March for Tennessee's mountains

People from across Tennessee will gather on Zeb Mountain next month and call on coal companies to stop destroying the state's peaks.

Situated in Campbell County on Tennessee's northern border with Kentucky, Zeb Mountain is home to the state's biggest cross-ridge mining operation, where miners drill into a mountainside to find a coal seam and then pack the hole with explosives to blast away the surrounding earth. National Coal, the Knoxville-based corporation mining Zeb Mountain's three peaks, has racked up more than 50 violations there -- including one for illegally mining through two streams.

The company has already done serious harm to the watershed of Zeb Mountain, where streams run orange and murky with mining pollution. It now plans to move its operations into the New River watershed, which provides drinking water for Nashville and is thought to be one of the oldest watersheds on the planet.

But people who love the state's mountains want to keep that from happening.

So on July 20 at 1 p.m., they will join in prayer on Zeb Mountain before marching to the entrance of National Coal. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, the organizers are calling on participants to adhere strictly to the principles of nonviolence, to dress up in their Sunday best as civil rights marchers did, to wear orange in honor of Tennessee, and to respect the diversity of those who come to defend the mountains -- animal rights activists and hunters, Christians and atheists, peace activists and war vets alike.

The organizers also invite participants to bring musical instruments and learn how to play "Rocky Top," Tennessee's state song -- though they're working on new lyrics.

Among the groups organizing the action are United Mountain Defense, Mountain Justice and Three Rivers Earth First!. For details about the event, e-mail unitedmountaindefense [at] yahoo [dot] com or call (865) 689-2778. Organizers ask participants to let them know they're coming so they can plan appropriately.

The action on Zeb Mountain comes as destructive mining practices are under growing scrutiny across the South:

* In West Virginia last week, delegates to the Democratic State Convention narrowly rejected a resolution to ban mountaintop removal.

* In North Carolina, state Rep. Pricey Harrison has introduced legislation that would prevent the state's power plants from burning coal mined through mountaintop removal.

* The Appalachia-based Stop Mountaintop Removal Coalition is planning a National Day of Action for Oct. 11. In the meantime, it invites people to post pictures of their beloved mountains to create the world's largest virtual mountain range.