leaders in government who refuse to show favoritism toward special interests when they are creating and managing our nation’s public policy.  Our nation’s people want leaders with integrity who follow the rules of ethics and consider the facts of science when making their decisions on energy and environmental issues.  Our citizens want lawmakers who understand that their job is to secure liberty for all Americans now and in the future.  As Thomas Jefferson said in 1809, ‘”The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government.”‘  A clean-energy nation requires a clean government.  Clean government is good government.”

Reviewed by Catherine Edmiston, CALM
(This book is available in Litchfield, Hillsboro and Nokomis libraries.)

Pastors’ Coalfields Tour of Macoupin and Montgomery Counties

Posted on by

Pastors from a wide area, including Chicago, Central and Southern Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana toured various places in Macoupin and Montgomery County on  April 24-25 under the leadership of Rev. Brian Sauder, Champaign  and Rev. Dr. Claire Butterfield of “Faith in Place” in Chicago. They heard about the moral issues of coal mining and the way it is carried out in Illinois. Pastors heard from Citizens Against Longwall Mining (CALM) members in Montgomery County as well as listened to rural residents of Macoupin County who have been greatly affected by longwall mining. Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network and Heartland Coalfield Alliance members were also represented.

The tour began at Virden, Illinois where the group visited the Memorial built for miners. They then set off on the tour, which included sites of longwall mining damage, waste impoundments and streams that have been affected. Loss of farm neighbors is one of the great regrets of one Macoupin County farmer who said, “The Carlinville-Litchfield road has been rebuilt after seven years of closure, but I don’t drive it anymore because all of my neighbors are gone!”

Another farmer pointed out how the ground has dropped four or five feet from a railroad that runs through the land, which has been built up to its original height since the mining.  Large drainage ditches have been dug, in an effort to drain water, but farmers have to drive a long way around them to get to the fields they farm.  Empty farmhouses are often vandalized and have been burned down.

Jeff Biggers, author, and actor gave a program to the group at Hampton Inn following a dinner at Ruby Tuesdays in Litchfield Wednesday night. Biggers signed copies of his book, “Reckoning at Eagle Creek.” He has written a new book which is coming out in September, titled “State Out of the Union,” which he researched recently in Arizona. Biggers is also a writer for Huffington Post, and author of the book, “The United States of Appalachia.”

A Montgomery County farmer narrated a tour of Deer Run Mine area at Hillsboro on Thursday. The mine, and waste impoundment, with a high hazard dam, have been built within the city limit and within sight of Hillsboro Hospital, the prison, a nursing home, and meeting halls, as well as homes. CALM members told of permanent damage of farmland, water pollution, homes destroyed, IDNR favoring coal corporations over citizens rights, and the dragging out of law cases for years, which are some of the issues involved.

Is the City of Hillsboro Looking Out for the Best Interests of Its Residents?

Posted on by

Why would a municipality agree to pay bills of a private company when the city does not have enough financial flexibility to meet its own obligations without borrowing?

The City of Hillsboro has agreed to pay over $2 million dollars for bills of Deer Run Mine that would be reimbursed at a later time by Patton Mining.  Is this the most prudent way to use citizens’ tax revenue?  Keep in mind that the mine has already received tax breaks by being in the Enterprise Zone.

This conflicting arrangement should never have happened.  For the City to appropriate approximately 30 percent of its working budget to subsidize Deer Run Mine’s obligations is fiscally irresponsible and establishes a dangerous precedent. How can the City demand that the mine follow critical safety issues when in reality it is a quasi-partner with the mine? The City has placed itself in a very vulnerable position and its residents even more so.

The dates when the loan repayments are made should be made public and interest should be paid to the City based on current rates.  The City is having major financial problems; Deer Run Mine, owned by billionaire Chris Cline, is not.

The community’s interests have not been protected in other ways. The airport was sold to Hillsboro Energy LLC on January 9, 2008 for $350,000 with the stipulation that a replacement facility be provided within 10 years or before the present airport is decommissioned – which has already happened. What is the status of a new airport?  Hillsboro citizens would certainly like to know.

Local roads, including Route 185, are experiencing heavy use by mine trucks and will be subjected to subsidence.  Roads surrounding the mine have been particularly affected, but the expense of repair is not necessarily the responsibility of the mine.  Patton Mining is paying for the materials needed to repair the road south of Kink’s Corner, but the county is supplying the labor.  The cost of future road repair can be illustrated by the resurfacing of Red Ball Trail for $1.2 Million.   The county pays $333,000, grants cover approximately $700,000, Ameren $280,000; so it is ultimately the tax payer who will bear the burden, not the mine.

So, what do you think?  Is the City of Hillsboro looking out for the best interests of its residents?

Can Hillsboro Afford the Money Drain of Deer Run Mine?

Posted on by

Mining coal brings in millions of dollars in profits for out of state coal companies – but how much of that actually benefits the Illinois communities where coal is mined? The city of Hillsboro – where a West Virginia coal company has begun work on the massive new Deer Run mine – is concerned about the lack of funds available to manage its financial obligations. The city’s finance Commissioner, Richard Small has suggested possible ways to increase revenue including a sales tax increase, a telecommunication tax on cell phones and landlines, and phasing out extra benefit perks for employees and volunteers.

With Hillsboro’s obvious cash flow problem, it is puzzling why the city has paid over $1.6 million in 2011 for bills of Deer Run Mine. For example, at the December 13, 2011 City Council meeting, it was decided to borrow $52,000 for a scheduled water tower payment, but the commissioners voted to pay a $139,050 bill for the mine. In 2009, when the Hillsboro Zoning Board of Appeals amended the land use plan to allow underground coal mining, the stated reason for the zoning change was “… to promote economic growth of the community, conserve property values, and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City of Hillsboro, Illinois…” Instead, the mine has become a financial drain on the area, becoming a prime example of what should not be allowed to happen when a new coal mine comes into a community.

While the Hillsboro area is suffering financially,  billionaire Chris Cline, owner of Foresight Energy Partners and Deer Run Mine, has filed an initial public offering that is expected to bring in over $100 million. Meanwhile, the people of Montgomery County are being paid a pittance for the coal under their feet. The coal rights for over 200 million tons of coal reserves were sold by Montgomery County Board to an affiliate of the Cline Group, in December, 2004 for only $7.2 million, which then turned around and resold those coal rights to another Cline affiliate for $255 million. It is more than a tragedy that our community has been so misled.

The city and county leaders are promoting Deer Run Mine with the cooperation from the Office of Mines and Minerals and Office of Water Resources in the Department of Natural Resources. The mine has been given free range to make profits and grow. So citizens of Hillsboro, we must defend our community and quality of life for our children and grandchildren. Our government and regulatory agencies have not done their job to protect us.

Before it’s too late, request a public hearing on the Deer Run high hazard dam!

Posted on by

High hazard coal slurry impoundment in Macoupin County.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals has given approval to the Deer Run Mine to build a high hazard coal slurry impoundment within the city limits of Hillsboro without adequate public input such as holding a public hearing.
High hazard coal slurry impoundment in Macoupin County.

The coal slurry impoundment will be over 80 feet high and over a mile long on each side, and it will contain toxic coal waste containing heavy metals and other harmful pollution.

Before it’s too late, the Office of Water Resources (OWR) needs to hear from you. Please request a public hearing with OWR regarding whether Deer Run Mine should be allowed to construct a high hazard coal slurry dam within the city limits of Hillsboro.

Follow this link to see example letters from local citizens.