Event co-hosted by Preserve Montgomery County, Preserve Giles County, Preserve Monroe, Preserve Floyd, Preserve Salem and Protect Our Commonwealth
Roanoke Vice-Mayor Joe Cobb, Councilman Bill Bestpitch and Clerk of the Court Brenda Hamilton joined the Interfaith Prayer Circle of Environmental Justice at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in downtown Roanoke on Sunday, January 6.
Freeda Cathcart opened the circle with an indigenous song to heal and open hearts. It was followed by Yzavia Haney, who has an indigenous ancestry, who offered a prayer from her heart.
Vice-Mayor Cobb wrote a prayer about healing Mother Earth.
Councilman Bestpitch prayed that Attorney General Mark Herring would read the letter he sent to him. The letter explains how the Mountain Valley Pipeline would add at least $36 million to Southwest Virginia’s budget due to storm drainage treatment.
Mara Robbins, from Preserve Floyd, read the prayer she wrote and prayed at the recent State Water Control Board meeting where they decided to have a hearing to revoke the Mountain Valley Pipeline permit.
Charlene Scott read the Peace Prayer by Saint Francis.
Susan Mead invited the group to sing This Little Light of Mine, and Brenda Hamilton led the group by knowing all the words.
The group read a prayer by Cynthia Munley, from Preserve Salem:
“I pray… For our Virginia leaders to stand up for the people of Virginia, our environment and our neighboring states whose fracked gas would supply MVP…. For ratepayers, especially the poor, not to be forced to pay for the unneeded MVP and Roanoke Gas Company’s taps…. For MVP to stop scamming its investors and taking advantage of lack of restraints by empowered bodies by continuing construction between streams and compounding harm after losing key permits to cross water bodies, the National Forest and the Appalachian Trail and for MVP investors to pull out from MVP…. For restoration of our land, water, communities, relationships, trust in government and courts and justice on all levels….For Eminent Domain and ‘quick take’ of private property to stop and never again be granted to venture gas corporations.”
Then the group chanted “Stop Work Now” as an appeal to Attorney General Mark Herring and the DEQ to shut down construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline until the State Water Control Board has their hearing to revoke the permit and the DC appeals court rules on the eminent domain case. The Mountain Valley Pipeline has already lost essential permits to complete their project. The cost of the project has already increased from $3 billion to $4.6 billion. Roanoke Gas owns one percent of MVP and starting January 1 has raised their rates by 10.6 percent.
Bernadette “BJ” Brown was inspired to create and sing a new song during the prayer circle which included these words, “Stop work now for the land is the work of the almighty hand meant for life and vitality throughout the land.”
The group concluded the prayer circle by singing We Shall Overcome!
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Submitted by Freeda Cathcart, Unity Prayer Chaplain Emeritus
