Centralia, Pennsylvania -- Making Headlines Maybe for the Last Time

Good morning Greenies! Many of you know that Matt and I visited the dying & burning town of Centralia, Pennsylvania last summer as part of a weekend road trip to see Jason and Dave Matthews Band play Hershey Park Stadium. The town of Centralia completely mystified both of us as we had heard about it years before and we knew that time was running out to have the chance to see it for ourselves. So when the opportunity, to not only catch two of our favorite acts together on one stage but also visit this town that was only about an hour away from Hershey, presented itself last summer we couldn’t pass it up.

Now I’m really glad we didn’t.

This morning on Yahoo one of the top stories is the fact that the last five residents of the town (yes you read that correctly, only five left) are finally being forced out and their houses are being demolished. When Matt and I visited last summer there were still eleven people living in town.

Six homes evacuated and demolished in six months? There has got to be something pretty major going on there huh?

There is.

In the 1960’s an abandoned mine was used as a garbage burning station. In a strange twist of fate the flames ignited some veins of coal and the fire began to slowly burn out the coal running underground this town. Since then the main road was shut down and diverted due to massive heaves and veins opening on the surface of the pavement, enormous sink holes have been created all around town, residents became sick from carbon monoxide poisoning, and now every resident has been told it is indeed time to go.

There is a certain eerie double edged sword in this and I decided to film a very rough, first timer’s documentary short on the town and the subject of its problem last year. Please feel free to check it out and I recommend reading up on the story, not to mention getting there quick if you intend to check it out as I have suspicions it will not be allowed for very much longer.

The Centralia PA Documentary Short

I filmed about thirty minutes of video during our travels through Centralia, PA and really wanted to put together a nice documentary about the town (or borough as I have recently been informed, sorry!). This is the final video in its entirety after editing. I think I found a new love, documentary filmmaking is really kind of fun. Next time I will try not to be so monotone though, sorry!

The website I used to create this video, One True Media, is cool. My mom introduced me to it and I suggest checking it out if you are a beginner like me, it is fairly simple to navigate and edit video, photos and text slides into one nice, neat movie.

Without further ado, here is my short film:

Centralia, Pennsylvania: A City Consumed by Invisible Flames

From Burning Coal to Wind Power: A Weekend in PA Part II

Locust Ridge Wind Farm

After leaving Centralia we headed up the ridge to find the turbines we had seen the day before from the highway on the way in. What I never expected to find was that the project was so large or so accessible!

The Locust Ridge Wind Farm is a project consisting of approximately 51 turbines including 13 which were already put in place two years ago during the first phase of this extensive project. The ground covered by the entire project stretches over 10 miles which is why it is not only visible from the highway but from the back roads as well.

I snapped this shot on the way up the mountain. I am calling it my “money shot” because I feel it fully encapsulates rural Pennsylvania’s efforts to be environmentally responsible through the addition of this wind farm.


Once we arrived at the site there was a small entrance on the right. We are natural explorers so since the no trespassing sign was long worn we figured it was no big deal to check it out. Hey I’m a journalist after all!

Here is a shot that gives the idea of the scale of these babies from the ground. I have pointed out the top of Matt’s head; the full blade doesn’t even make it into the picture.

Iberdrola Renewables is the company behind the wind project which is slated to provide power to over 20,000 homes. Cool! This company is fairly innovative in their approach as they don’t just provide electricity but also natural gas, natural gas storage and energy plans to their rapidly growing customer base. They currently operate in 23 countries world wide and can supply their clean energy to over 800,000 people in the US alone.

Locust Ridge was the first wind farm Iberdrola initiated in the United States.

This project at Locust Ridge was only completed within the last year but the turbines are spinning and energy is being stored to provide a new and renewable, natural resource of power to the people of Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania. And they are certainly impressive to look at.

One of the communities who could take advantage of the 70,000 megawatt hours of power produced by this farm is Pottsville, the very town we stayed in this past weekend. After driving around the general geographic area for a couple days it is clear there are a vast number of valleys with homes and the rising ridges above them which could certainly benefit from such a resource.

With such a small footprint (only 150 square miles out of 5700 is actually utilized for the placement of the turbines) power could conceivably be supplied to all homes in the great state of Pennsylvania! And this is only one farm in one state; similar projects and those even larger are all over the country now.

As we were leaving the base of the turbine Matt said something so right on I had to write it down and quote him here:

“Pennsylvania is clearly making up for its dirty industrial past in places like Centralia with a Green future with this wind farm.”

Yes, they certainly are.

Why not check to see if your power company can get its supply from wind power and switch today? To see if Iberdrola supplies your company’s power check out this page. If they do not serve your area call your power company and ask! The more of us who request these natural resources the more likely they will be provided, lowering costs and helping the Earth one spinning blade at a time.

Resources for statistics:
National Wind Watch

Amazing News and a Huge Eco Step Forward

Although we do not generally like to reprint news stories around these parts, this one is just too perfect not to. Not to mention I am too busy doing the happy dance to rewrite it; the EPA just gained a few coolness points in my book. The original article location is linked to the title. How do you feel about this?

EPA review of mining permits signals policy shift

By DINA CAPPIELLO, Associated Press Writer Dina Cappiello, Associated Press Writer – Wed Mar 25, 4:07 am ET

WASHINGTON – Breaking with the policies of the Bush administration, the Environmental Protection Agency is sharpening its oversight of mountaintop coal mining to ensure projects do not harm streams and wetlands.

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson on Tuesday directed the agency staff to review 150 to 200 applications for new or expanded surface coal mines, many mountaintop removal operations, pending before the federal government.

The agency also objected to two permits slated for approval by the Army Corps of Engineers because the companies had not done enough to avoid and minimize damage to water quality and stream channels.

The permits authorize mining companies that blast away mountaintops to access coal to dump the waste into streams and wetlands.

The actions "reflect EPA's considerable concern regarding the environmental impact these projects would have on fragile habitats and streams," Jackson said in a statement.

Environmentalists hailed the decision as a sea change in policy. The EPA has always had the authority to review and veto permits issued by the Corps of Engineers, but it rarely did so during the Bush administration.

The Corps has long been criticized by environmental and community groups and has been sued for failing to thoroughly evaluate the environmental impact of mountaintop removal.

Under the Clean Water Act, companies cannot discharge rock, dirt and other debris into streams unless they can show they will not cause permanent damage to waterways or the fish and other wildlife that live in them.

Last month, a three-judge appeals panel in Richmond, VA, overturned a lower court's ruling that would have required the Corps to conduct more extensive reviews. The appeals court decision cleared the way for a backlog of permits that had been delayed until the lawsuit was resolved.

The EPA's action on Tuesday could leave those permit requests in limbo a little longer.

Ginger Mullins, regulatory branch chief for the Corps' Huntington District, which covers portions of Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, said the EPA reviews will delay approval of projects.

"It will take more time," said Mullins.

Coal in the Stocking Is an Even Bigger Threat Today

When I was a kid there was no greater fear than waking up on Christmas morning to find a stocking full of coal as opposed to delicious candies, yummy smelling lotions or socks like I usually got. I knew that I was not the most well behaved child on Earth but still I considered my chances of being on the ‘Nice’ list pretty good. Looking back, I do not think as a kid I even had a clue what coal was. Now that I am an adult and fully aware of the substance I am even more excited to have never received it on Christmas day.

What strikes me as ironic, yet still amusing, is that kids today will be far savvier to the downfalls of the actual item and not just the threat of getting something they can not put in their gaming system, on their bodies or in their bellies. It makes me wonder what type of threat item our children’s children will be faced with receiving or if coal in the stocking will stand the test of time!

For all Greenies out there who enjoy learning through laughter I highly recommend reading all the Rustle The Leaf comics as well as the information on their website. They are fun and well written to get the point across.