Dear Roane County residents,
I hope that this finds you well. I am happy to announce that a Roane County Court clerk informed me that the criminal trespass charges that TVA was pressing against me for my Jan 20, 2010 arrest were dropped on Sept 25, 2010. I just found this out a week or so ago as my paperwork had been lost in a pile at the Roane County courthouse. This is a great relief for me and a sign that justice can be served. I am awaiting paper copies of this decision and will work to get these charges expunged from my record.

You can see the video of the arrest here--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxDy2n3Sk94
And read about it here on Roaneviews---http://www.roaneviews.com/?q=node/4449
Thanks to everyone who stood by me during this time,
your support and kind words were greatly appreciated.
Take care, Matt Landon with United Mountain Defense

A bankruptcy filing has halted any threat of legal action against the operators of a Perry County landfill that has been receiving shipments of toxin-laden coal ash that spilled from a Tennessee power plant in 2008.

As a result, Perry County taxpayers have yet to receive almost $780,000 in fees from the coal ash deposits, the bankruptcy petition alleges.... read more on the following link....

(link...)

Video from the arrest-- (link...)

Press Release: January 21, 2010

United Mountain Defense

Bonnie Swinford

(865) 689-2778

umdvolunteerhouse@yahoo.com

(link...)

Journalists and Environmentalist Activist Arrested by TVA Police

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., January 21 – On Wednesday, January 20, 2010, United Mountain Defense (UMD) volunteer Matt Landon Jones and two journalists who were reporting on the current clean-up efforts of last year's Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal ash disaster where arrested by TVA police. Last year, a man-made earthen dam containing 50 years of contaminated coal ash erupted, forcing over 1 billion gallons of toxic ash into tributaries of the Tennessee River and devastated the surrounding community. Marking the event anniversary, the reporters were planning to report on the lives of the residents still living in the area as well as the communities receiving train loads of the toxic waste each week from the disaster site. Noticing the train cars filled with coal ash heading to Perry County, Alabama – a poor, predominately African American community where TVA is currently shipping large amounts of the coal ash for storage in a landfill. The journalists stopped to take photographs, at which point they were approached by TVA police. The TVA police detained all three individuals, confiscated their camera and searched their vehicle. The police officer was going to release the individual after writing up citations. The officer was nearly done writing up the citations when he received a phone call. Upon hanging up the phone, the officer told the three individuals that “things had changed.” Instead of issuing warning citations, the officer then arrested and charged all three individuals with criminal trespassing in what can only be described as a gross overreaction. Just prior to the arrest, Jones called fellow UMD volunteer Bonnie Swinford who heard Jones asking the officer if he was being arrested, to which the officer answered "yes". When Jones then asked the officer what he was being arrested for, the officer replied, "I'll get back to you," and took the cell phone away. All three were handcuffed and held on $2,000 bails.

"These arrests are part of a pattern of harassment of UMD volunteers by TVA," said Jones. "TVA has tried to prevent United Mountain Defense from conducting independent water testing, deploying air monitoring, and working with the community of Roane County and they have consistently harassed me while doing this work." In 2009, Jones helped a partially blind Roane County resident get home from a community meeting. Even though the resident explained to TVA police that Jones was simply driving her home, he was arrested, held in jail for 36 hours, and prevented from traveling near the disaster site for seven months before all charges were finally dropped. Other UMD volunteers, journalist, and scientist have experienced continued harassment from TVA officials as well.

TVA's Community Relations Senior Manager Katie Bell Kline was quick to report the incident online to the Roane County Community Advisory Board, erroneously claiming that "TVA Police found the three offenders in and on top of ash-loaded rail cars located on tracks adjacent to the middle road entrance to plant." Only one individual was anywhere near the train. The other two were in the car, as clearly indicated in both the TVA officer's report and in video footage recorded by Jones before his camera was roughly confiscated.

The pattern of harassment that concerned citizens and members of the media have experienced from TVA is unacceptable and has gone on for far too long.

For more information, please contact Bonnie Swinford at 865 689-2778 or Matt Landon Jones at 574 276-9681 or by email at umdvolunteerhouse@yahoo.com.

Video Footage of today’s arrest

TVA Arrests UMD volunteer and two reporters

Video Footage of past TVA harassment of UMD volunteers

Mountain Justice Spring Break Students Harassed by TVA Police - March 15, 2009

UMD volunteer arrested for helping grandmother - March 6, 2009

TVA police harass UMD volunteer while setting up air monitor –March 3, 2009

TVA worker harassment of United Mountain Defense volunteers Kingston Power plant disaster - Dec 29, 2008

Hurricane Creekeepper John Wathen speaks about TVA disaster and TVA police repression.- Dec 28, 2008

TVA has roadblocks set up on the main roads leading to the Swan Pond neighborhood, preventing volunteers from bringing clean water and information. - Dec 27, 2008

###

About United Mountain Defense
United Mountain Defense (UMD) is a Knoxville based non-profit dedicated to protecting Tennessee's watersheds, air, mountains and communities. We have many years of experience working on issues relating to surface mining and its impacts on communities. A primary focus of UMD has been in scientific data collection, community organizing, and data collection and analysis from federal and state agencies. (link...)

On December 22, 2008 the largest coal fly ash disaster in the world occurred in Roane County, Tennessee along the banks of the Emory River at the Kingston Electric Coal Plant which is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Coal fly ash is a toxic by- product produced by burning coal to make electricity. Coal fly ash is currently unregulated in the United States. TVA has been very reluctant to take responsibility for the disaster that they created and took active steps to keep the news of the disaster out of the media.

As part of the United States federal government, TVA has been investigated by its own Office of Inspector General which has issued numerous reports detailing how badly TVA officials and employees responded to this disaster. The worst and most telling reports are yet to come. TVA had more than 40 years of internal reports showing the structural weakness of the failed coal fly ash storage pond and they chose to ignore the problems and continue to stack the coal fly ash to a height of more than 60 feet using the wet storage method.

It has been one year since the disaster. By viewing the following videos you will see that the situation has gotten worse as the trail of coal fly ash becomes more dispersed. So far the coal fly ash has floated down the Emory River, Clinch River and Tennessee River all the way to Alabama. As the ash continues its downstream march it will eventually reach the Ohio River, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The main points of concern with water quality right now are the elevated levels of arsenic, selenium and other heavy metals which have leached out of the coal fly ash and into the drinking water of millions of people downstream, not to mention all of the animals which live in the water or eat the fish. Kingston, TN is the nearest town whose water intakes are a mere 6 miles downstream. Chattanooga, TN is the next largest city downstream of the disaster.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has permitted the spilled coal fly ash to be shipped via railroad to Arrowhead Landfill in Uniontown, Perry County, Alabama. It has been documented that this landfill is currently pumping the landfill leachate (landfill juice) into the ditches surrounding the landfill and right next to the homes of local residents. These residents have been told that the coal fly ash is safe.

Many residents are concerned about their health. An independent air monitoring program started by Roane County residents, United Mountain Defense and the Global Community Monitor has shown that on a least one dry day in October 2009 that there existed elevated levels of arsenic and cadmium in the air surrounding the disaster site. On Feb 3, 2009 a massive dust storm more than 100 feet tall and half a mile wide was documented as it blew off the coal ash disaster site. Many residents have reported respiratory distress up to a 10 mile radius around the disaster site with symptoms that include burning eyes, nosebleeds, sinus infections, ear infections, scratchy throats, rashes, skin sensitivity to sun, nausea, vomiting, headaches, migraines, asthma and many other ailments. Many of these residents had never been sick on such a regular basis before the disaster and now have mounting health bills which they cannot pay. Yet TVA is continuously allowed to state that there is no danger from the coal fly ash and none of the workers involved in the cleanup and recovery efforts are made to wear respiratory protection.

This disaster occurred because of negligence. This disaster is not an isolated incident and as all of the coal fly ash storage sites around the world continue to age many more people will be at risk of having to deal with such a disaster in their neighborhoods. If you live near a coal burning electric power plant you may also live near a coal ash dump. Coal fly ash is NOT safe! This is a disaster that the world needs to learn about and we intend to help spread the word about it, will you help us spread the word?

For more info check out the following websites
(link...)
dirtycoaltva.blogspot.com
(link...)
(link...)
(link...)
Thank you for your time, matt landon Appalachian Organizer for United Mountain Defense
umdvolunteerhouse@yahoo.com
865-689-2778

Here is a video that a Roane County family produced about living next to the TVA Coal Ash Disaster. TVA refuses to evacuate them.

(link...)
Here is a video made by a resident of Roane County, Delano Williams who lives about 1 mile from the TVA Coal Ash Disaster.

(link...)
This dust storm was documented on Feb 3, 2009, the day that Matt Landon got back from the training for the citizen's air monitoring program.

(link...)

Perry County, Alabama Uniontown Citizens speak out about Arrowhead Landfill where TVA coal fly ash is being shipped and dumped by rail. It has been discovered that the landfill is also dumping the leachate (landfill juice) into the ditches surrounding the landfill and right next to the homes in this video.

(link...)
Marion, AL coal ash landfill leachate issue. Arrowhead Landfill is dumping tanker truckload after tanker truckload of landfill juice into a waste water treatment pond which can’t handle the increased load
(link...)
Proposed dump for TVA coal fly ash on a coal mine valley fill in Cumberland County, Tennessee

(link...)

Data from the citizen’s air monitoring program started by Roane County residents, United Mountain Defense and the Global Community Monitor

(link...) 2nd round Raw data
(link...) 2nd round Air Data Page 1
(link...) 2nd round Air Data Spreadsheet
(link...) Expert interpretation of air data

The following are a few words from our air analyst about what these latest air samples mean.
Attached is my interpretation of metal levels in the two air samples collected near the TVA coal ash spill on October 19th and 20th. I added the interpretation to the spreadsheet containing the interpretation of metal levels in the two previously collected air samples (15 July 2009 and 1 October 2009). Rows 4 and 5 contain the new data.

Of note is a ‘hot’ sample (the one collected on 20 October 2009) with a cadmium level that exceeds the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s Chronic Reference Level for cadmium. This sample also has an arsenic level that is above the World Health Organization’s guideline value of 0.66 nanograms per cubic meter to prevent a one per one million increased risk of cancer as a result of lifetime exposure.

If you average the concentrations in all four samples (assigning a ‘0’ value to non-detects), then the average cadmium level is below (60% of) the California OHEAA’s Chronic REL for cadmium, but the average arsenic level is above the WHO guideline value of 0.66 nanograms per cubic meter to prevent a one per one million increased risk of cancer as a result of lifetime exposure.

I urge caution in how you publicize these results for two reasons. 1) The cadmium levels in the air samples are less than 3 times their uncertainty levels; 2) the arsenic levels in the air samples are less than 2 times their uncertainty levels.

Here is a video made by Delano Williams who lives near the TVA Coal Ash Disaster in Kingston, TN.

Here is the (link...)

Media Contact: vacelious1@aol.com

Here is a video by Pam and Gary Topmiller about living next to the TVA Coal Ash Disaster

Here is the video (link...)

Media Contact topmillerwoman@aol.com

The Office of Surface Mining will have a public hearing on the proposal to put newly generated coal ash from the TVA’s Kingston Fossil Steam Plant on top of a coal mine valley fill on Crossville Coal Turner Surface mine also know as Smith Mountain. Show up and show your opposition to using Cumberland County as an ash dump. The public hearing is at Stone Memorial High School. 2800 Cook Road, Crossville, TN on November 5 at 6:00 p.m.

OSM can stop the coal ash landfill! Show up and tell OSM why you don’t want coal as in Cumberland County.

If you wish to speak you will have three minutes.

You can also submit written comments at the public hearing.

Or submit written comments by email at:
bwinters@osmre.gov

Or submit written comments by mail to:
Office of Surface Mining
710 Locust Street, 2nd Floor
Knoxville, TN 37902.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRc0w52xiVs Water testing 10-27-09 Crossville Coal Turner Surface Mine United Mountain Defense and Smith Mountain Road Residents do a mine site visit with the Office of Surface Mining and conduct water monitoring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41I3pgqWjtQ Mine site visit 10-27-09 Crossvillie Coal Turner Surface Mine United Mountain Defense and Smith Mountain Road Residents go on a mine site visit with the Office of Surface Mining and drive over the valley fill

Thanks, matt landon full time volunteer staff person for United Mountain Defense unitedmountaindefense.org

865 689 2778

Dear folks,

United Mountain Defense, the Tennessee Coal Ash Survivors Network, and the Global Community Monitor have teamed up since Jan 2009 to create a citizen's air monitoring program. There have been more than 26 Roane County Residents trained in how to use the Mini Vol air monitors produced by Air Metrics of Eugene Oregon. We use quality control / quality assurance methods and chain of custody forms for all of our air monitoring collection.

Here is more air quality data gathered from around the disaster site on Oct 19 and Oct 20, 2009.

(link...) 2nd round Raw data
(link...) 2nd round Air Data Page 1
(link...) 2nd round Air Data Spreadsheet
(link...) Expert interpretation of air data

The following are a few words from our air analyst about what these latest air samples mean.

Attached is my interpretation of metal levels in the two air samples collected near the TVA coal ash spill on October 19th and 20th. I added the interpretation to the spreadsheet containing the interpretation of metal levels in the two previously collected air samples (15 July 2009 and 1 October 2009). Rows 4 and 5 contain the new data.

Of note is a ‘hot’ sample (the one collected on 20 October 2009) with a cadmium level that exceeds the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s Chronic Reference Level for cadmium. This sample also has an arsenic level that is above the World Health Organization’s guideline value of 0.66 nanograms per cubic meter to prevent a one per one million increased risk of cancer as a result of lifetime exposure.

If you average the concentrations in all four samples (assigning a ‘0’ value to non-detects), then the average cadmium level is below (60% of) the California OHEAA’s Chronic REL for cadmium, but the average arsenic level is above the WHO guideline value of 0.66 nanograms per cubic meter to prevent a one per one million increased risk of cancer as a result of lifetime exposure.

I urge caution in how you publicize these results for two reasons. 1) The cadmium levels in the air samples are less than 3 times their uncertainty levels; 2) the arsenic levels in the air samples are less then 2 times their uncertainty levels.

Here is the air quality data from two samples that I gathered in July and October 2009. There is also some interpretation of the data that follows. Expect more data as we have more samples being sent to the lab and we continue to gather air samples during these dry times. We also had our air expert look at TVA's 116,925 air samples and provide some feedback that follows. If you live next to the coal ash diaster and would like to have a temporary air monitor installed on your property or in your house or would like to get trained in how to use the air monitoring equipment please contact us at 865 689 2778. Thanks for your time, matt landon full time volunteer staff person for United Mountain Defense and dedicated Roane County volunteer

(link...) Raw Data

(link...) Air Data Page 1

(link...) Air Data Excel Spreadsheet, has the same data as Page 1 but may not work

(link...) Short description on how to read this data

This is an explanation about what the independently gathered air quality data means from July and Oct 2009.

The first air sample has a level of cadmium - 14.3 nanograms per cubic meter - that is above the World Health Organization’s guideline value of 5 nanograms per cubic meter to prevent any further increase of cadmium in agricultural soils likely to increase the dietary intake of future generations. See: (link...)

The level of cadmium in the first air sample is also 70% of the California OEHHA Chronic Reference Exposure Level for cadmium (20 nanograms per cubic meter).

See: (link...)

The second air sample has a level of arsenic - 3.6 nanograms per cubic meter - that is above the World Health Organization’s guideline value of 0.66 nanograms per cubic meter to prevent a one per one million increased risk of cancer as a result of lifetime exposure. See: (link...)

I urge caution in how you publicize these results for two reasons. 1) The cadmium level in the first air sample was only 2.2 times greater than its uncertainty level (0.00143 v. 0.00064 ng/m3) and the arsenic level in the second air sample was only 1.4 times greater than its uncertainty level (0.0036 v. 0.0025); and 2) the data reflects short-term (24-hour) ambient air quality whereas the health-based benchmarks I refer to above (WHO guideline values) are for long-term (annual average) ambient air quality.

Levels of other toxic metals (manganese, nickel, mercury, and lead) were below health-based benchmarks.

When we asked our air analyst to look at TVA’s 116,925 air quality measurements here are his initial comments.

There are two problems I see with how the Tennessee Valley Authority is interpreting air quality data near the Kingston Ash Slide.

First, with respect to PM-2.5 levels, TVA is comparing levels to the 24-hour standard (35 ug/m3) and concluding that each day air quality is safe because the PM-2.5 level is below the 24-hour standard.

See: (link...)

What TVA isn’t saying is that the U.S. EPA annual standard for PM-2.5 is only 15 ug/m3 and when you average the daily PM-2.5 measurements, then the average PM-2.5 seems close to the the U.S. EPA annual standard for PM-2.5 (and above the World Health Organization’s annual standard for PM-2.5).

See: (link...)

So, the same data that TVA uses to conclude that air quality is safe can be used to conclude that air quality near the Kingston Ash Slide is unsafe.

Second, with respect to arsenic, the TVA is concluding that “arsenic has not been shown to be present in harmful levels” because “The range of arsenic in air in the U.S. is 1 to 30 ng/m3*, while Kingston air samples ranged from nondetectable to 4.1 ng/m3.”

See: (link...)

This begs the question of whether the average levels of arsenic in air samples are safe. Keep in mind that according to the WHO: “Arsenic is a human carcinogen. Present risk estimates have been derived from studies in exposed human populations in the United States and Sweden. When assuming a linear dose–response relation, a safe level for inhalation exposure cannot be recommended. At an air concentration of 1 μg/m3 an estimate of lifetime risk is 1.5x10-3. This means that the excess lifetime risk level is 1:10000, 1:100 000 or 1:1 000 000 at an air concentration of about 66 ng/m3, 6.6 ng/m3 or 0.66 ng/m3, respectively.”

See: (link...)

Dear folks,
I hope that you are well. I am enjoying my re found freedom after being cleared of all the charges for being unjustly arrested by TVA on 3-5-09 while driving a blind grandmother home from a public meeting.

I want to announce a volunteer meeting at the Harriman Community Center this coming Thursday Oct 29 at 7PM. I have been speaking with Roane County residents and there have been some good ideas kicked around for helping get this disaster back into the national spotlight. Keep your eyes peeled for some of the upcoming workshops and free trainings open to the public including, "How to make a Youtube Video", air monitoring, water monitoring, and media messaging workshops and many others. If you have an idea for a workshop or want to find other concerned Roane County residents come on down to the meeting. You can also email me at mattlandon2001@yahoo.com or call with workshop ideas at 865 689 2778. I hope to see you there!
Till then, matt landon full time volunteer staff person for United Mountain Defense and dedicated Roane County volunteer

Harriman Community Center address
631 Clinch St, Harriman
It is located on the southside of Harriman along the Emory River.

Dear folks,
I would like to invite you to come down to the General Sessions Court in the Kingston Courthouse on Monday Oct 19, 2009 at 9AM. All the charges against me are supposed to be dropped but I wouldn't put it past TVA to try and disrupt my life a little more. thanks, matt landon full time volunteer staff person for United Mountain Defense

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST SET TO BE CLEARED OF CHARGES IN ROANE COUNTY COURT FOLLOWING UNJUST ARREST BY TVA POLICE AT COAL ASH DISASTER SITE

Kingston, Tenn., Monday October 19, 9AM – United Mountain Defense volunteer, Matt Landon Jones will appear in the Kingston Courthouse following a six month restriction order following his unjust arrest at the coal ash disaster site of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on March 5, 2009. Matt Landon Jones has been restricted from communicating with any TVA employees engaged in clean up and recovery efforts at the disaster site and any non-TVA workers involved in the cleanup. He was also restricted from trespassing on any TVA property or traveling on or within the 750 foot elevation of the Emory, Clinch, and Tennessee Rivers which directly impacted his water monitoring efforts on these rivers.

Matt Landon Jones says, “Even though I expect all of the charges to be dropped and my name to be cleared TVA will never be able to repair the emotional stress they have caused both me and the residents of Roane County.” Even with all charges dropped he will still have to pay at least $700 in court fees.

On Mar. 5, 2009 Matt Landon Jones was arrested by TVA police in Roane County Tenn., where the TVA coal ash disaster occurred on Dec. 22, 2008. At the time of his arrest, Matt Landon Jones was driving 65-year-old Eva Hewitt to her home on Swan Pond Road after a community meeting. After arriving at her home, TVA police came onto her property to arrest Matt Landon Jones. The officer warned him that he drove through a TVA roadblock without a proper pass; his red residential pass was confiscated earlier that week. Matt Landon Jones contends that the roadblock was unstaffed at the time and illegally set up by TVA. The officer told Matt Landon Jones that a resident needed to be in the vehicle with him when he drove on the public road. Once Hewitt exited the vehicle and explained that she had just been escorted home, as partial blindness prevents her from driving, the officer arrested Matt Landon Jones for trespassing with a motor vehicle. He was held on $3,000 bail in the Roane County jail and transferred to Bradley County Jail and was incarcerated for 36 hours. He is currently charged with entering a restricted area, trespass in a motor vehicle, and disobeying a traffic control device. The TVA officer recognized Matt Landon Jones from an incident earlier in the week, which is described below.

Matt Landon Jones stated, "The TVA police repeatedly abused the rights of United Mountain Defense volunteers and this fact will be revealed just as TVA’s lack of safety was exposed by the Office of Inspector General report. UMD volunteers were delivering drinking water, gathering water and air samples and working with local community residents and we were constantly harassed by the TVA police as though we were criminals.”

On March 23, 2009 TVA police confiscated and retained part of UMD’s air monitoring equipment for two weeks and 4 days in an effort to further disrupt the air monitoring program.

On Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2009, UMD volunteers Matt Landon Jones and Tom Swinford, were detained while gathering independent air quality samples in Roane County, Tenn. The air monitoring program was initiated in response to local resident's complaints of worsening respiratory problems since the disaster and UMD's discovery that TVA's air testing was inadequate.

UMD volunteers found a testing location downwind of the spill and received permission from the property residents to assemble their monitoring equipment. Almost immediately, TVA and Roane County police were on the scene hassling UMD members. The police questioned residents and the property owners about UMD's use of their land, reviewed the lease agreement and questioned all of the UMD volunteers. The police took note of the volunteer's identification and seized the camera that filmed the entire event. After detaining the two UMD volunteers for several hours, the TVA police ordered the removal of the air monitoring station.

Matt Landon Jones stated, “Numerous reports have exposed flaws in TVA’s water monitoring program, worker safety program and coal ash containment programs and I will work to expose the flaws in TVA’s air monitoring program which may be endangering the health of Roane County residents.”

The Environmental Protection Agency has a chance to play a role in helping provide the parallel air monitoring that TVA denied to independent air monitors and United Mountain Defense requests that they fulfill this obligation.

“United Mountain Defense will continue to gather air quality samples in an effort to provide unbiased data to the residents of Roane County,” said Matt Landon Jones.

There will be a press conference outside of the Kingston Courthouse following Matt Landon Jones court case.

###

About United Mountain Defense

United Mountain Defense (UMD) is a Knoxville based non-profit dedicated to protecting Tennessee's watersheds, air, mountains and communities. We have many years of experience working on issues relating to surface mining and its impacts on communities. A primary focus of UMD has been in scientific data collection, community organizing, and data collection and analysis from federal and state agencies. (link...)

Dear folks,

Here is the first round of independent air monitoring data from United Mountain Defense. Even though each of these air filters had visible dust on it after the 24 hour sample it appears that for most of the samples the levels of metals were at non detection levels. The individual detection levels are listed in the center row for each metal on the following link. Measurements are in micrograms.

The latest data::
(link...) first round of 24 hour air monitoring samples

There was one detection of .05 micrograms of lead in an air sample taken on the back side of Swan Pond Circle more than a mile downwind from the disaster. Our Mini Volume air monitor produced by Air Metrics draws 5 liters per minute of air through a PM 2.5 micron Whatman pure teflon filter. We are consulting with the Global Community Monitor about these results and deciding what our next round of monitoring will look like.

The next training session about how to use the air monitor will occur at Roane County Park on April 18 from 5PM- 7PM in Shelter Number 1. There will be a hotdog dinner for those participating in the training. Also in the future look for a training by the Global Community Monitor about how to interpret this data.

The differences in the following two sets of data are that the air monitors only ran for 24 hour periods from March 5 thru March 24, while the swipe samples were glass collection trays that sat outside for 2-3 weeks during late Feb into early March.

The latest data::
(link...) first round of 24 hour air monitoring samples

Older swipe sampling data::
(link...) older swipe sample data

Alright have a good day.
till then, matt landon full time volunteer staff for United Mountain Defense and dedicated Roane County volunteer

Check out TVA's disaster dust storm video::: (link...)

check out UMD's website at (link...)
UMD's blog at (link...)

We have year round internships!!

Hi Everyone,
Here is a link to a new article from The Nation about the TVA disaster and water testing.

(link...)

April 2nd, 2009 7:52 pm
Tennessee's Dirty Data
By Kelly Hearn / Nation

The Tennessee Valley Authority manipulated science methods to downplay water contamination caused by a massive coal ash disaster, according to independent technical experts and critics of the federally funded electrical company.

The TVA is the largest public provider of electricity in the nation, providing power to 670,000 homes and burning through some 14,000 tons of coal per day. On December 22 the authority made headlines when one of its retention ponds collapsed, letting loose an avalanche of coal ash--the toxic residue left over when coal is burned. More than 5 million cubic yards of ashy mud pushed its way through a neighborhood and into Tennessee's Emory River, knocked houses off foundations and blanketed river water with plumes of gray scum that flowed downstream.

New evidence indicates that in the wake of the disaster, the TVA may have intentionally collected water samples from clean spots in the Emory River, a major supplier of drinking water for nearby cities and a popular site for recreational activities such as swimming and fishing. Third-party tests have found high levels of toxins in the river water and in private wells, while the TVA has assured residents that tap water, well water and river water are safe.

Contrary Data

(Read full article)
(link...)

Dear folks
The next air monitoring training will occurr April 18, 2009 5PM-7PM at Shelter Number 1 in Roane County Park on Hwy 70 down by the Watt’s Bar Lake.

There will be a hotdog dinner for those taking part in the training.

If you can learn to program a digital watch, use a pair of tweezers, and put some vinyl gloves on your hands then you can use this air monitor. There are also a bunch of other ways to help with the air monitoring program that don't include fine motor skills. Its that simple.

Look out for future trainings on interpreting the raw data, and more how-to-use the air monitoring equipment

There have been two air monitoring trainings so far and three Roane County residents know how to install the Mini Volume air monitors. UMD is working with the Global Community Monitor to provide air monitoring. We have the support of Mike Farmer and are working with other local residents and governments to set up monitoring in their areas as well. The first six air samples have been sent off to the laboratory and we expect the raw data back by April 6, 2009 at which point we will pass the data along to Roane County.

If you have any questions please call Matt at 865 689 2778.
Thanks, Matt Landon full time volunteer for United Mountain Defense and dedicated Roane county volunteer

Check out United Mountain Defense at (link...)
Check out Global Community Monitor at (link...)

Dear folks,

I hope that yall are well. Things are going good here. Just enjoying a little bit of American freedom. So I went to court in Kingston, TN this morning at 9 AM. It was an interesting experience. I met my public defender and learned that TVA had presented a motion to revoke my bond because I had asked a CTEH employee to help set up parallel air monitoring sometime in the future and that I had also set up an air monitor with a land owner's express permission on their property that had been purchased by TVA. This land owner was not allowed by TVA order to tell me that the property had been sold and so I had no way of knowing that it had been bought by TVA. After my court case today a TVA police officer informed UMD volunteers Tom and Bonnie Swinford that they were not allowed to visit this resident or do air monitoring on the property because TVA owned the property and the TVA police could decide who was allowed to enter the property. This resident is staying on this property for a few more months and had a pre- existing contract with UMD to do air monitoring and photograph the disaster site. This resident is very concerned about the quality of air coming from the disaster site near the property.

I was threatened with up to one year in jail for my work with the air monitoring program. Truthfully I love yall but it sorta freaked me out today to hear that I may spend a year in jail because I put up an air monitor.

TVA is very scared about the samples that we are taking with this air monitoring equipment and they are willing to threaten me and other UMD volunteers to keep this valuable field work from being done. We need your help. UMD volunteers have listened to your concerns about air and water quality, we have done the sampling, and we have been threatened with jail time because of our scientific monitoring.

So after speaking with my public defender and letting them know that I would not plead guilty to any of the charges the prosecutor came back with a deal. They would drop one of the charges and just give me a fine for two of them with a guilty plea. No deal!!!! I called for a pre-trial hearing. The prosecutor began to squirm and made some phone calls to the TVA so they could rally the arresting officers and the CTEH employee. Just before the pre-trial hearing began the prosecutor came back with another deal. All of the charges would be dismissed!!!! Sounds a bit better, but what is the catch.

Well for the next six months I cannot travel on the Clinch or Emory River from Interstate 40 to mile marker 4 on the Emory River. I cannot enter the 750 foot elevation (100 year flood plain) near these two rivers. I cannot interact with any TVA employees or any other company workers employed by TVA to work on the Coal Ash Disaster. The $3,000 bond will be held for the next six months until a follow up trial date of Sept 21, 2009 at which time I will have to pay court costs of nearly $600. If at any time I break any of these clauses I will be pulled back into court and all bets are off probably meaning jail time.

So what does this all mean? Well the future of your community's water and air monitoring program now rests with you, the community members. I can provide the training and skills but have now had a MAJOR dent put into the amount of access that I have to the disaster site and the area surrounding TVA's Kingston Steam Plant. If you want this air monitoring project to continue then I would please ask you to step up to the plate, get the training, and set up an air monitor on you or your neighbor's land.

Here is how you can help:

1) document your health issues/ go to the doctor or hospital, take the MSDS sheets

2) come to a Tennessee Coal Ash Survivors Meeting Tues 6PM rotating locations

3) get training to gather air/ water/ coal ash samples

4) give water monitoring people a boat ride on the river during the dredging to gather samples

5) contact UMD if you would like to have an air monitor set up on your property

6) contact your elected officials and ask for independent air monitoring

7) contact TDEC and CTEH and ask for parallel sampling with UMD's air monitors

TDEC- Air Resources

Tracy Carter Senior Director 615- 532- 0127

Air Pollution 615- 532- 0554

Call 1-888-891-TDEC (8332)
ask.tdec@tn.gov

CTEH

Phone (501) 801-8500
Email: support@cteh.com

Alright yall, please let’s find a way to work together and gather the much needed independent data that you have asked for. As much as I want to help your community I am not willing to spend a year in jail for the cause. You as community members have the power to install these monitors and the power to gather this information. Please feel empowered to do so.

Thank you, matt landon volunteer staff for UMD and dedicated volunteer for Roane County

Dear folks,
I wanted to let you know about a training session for the citizen's air monitoring program that is happening at 1PM on Saturday. This monitoring program is up and running we are gathering air samples and we want as many residents, local elected officials, or local governments to get training in how to use this monitoring equipment. We are using 2 Mini-Volume air monitors produced by Air Metrics, (link...). We are working with the Global Community Monitor which has provided training and experts to interpret the data, (link...). Please call Matt at 865 689 2778 or 865 292 1320 for directions to tomorrow's training or set up a future training.
Till then ,matt landon full time volunteer staff United Mountain Defense

(link...)

By JILL MCNEAL
6 News Anchor/Reporter

HARRIMAN (WATE) -- Is the winter wind stirring up ash at the TVA spill site in Roane County? The non-profit environmental group United Mountain Defense, who has been on the scene since the beginning, says yes and they say they have the video to prove it.

"Obviously the coal fly ash is drying out and it's getting kicked up into the wind," says volunteer staff member Matt Landon.

TVA Spokesman Gil Francis tells us he heard rumors about this, so TVA crews onsite went to check it out and didn't see anything. He adds that everything at the site is frozen and so what the environmental workers saw must have been fog.

Experts say tests show Tenn. water is contaminated
by heavy metals downstream from Dec. 22 coal ash spill

New report offers preliminary findings; authors call for
further testing independent of TVA, full clean-up, and federal regulations

February 2, 2009—The Environmental Integrity Project and United Mountain Defense today released test results in a report entitled Sampling Fact Sheet for TVA Kingston Coal Ash Spill, with their preliminary findings on the health and safety of the region’s river water, which was compromised by the Dec. 22, 2009 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal ash spill.

Water Quality Criteria for arsenic, lead, selenium, cadmium and copper were violated, and Primary Drinking Water standards were exceeded for arsenic, lead, beryllium, and antimony.

The test results were released during a media conference call that included Jeff Stant of the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Chris Irwin of United Mountain Defense (UMD), and Sarah McCoin of the Tennessee Coal Ash Survivors Network, founded by neighbors of the spill. The test results, report, supplemental documents, maps, photos, and contact information for the speakers can be downloaded from (link...) .

EIP and UMD analyzed 24 water samples from 22 locations taken on Dec. 30, 2008, Dec. 31, 2008, and Jan. 4, 2009. A full list of the sampling dates and locations can be found in a supplemental spreadsheet, TVA Kingston Tables 1 2 3 4 for Residents.

The results indicate the collapse of the ash embankment has contaminated surface water near the impact site and downriver with high contaminant levels which have continued to be carried downriver some two weeks after the disaster. The samples contained heavy metals at levels that frequently exceed federal drinking water standards, making the rivers dangerously unsafe as a public drinking water supply and exceed water quality standards designed to protect aquatic life and human health.

Jeff Stant, Director of the Coal Combustion Waste Initiative in Indianapolis for the Washington D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project, highlighted the report’s key findings, and commented on TVA’s approach to date which has left millions of tons of the ash in the Emory River and along river banks.

“Leaving the ash sitting on the riverbanks and in the river will endanger public health and the environment. Every time it rains, the ash will continue to leach heavy metals and further contaminate the watershed,” Stant said.

He added that arsenic levels as high as 21-105 ppb in the Clinch River miles downriver from the spill site endangers the use of the river as a "domestic water supply.”

“We haven’t found Drinking Water Standards, known as Maximum Contaminant Levels, exceeded in water that people actually drink, but the exceedances emphasize the need for continued monitoring at treatment plants and groundwater wells to assure that drinking water is safe,” Stant said. “And, the most stringent standards are supposed to apply to the river water if it’s also being used anywhere as a public water supply. Alarming levels of arsenic as high as 21-105 parts per billion have been found in the Clinch River several miles downriver from the impact site. We need more transparency in TVA’s that safe standards haven’t been exceeded. If the water is being used as a domestic water supply anywhere downriver, and people are fishing there, the tighter standards need to apply. That would mean 10 parts per billion for arsenic, and not hundreds of parts per billion.”

Samples from seven of 13 locations in the vicinity of the spill or downriver on the Emory and Clinch Rivers had levels of one or more heavy metals that exceeded Primary Drinking Water Standards. The metals exceeding the standards were: arsenic, lead, beryllium, and antimony. There were no exceedances of these standards for any heavy metals in samples at three locations upriver from the spill impact area.

Samples from six locations in the spill area or downriver exceeded one or more water quality standards for metals 24 times. Known as Water Quality Criteria, these standards are part of the Clean Water Act, which aim to protect aquatic life and human activity in rivers and streams from high pollution concentrations. Water Quality Criteria for copper, arsenic, lead, selenium and cadmium were violated. Copper levels surpassed the criteria for acute toxicity to aquatic life five times and arsenic surpassed this acute toxicity level twice. Only one sample upriver from the spill area exceeded any water quality criteria, and that was of the less toxic, chronic criteria for lead measured at Harriman.

Samples were taken from five wells east of the impact area, none of which exceeded the Primary Drinking Water Standards for heavy metals. However, all of the wells contained one or more other pollutants known to leach from ash, such as iron, manganese, and aluminum in amounts exceeding the use-based Secondary Drinking Water Standards. Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency’s health-based advisories for manganese and sodium were exceeded in one well and three wells respectively. Sodium and manganese are both common contaminants found in coal ash.

United Mountain Defenses was unable to sample wells within the impacted areas. While TVA was granted access to sample these wells, they were sealed off for usage or sampling to anyone outside TVA. The wells included in this report were east, in the opposite direction, of the spill. Speakers on the call today said it is imperative that there be further testing of residential wells as part of a greater study of the groundwater in the entire vicinity around the Kingston Plant.

The data shows widely fluctuating arsenic levels in the Emory and Clinch Rivers, as a result of this coal disaster. Two weeks after the spill, two samples taken within a half mile of the impact site contained arsenic at 32 to 37 times the Primary Drinking Water Standard, one of which also violated the acute Water Quality Criteria. Seven samples downriver ranged from no detection to more than 10 times the Drinking Water Standard three miles away and more than twice the Standard, some 4.5 miles downriver.

“Fluctuating levels of such dangerous metals in so much water two weeks after the spill calls for an expanded testing regimen and suggests that that this massive problem will not go away until the ash is removed from any contact with the Emory River,” Stant said.

Chris Irwin, a staff attorney with United Mountain Defense and sixth generation resident of Tennessee, spoke at the conference call today about the urgent need for additional regulated testing of river water, sediments and aquatic life in the Emory and Clinch Rivers.

Irwin stated, “‘Clean coal’ is dead. In fact, coal is dangerous, depleting and destructive…An entire watershed and drinking water source has been contaminated by heavy metals as a direct result of TVA's ash disaster. TVA has an obligation to both impacted residents and people living downstream to immediately pay for comprehensive independent regular testing in a transparent fashion and make that data immediately available to the public."

Sarah McCoin, a fifth generation resident of Harriman, Tenn., and member of the Tennessee Coal Ash Survivor Network, offered her opinions as a community activist saying she was misled by TVA’s false sense of security.

“I was once a clean coal believer, thinking that coal ash was a clean byproduct produced by the coal-fired plant a mile from our home,” McCoin said. “We now understand coal ash is not safe. The results indicate contamination in the water is real. The issues are very alarming and the report on the contaminated waters is real. The dangers are real. We worry about the havoc that coal ash will cause to our land, water, wildlife, ecosystem and human health. As this stuff becomes airborne, TVA continues to suggest and state that fly ash is not a hazardous substance; it’s clear that it is. I’ve spent my lifetime hoping to come back here, and it’s actually a beautiful part of the country. Since the spill, we’ve encountered significant lifestyle changes. We must take a new perspective with coal regulation, and implement federal coal ash regulation that will protect other communities from the anguish of this disaster that we now face.”

The test results, report, supplemental documents, maps, photos, and contact information for the speakers can be obtained from (link...) . For more information about the call or to interview any of the speakers, please contact Sarah Goldberg at 301-887-1060 x118, or at sarah@kelleycampaigns.com.

unitedmountaindefense.org

(link...)

Chris Irwin
865 257-4029

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009

CONTACT: Tim Lucas
(919) 613-8084
tdlucas@duke.edu

ANALYSIS SHOWS EXPOSURE TO ASH FROM TVA SPILL COULD HAVE 'SEVERE HEALTH
IMPLICATIONS'

Note to editors: Avner Vengosh can be reached at (919) 681-8050 or
vengosh@duke.edu. Photos of the research area can be viewed at
(link...)
and
(link...)
.

DURHAM, N.C. -- A report by Duke University scientists who analyzed
water and ash samples from last month's coal sludge spill in eastern
Tennessee concludes that "exposure to radium- and arsenic-containing
particulates in the ash could have severe health implications" in the
affected areas.

"Our radioactive measurements of solid ash samples from Tennessee
suggests the ash has radiation levels above those reported by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for typical coal ash," said Avner
Vengosh, associate professor of earth and ocean sciences at Duke's
Nicholas School of the Environment. "Preventing the formation of
airborne particulate matter from the ash that was released to the
environment seems essential for reducing possible health impacts."

More than a billion gallons of sludge coal waste spilled from a holding
facility at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston coal-burning power
plant on Dec. 22. The ash-laden waste flooded more than 400 surrounding
acres and spilled into a tributary of the Emory River, which converges
with the Clinch River and flows into the Tennessee River, a major source
of drinking water for many communities in the region. The spill was so
large it partly dammed the tributary of the Emory River, turning it into
a standing pond.

Vengosh's team found that the combined content of radium-228 and
radium-226 - the two long-lived isotopes of radium - in the solid ash
samples they collected from the TVA spill measured about 8 picocuries
per gram. That's higher than the average 5-6 picocuries per gram
reported by the EPA in most bottom and fly ash samples. The curie is a
standard measure of the intensity of radioactivity.

Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element that decays from
uranium and thorium elements in coal. When the coal is burned, it is
concentrated in the ash. The EPA classifies radium as a Group-A
carcinogenic material, which means exposure to it could cause cancer.

Water samples collected and analyzed by Vengosh and Duke graduate
student Laura Ruhl found high levels of arsenic, measuring 95 parts per
billion, in water from the dammed tributary where coal ash has
accumulated. Only low concentrations were found in the Emory and Clinch
rivers. The EPA has set the arsenic standard for safe public drinking
water at 10 parts per billion.

Arsenic is a toxic metal that can occur naturally in the environment or
as a by-product of some agricultural and industrial activities.
According to the EPA, the effects of long-term chronic exposure to
arsenic can include increased risk of certain types of cancer, as well
as skin damage and circulatory problems.

"The good news is, we detected only trace amounts of arsenic in waters
beyond the dammed tributary," Vengosh said. "The data suggests that in
less than three weeks since the spill, river flow has diluted the
arsenic content. The river is clean, but the water from areas like the
dammed tributary, where the coal ash has accumulated, still contains
high arsenic levels."

Vengosh is an internationally cited expert on the chemistry of
radioactive elements in surface and ground waters. He has conducted
extensive research on radon and radium contaminants in the ground waters
of western North Carolina and the Middle East.

He and Ruhl collected the water and solid ash samples at sites affected
by the TVA spill on Jan. 9. Duke research scientist Gary Dwyer analyzed
the water samples for trace metal content using inductively coupled
plasma mass spectrometry. Following preliminary analysis, the solid ash
samples were incubated and underwent more detailed analysis of their
radioactive content using gamma spectrometry.

Vengosh's team collected the samples from the TVA spill after being
contacted by United Mountain Defense, a nonprofit environmental group
based in Tennessee. The Duke researchers received no funding from the
group or any other external party. All funding was provided by the
Nicholas School, Vengosh said, "to maintain total impartiality in our
analysis."

"The TVA spill is one of the largest events of its kind in U.S. history.
It raises questions concerning the safety of storing coal ash and the
potential effects of coal ash on environmental and human health,"
Vengosh said. "We hope our analysis will help provide some answers."

unitedmountaindefense.org

(link...)

Chris Irwin
865 257-4029

Jan 23, 2009 Friday

Dear folks,

Check out (link...)
Check out (link...)
Check out (link...)
Check out Swan Pond Resident: (link...)

United Mountain Defense volunteers have been waiting to get new carpet put in the UMD volunteer house since we had an indoor flood on sunday night. We've still been helping organize between vacumming water and working with carpet specialists, and the insurance man.

So we have also been hounding TVA about the Material Safety Data Sheets AND WE FINALLY GOT A COPY OF IT TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The copies that we have are for Class F fly ash and for bottom ash. The main chemicals listed are aluminum oxide, iron oxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, and inorganic arsenic at varying ranges. We will try to get these sheets up on UMD's website and this blog.

We have also spent the day working on figuring out the air quality thing. WE HAVE GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Swan Pond community is so much further ahead than other coal impacted communities because of all their documentation, diaries, doctor's visits, and keeping track of their symptoms. The community listserve serves as a historical document because people keep posting their health issues there.

We have been working on formulating an air quality monitoring program. We want to bring down the Bucket Brigade? These are low volume air monitors that each citizen could recieve training to use. We could set them up inside local houses and also outside. We are looking into Summa containers to test for Volitile Organic Compounds and other gases. We are also looking into high volume air monitors and TEOM infra red scanning particulate monitors. CTEH/ TVA and TDEC are only testing to PM10 which is okay but we want to test for Total Suspended Particles which will give us a fuller air quality picture.

We have learned that TDEC has still not installed the two high volume air monitors they promised on Jan 15, 2009 but instead only installed one on Lake shore Drive. Can anyone verify that a big loud vaccum air monitor is plugged in to an electrical outlet out on Lakeshore drive with a smaller CTEH monitor next to it?

Yesterday I tried to find the air monitor on Berkshire Drive and only saw and video taped the small low volume CTEH/ TVA monitors. Is there a big air monitor plugged in to an electrical outlet there on Berkshire? So CTEH/ TVA is using low volume air monitors that would typically be used for indoors. The equipment they are using can not show compliance or non compliance with the EPA ambient air quality standards. Basically their equipment is too small. If you are so inclined you should call Tom Welborn of EPA at (404) 562 9354 and tell him that TVA is using low volume monitors to say they are achieving EPA ambient air quality standards. Request more high volume air monitoring equipment now. TELL HIM ABOUT THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF THE COMMUNITY including nose bleeds and respiratory problems. The air is also turning gold and silver jewelery black. Ask to file an official complaint.

Also call TDEC at (615) 532 0562 and tell them they need to order TVA to install more high volume air monitors as per the EPA's and TDEC's monitoring and reporting requirements. TDEC is the lead enforcement agency right now so we should focus our energies on them. Tell them about the communities health. Call TDEC and file a complaint, ask them to install more high volume air monitors.

Also we made a call today to OSHA about the fact that a lot of the independent contractors did not give TVA's MSDS sheets to their workers. These workers aren't informed about the toxins they are working with and their employers are not supplying them with the appropriate safety equipment. We called Phillip Harrell of OSHA at (615) 232 3803. OSHA needed to know the names of the contractors so that they could follow up on getting MSDS sheets out to the workers. Either call OSHA with the names of the contractors or email us and we will call them for you.

Also about the dump trucks tracking coal fly ash out onto the roads. We need to be more diligent about the trucks because we witnessed trucks traveling out of the disaster site without being washed. We were able to identify them because they had mud caked up on the sides, back, and wheel wells of the trucks. This has and will continue to be an ongoing problem for your community, but we can put a stop to it by reporting the dirty trucks. The following is a breif history of the dirty dump truck situation.

On Jan 6, 2009 Mr. Graves first video taped dirty dump trucks and made official complaints to the TN Highway Patrol, TDEC, EPA, TVA, and Howie Rose of Roane County Emergency Management Agency. On Jan 9, 2009 we reported dirty dump trucks. On Jan 12, 2009 Howie Rose told me TVA had purchased three truck washers to be installed. On Jan 15, 2009 we told Gill Francis of TVA not to forget the truck washers. On Jan 22, 2009 we called to report dirty dump trucks. As of Jan 23, 2009 TVA had still not installed the truck washers and Howie Rose said TVA will be installing them by this coming Tuesday Jan 27, 2009. This means that all of these agencies and TVA have knowingly been tracking coal fly ash out onto your roads for more than 17 days. This is unacceptable.

Please call TDEC (865) 594 6035
EPA (404) 562 9354
TN Highway Patrol (865) 594 5793
Howie Rose Roane County Emergency Management (865) 250 7347
TVA (865) 717 4006
File official complaints and make a paper trail for these injustices.

Alright, thanks for hanging in there.

I thank you for your help, support, courage, and kind words.

There is no shortage of a need for project funding. United Mountain Defense is a 501c3 and we are seeking funding or co-sponsoring organizations to help fund personal protection equipment, bottled water, independent air and water monitoring, and real time web cams.

If you are a resident impacted by TVA's coal ash disaster please contact us at 865 689 2778.

If you can make a donation of money or other resources please send a check to United Mountain Defense P.O. Box 20363 Knoxville, TN 37920 or use our PayPal account at (link...)

Till then ,matt landon full time volunteer staff person for United Mountain Defense

Dear Roane County Residents,
The all volunteer force of United Mountain Defense is proud to continue to work with your community to help out with the coal ash disaster. We have had numerous successes with your community over the past 3 weeks including raising $13,000 for heavy metal screenings for 23 Swan Pond residents. We are continuing to raise funds for more heavy metal testing. We have helped set up a water distribution center at 816 Swan Pond Circle Drive. We have gathered at least 6 rounds of water testing samples along the Emory River and along the edges of the coal ash disaster site which are in the laboratory and being tested. We helped impacted residents set up 2 community meetings. We have facilitated connections between impacted residents and local folks willing to speak with the media thereby keeping some of the media from over running your town. We have also created our own media and have documented more than 40 hours of events since Dec 22, 2008. We have 24 videos on Youtube now about the disaster. We are trying to raise funds for citizen air quality monitoring and testing for both particulates and volitile organic compounds.******United Mountain Defense volunteers are not making any money for this work.**********
United Mountain Defense volunteers are not just here because of the big media, WE ARE THE MEDIA. United Mountain Defense volunteers have been covering this story and getting your uncensored words out to the world when the corporate media ignored this disaster. United Mountain Defense volunteers are dedicated to helping your community and we need your help.
We have been blessed with the use of two houses over the past 3 weeks but our 2nd house will no longer be available after Jan 17, 2009. If you have a space where we could stay in the area this would help make our work easier because we wouldn't be traveling back and forth from Knoxville each day. We are not picky. We are willing to do work trade such as house maintence or repair. We have great Roane County references. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Matt Landon Full time volunteer staff person for United Mountain Defense

Please call 865 689 2778 or 865 292 1710 or email directly at mattlandon2001@yahoo.com

Make sure to check out (link...)
Make sure to check out dirtycoaltva.blogspot.com