Feds Fail to Buy Off Kentucky Activist

The only reason Tom Fitzgerald isn't the Conscience of Kentucky is that Wendell Berry got there first. But I'm sure Wendell would gladly cede the title to Tom for this one.

James Bruggers at The Courier:

Louisville environmental attorney Tom FitzGerald has turned down an award from a federal mining agency, saying, “Now is not a time of celebration of achievement, but rather a somber reminder … the promises made to the people of the coalfields remain largely unkept.”

FitzGerald, director of the Kentucky Resources Council, an advocacy group, sent a letter this week to Joe Pizarchik, director of the Office of Surface Mining, saying he could not accept the agency’s inaugural Environment, Community, Humanity and Ownership Award.

If OSM had done its homework it would know that Tom Fitzgerald cannot be intimidated, cannot be bribed, cannot be dissuaded  and cannot be co-opted.

Seriously, OSM: if you took all that time and money you spend giving awards to local activists in hope they'll back off and spent it instead on enforcing the fucking law, you wouldn't need to co-opt anybody.