ClimateSOS

this is the summer of "solidarity & mobilization," where convergences on emergency action in an attempt to restore environmental sanity to a crazy, overheated, world are taking place. this past weekend was chock full of extraction awareness trainings and action campaigns, from the tar sands blockade training in east texas, to the "stop the frack attack" teach-in and rally in dc, and the ramps "mountain justice mobilization" in west virginia. all in all, thousands of concerned citizens and environmental activists gathered for these events. 

the "stop the frack attack" campaign drew thousands of concerned citizens who descended upon the capital from across the nation and the world, to protest the use of hydraulic fracturing as a method to extract natural gas and oil from shale beds and abandoned coal mines. this method includes drilling through the earth's crust, smashing up rocks in a dormant well site and capturing the vapors. it has been known to make water so toxic it can literally be set on fire while streaming out of the taps. it is also believed that it destabilizes bed rock to the degree that it creates small earth quakes in areas where fracking is practiced. 

RAMPS pulled off the largest MTR direct action to date against the largest mountain top removal site in WV on Saturday.  The Hobet Surface Mine was shut down for about 3 hours through a series of coordinated diversions, lock downs, tree-sits and banner drops.   It has been reported that this was the only mine in WV without beefed up security in anticipation of the publicly announced action.  Hobet was apparently too big & scary to imagine that Tree Huggers would have the balls to walk onto their site.  The Police arrested about 25 people including atleast 3 credentialed press with total bail set at over a 1/2 million dollars.  WV resident Dustin Steele has reportedly been beaten in jail and is being denied medical attention.

Mo'Fo' @ http://RampsCampaign.org

10 of 20 arrestees now released.