Appalachians Get Zero Hope or Change in the President's State of the Union Address

The number of times president Obama mentioned in his State of the Union Address the chemical spill in West Virginia’s Elk River that denied drinking water to 300,000 residents: 0

The number of times that the president talked about mountaintop removal: 0

I admit that this administration has an uphill battle against big business, King Coal, and the GOP. But if you’ve got a “pen and a telephone,” as the president says, maybe you could write up an executive order or two or make a phone call or two to help the folks in Appalachia.

The amount of hope and change promised to Appalachians by the president last night

A Great Idea: Invite Maria Gunnoe to the State of the Union Address

This is a really great idea. Annie Leonard, who became well known for her Story of Stuff critique of consumerism, says in answer to the New York Times’ “Room for Debate” question “Who Should be Invited to the State of the Union?” that Maria Gunnoe, the noted mountaintop removal activist and one of the 300,000 West Virginia residents who were left without water from the Freedom Industries chemical spill, should be among the president’s guests.

Mr. President, invite Maria Gunnoe to your State of the Union Address.

Leonard points out, rightly, that having Gunnoe as an invited guest to the State of the Union Address would, “point to the urgent need to reform both our antiquated chemicals policy—the compound that was spilled was not regulated by state or federal law—and our energy policy, which must quickly achieve a transition to clean, renewable sources.”

            In 2009 Gunnoe received Goldman Environmental Prize. She also received the prestigious Raoul Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan in 2012. Gunnoe received the Wallenberg award, given to individuals who have worked against great odds for peace and human dignity, for her years of work organizing against mountaintop removal. Besides highlighting the chemical spill, her presence at the president’s speech would point up this holocaust that is devastating Appalachia and the lives of Appalachians.