Appalachian Public Interest Environmental Law (APIEL) conference
THIS years topics include:
APIEL is modeled on the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) established in Eugene, Oregon, where once a year lawyers, law students, activists, scientists, funders, and media come from around the planet to be a part of the nation's leading annual environmental law convergence.
See the full schedule at the APIEL website www.apiel.com
Register Today to attend APIEL 2011!

Buy Pumpkins to Support United Mountain Defense!
Messiah Lutheran Church is holding their annual Pumpkin Sale from now until the end of October 2011 and a portion of the proceeds is being donated to United Mountain Defense. We are so EXCITED!! Messiah Lutheran Church is located at 6900 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, TN near Papermill Road in West Knoxville.
They have all sizes of pumpkins from little bitty to two arms full. Please stop by from 10am to dusk and pick up a free copy of the Mountain Defender newspaper and sign up for the United Mountain Defense email list serve when you purchase a pumpkin or join us every Tuesday night @7pm for our weekly volunteer meetings upstairs at Barley’s Restaurant at 200 East Jackson Ave in the Old City, Knoxville, TN.
On Friday Sept 16, 2011 volunteers with United Mountain Defense and Mountain Justice set up a scientific research station in Campbell County, TN adjacent to Davis Creek Energy Mine Area #1 (OSM permit #3207, NPDES #TN0069248) on private property. This station was established in an effort to collect data about several coal mines in the immediate vicinity and their impacts on air and water quality. Volunteers at the station will record rain fall, wind speed, wind direction, blasting, and water quality along Davis Creek, Wolf Branch, Hogcamp Branch and other locations as well. Volunteers plan to be in the field each day collecting data and will be recording it on our blog, coalmineresearch.blogspot.com.
Elevation 1379 feet
GPS location
36 29 18.5
-84 03 12.8
Approximate location of Davis Creek Research Station on a map:
(scale is 1" for 400 feet)
For more information, including some of the data collected so far, visit the Davis Creek Research Station Blog.
We are also looking for volunteers to help out with staffing the research station. If you would like to help out please contact mattlandon2001@yahoo.com or umdvolunteerhouse@gmail.com or come to the United Mountain Defense weekly volunteer meetings every Tuesday night at 7pm upstairs at Barleys Resturant located at 200 East Jackson Street in Old City, Knoxville, TN.
Demand stronger oil and gas regulations in Tennessee!
at the
Oil and Gas Board meeting
August 25, 2011
New regulations governing oil and gas drilling in Tennessee will be reviewed and voted on by the Oil and Gas board on August 25. Come out and voice your support for more protection for people and the environment!
The Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation worked closely with the industry (see the link below) to write the first draft of the regulations. United Mountain Defense and other groups worked hard to turn out nearly 200 people to public hearings this spring - all of whom spoke in favor of stronger environmental regulation.
After reviewing the comments, TDEC actually weakened the proposed rules.
Tennessee currently has no restrictions on hydrofracking. TDEC’s first set of revised regulations did not address this issue and instead of listening to public concerns about hydrofracking, TDEC has chosen to further weaken the rules.
We need everyone to come speak with one loud voice at the Oil and Gas board meeting! We want more, stronger protections for worker safety, community health, and the environment.
What: Press Conference and Oil and Gas Board Meeting
When: Thursday, August 25 starting at 8:30 a.m
Where: TDEC office at 3711 Middlebrook Pike Knoxville, TN
How to Participate: Please come speak at the Oil and Gas Board Meeting – show the board that the public will not be ignored! Talking points will be available - but even if you don't plan to speak, it's important to show up and let the Board know that the public is watching!
Open call/public exhibition: The Mountain Defender, an annual publication of United Mountain Defense, announces a call to artists for public showing and possible publication in our next issue (circulation: 20,000).
We’re looking for 2D work that speaks to our theme, “Breaking the Chains, Building the Future.” This edition will focus on moving beyond dirty energy and looking to a clean energy future in Tennessee. Our publication has a local focus, with a wider regional focus of
the Appalachian region. Our mission is to protect Tennessee’s watersheds, air, mountains and people. Particularly, we focus on issues of mountaintop removal coal mining, but we also work on oil, gas and nuclear issues, as well as promote clean energy.
We’d like highly evocative original work in any 2D medium. All submissions will be exhibited at a local gallery in a public showing, and we will hold a public voting for our centerfold, cover and back cover images. We ask that all submissions be received in physical format. If you must submit digitally, please include a $10 submission fee; checks should be written to United Mountain Defense.
We encourage artists to donate their work for a public auction fundraiser.
Please adhere to the following dimensions: for consideration for front or back cover, 10 ½” x 11 1/8” with no more than ½” border (photography is encouraged for front cover). For consideration for centerfold, 21” by 11 1/8” with no more than ½” border.
Deadline: August 31
To submit, please contact Holly Haworth to schedule a drop‐off. She can be reached at olmountaingal@gmail.com or (865) 266.9376. You may also call or e.mail with questions.
Please donate to help support the United Mountain Defense Volunteer House!
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United Mountain Defense has been working in East Tennessee and across Appalachia on coal related issues since 2005 and oil and gas issues since November 2010. Nearly 300 visitors and interns have come through the volunteer house since we've had it, starting in November 2007.
The United Mountain Defense Volunteer House provides an office space, a storage space, a meeting space and a living space for people to come to East Tennessee to help United Mountain Defense protect the people and environment of Tennessee. Since the house is a home for interns and an office, there are bills that need to be paid. These bills include phone, electricity, water, internet, and general house repairs. We need $3,300 per year to cover the expenses of running the volunteer house/office. Can you please help? |
Telephone--$720 per year
Water--$420 per year
Electric-- $1,200 per year
Internet-- $840 per year.
