The Campbell County chapter is one of SOCM’s oldest chapters, formed in 1980 when the chapter structure was first established.  Even before becoming a chapter Campbell county members in the 1970’s organized against the devastating effects of strip mining in their communities.  They also participated in SOCM’s successful effort to pass a severance tax on coal, and petitioned county and state officials to force the area’s coal companies to pay their fair share of property taxes. 

In the 1990’s members organized against the threat of a chip mill (a giant facility that can chip 60 acres of forest land in one 8 hour shift) being located in Campbell County and also worked for equal educational opportunities for youth in the mountains and in the valley.

Since 2003 a massive organizing effort has centered around opposing mountaintop removal  (MTR) strip mining coming into the area.  In the Elk Valley community of Campbell County, despite widespread opposition and organizing by local SOCM members, National Coal Corporation (which is amassing many thousands of acres of land throughout Tennessee’s coalfields) is mining a 2,140 acre site which includes taking off three peaks of Zeb Mountain.  Over 100 families live along the hollows within one-half mile of the mine and the local elementary school is one-half mile away.

Members living close to the Zeb Mountain site have already suffered blasting damage to their homes, pollution of their wells, and damage to area streams.  Mining on the unstable steep slopes has produced several landslides of a thousand or more feet.  The company has constructed unpermitted sediment basins and mined outside its permit area.  Both residents monitoring the site and state and federal agencies have documented much water quality deterioration in streams coming off the site.  National Coal has been found in violation of its permit numerous times, including many for water quality violations.  Recent testing documents toxic levels of selenium coming off the site and SOCM has joined with other allies in a lawsuit to force the company to stop discharging selenium at these toxic levels.

The chapter has attempted to work with local politicians, including county commissioners, inviting them on flyovers of National Coal’s Zeb Mountain mining operation so the politicians can see for themselves the devastation caused by this type of mining.  The chapter regularly meets with enforcement officials and turns out large crowds for permit hearings challenging National Coal. 

Another 4-5 year organizing initiative of this chapter is to oppose the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) plans to lease some or all of the agency’s 53,000 acre mineral track in the Royal Blue area of Scott and Campbell counties for mining, including mountaintop removal mining.  Several years ago TVA leased over 1,000 acres of Braden Mountain for a mountaintop removal mine.  Public outcry from SOCM and many other groups in Tennessee forced TVA to back off from additional leasing and agree to do an Environmental Impact Study regarding mining and the whole 53,000 acre tract.  Several years later the EIS has not been released and TVA reports no intentions to release it any time soon.  SOCM is staying alert to any such plans and continues to organize allies and others potentially affected by mining in this area.

Besides opposing destructive developments, the chapter is also organizing a Clean Futures Initiative, recognizing the need for a local economy of good clean jobs that support families and that result in cleaner air and water as well as a decreased dependence on fossil fuel production and consumption.