TOP FIVE BLUE RIDGE BUMMERS
BY JEDD FERRIS
1. POWER PLANTING 

Green awareness is at an all-time high in 2007, but so is energy use. As a result, power companies are launching plans to build more smog-belching, asthma-inducing coal-fired power plants in Appalachia. Some small and determined Southwestern Virginia communities around Wise County are currently fighting a David and Goliath battle with Dominion Virginia Power over the company’s application to build a 585-megawatt coal-fired power plant there. Citizens are also worried about increased mountaintop removal mining, which has already scarred one-fourth of the land in Wise County with scenic degradation and diminished water quality. Down in Western North Carolina, Duke Energy’s application to build a $1.8 billion dollar coal-fired plant in Rutherford County has fueled major opposition from most air-breathers. 





2. TOUR DE DOPE

Doping scandals continued to plague professional cycling, and once again they played prominently in the Tour de Shame. Three riders and two teams were withdrawn from the 94th running of the Tour de France after testing positive for cheat juice. While wearing the yellow jersey, Michael Rasmussen of Denmark was yanked by his team for missing random drug tests. Then, in late September. Floyd Landis was finally stripped of his 2006 Tour title when arbitrators upheld the results of a drug test that revealed he used synthetic testosterone to fuel his spectacular comeback victory in Stage 17. Ironically, just weeks before the ruling, Landis was in the Blue Ridge, where he mingled with some of the region’s best mountain bikers, taking third place overall at Virginia’s Shenandoah Mountain 100. But pro cyclists aren’t the only dopers. Former Olympic star Marion Jones’ admitted in October to using steroids for several years leading up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she took home five medals. 



3. DEAD RIVERS 

Dubya’s latest and possibly most devastating move against the South? Gutting Clean Water Act safeguards that protect streams from coal mining. A proposed rule change removes buffer zones from Appalachian waterways that prohibit disturbing areas within 100 feet of streams. If the rule change is enacted, King Coal can blow up more mountains and fill more streams with toxic sludge. To date, nearly 2,000 miles of mountain streams in the South have been buried by mountaintop removal waste. 



4. CUTTING THE GLOBE 

The Globe Forest near Blowing Rock, N.C., contains some of the most treasured old-growth in the Southern Appalachians, with several stands over 300-years old. Last year, the U.S. Forest Service announced plans to log the Globe Forest, which immediately drew fire from outdoor enthusiasts, conservationists, and the local community, Over 1,500 comments and two city/council resolutions were submitted in opposition to the logging project, but the Forest Service decided last month to proceed with the logging anyway. Five environmental and outdoor groups are planning a legal challenge to the Forest Service decision. 



5. GLAMPING

Glamping is short for “glamorous camping,” a new trend developing among the lifestyles of the rich and wasteful. It allows spoiled urbanites to enjoy the outdoors by taking the nature out of the outdoors. Glamping originated in Britain, where it apparently attracted the celebrity likes of Kate Moss, but it has also recently crept into North America. In British Columbia, Canada, the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort has tents that go for over $4,000 a person per night with dwellings that are decked out with Persian rugs and down comforters. Be on the lookout for a potential glamping invasion coming soon to a forest near you. 

