BLUE HILL–When Larry Gibson used to see someone taking a photo of the mountains of Appalachia, he’d ask “Why?… The mountains would always be there.” But he was wrong. Four hundred seventy mountains have already been destroyed. Coal companies use explosives to blow up the tops of the mountains and dump the rock, or overburden, into the valleys. The companies extract coal from the open seam and then repeat the process, using more explosives to expose another seam. What were once the smallest mountains are now among the highest.

This coal-extraction process has consequences beyond dramatically changing the scenery. It has increased flooding in Appalachia and polluted waters with toxic sludge. Peninsula Peace & Justice will show a documentary film that details the issues around mountaintop removal in West Virginia, titled “Black Diamonds: Mountaintop Removal and the Fight for Coalfield Justice.” *The film will be at the Blue Hill Public Library on July 25 at 7 p.m. Teri Blanton, an activist in Kentucky, will join the post-film discussion. Blanton will be the keynote speaker at the WERU Full Circle Fair the following day.

Other upcoming films in Peninsula Peace & Justice’s monthly film series will be “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song” on August 22 and “Our Brand is Crisis,” about the marketing of political candidates in Bolivia by James Carville and company, on September 19. All are welcome to attend the film showings. Info: 326-4405.

Teri Blanton

“When you blow up the most ancient mountains on earth, and call it cheap energy what does that say for us as a people?” In the hills of Kentucky coal country, Teri Blanton is a voice of change. An active member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Teri’s personal mission is to reach out to her community about the issue of mountaintop removal mining, “My goal is to help the people to find their own voice, and to let them know that they are not alone.” Teri has most certainly done that, empowering citizens across the region to protect their health, safety, and property.