Will Senator Rockefeller honor pro-mountain environmentalist Maria Gunnoe?

by: Carnacki

Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 12:40:10 PM EDT

Celebrations took place around the globe last week for the winners of the Goldman Prize, the largest award in the world given for environmental activism by grassroots leaders. One person is selected from each continent to receive this huge award--the Nobel Prize for today's green innovators and brave citizens who are willing to risk their lives to protect our communities and environment.

This award has nothing to do with politics. In 2006, conservative Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) lavished praise on his state's recipient Craig Williams in a beautiful tribute in the Congressional record.

Will Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) do the same? Or will he snub West Virginia heroes Maria Gunnoe, winner of the 2009 Goldman Prize, and Judy Bonds, the 2003 Goldman Prize winner, who have drawn national and international attention to the most egregious environmental and human rights violation in our country today.

Gunnoe is holding a press conference tomorrow in Charleston.

"This is really everyone's victory. We will not continue to sacrifice our culture, our people and future for energy," says Gunnoe, who serves as a community organizer for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. "We are asking the Obama Administration to give back some of what has been taken away from the people of the coal-bearing regions of Appalachia. It's time to ban mountaintop removal coal mining and give Appalachia good paying renewable energy jobs with a real future."

For the second time in six years, a West Virginia patriot has been recognized for her work to halt the devastating practice of mountaintop removal on American mountains, streams and communities--and for the second time in six years, West Virginia politicians remain strangely quiet about recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of one of their fellow citizens.

I hope the same Rockefeller who gave the strong speech against strip mining 37 years ago shows up to praise Gunnoe and calls for an end to mountaintoop removal. That Rockefeller is missed and is sorely needed today.