Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition Records
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4661
Records of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC), a social and environmental justice organization that operated out of Huntington, WV (circa 1987 to 2022). Its activities are documented through the materials in this collection; formats include audiovisual materials, digital files, the organization’s website, printed materials, ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, newsletters, reports, correspondence, legal briefs, general office files, artifacts, and posters. Subjects covered in the collection include environmental policy, justice, and science in general; mountaintop removal mining and Kayford Mountain; Clean Elections (or Clean Money Election Reform); coal sludge and related disasters; fracking; and efforts to stop the proposed construction of Parsons & Whittemore Incorporated’s Apple Grove Paper & Pulp Mill in Apple Grove, Mason County, WV, among others.
Collection does not include a box 35, 69, 70, 81, or 82.
Researchers may access born digital materials by visiting the link attached to each item (the web crawl) or by requesting to view the material (the newsletters or the web crawl) in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Dianne Bady founded the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) in 1987 as a social and environmental justice organization. Its organization was the result of a successful grassroots campaign to stop the BASF Corporation’s plan to incinerate toxic waste in Ironton, Ohio, a low-income community near Huntington, West Virginia. Per OVEC’s mission statement: “Our mission is to organize and maintain a diverse grassroots organization dedicated to the improvement and preservation of the environment and communities through education, grassroots organizing and coalition building, leadership development, strategic litigation and media outreach. Our work encompasses much of West Virginia and the Ohio River Valley.” In the ensuing years, OVEC led fights against the Apple Grove Paper and Pulp Mill in Mason County, WV; against mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia and Kentucky; and for clean air, clean water and clean and fair elections. OVEC was dissolved in 2021 November due to retirements and internal personnel issues.
From OVEC’s initial success, an organization grew that eventually included both full and part time office staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers. OVEC attracted a cadre of very passionate environmentalists, who formed the backbone of the organization's leadership. The leadership team was initially three women: Dianne Bady (1950-2017), Janet Keating, and Laura Forman (1962-2001).
Gradually, additional people joined OVEC including Vivian Stockman and Maria Gunnoe, who became notable OVEC organizers. Larry Gibson was another important individual, who literally gave his life in opposition to mountaintop removal mining. OVEC also drew into its orbit many other individuals who were interested in social and environmental justice, including former West Virginia Secretary of State Ken Hechler, Doris “Granny” Haddock, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and many others.
64.48 Linear Feet (2 artifact trays, 1 in. each; 2 flat storage boxes, 1.5 in. each; 2 document cases, 2.5 in. each; 5 flat storage boxes, 3 in. each; 2 notecard boxes, 12 in. each; 3 flat storage boxes, 3.5 in. each; 1 flat storage box, 4 in.; 38 document cases, 5 in. each; 1 roll storage box, 9 in.; 25 record cartons, 15 in. each; 6 record cartons, 15.5 in. each; 2 record cartons, 17 in. each; 4 items, 3.5 in. total; 22 oversized folders, 5.75 in. total )
47.21 Gigabytes (1 .warc file and 120 .pdf files)
English
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Gift of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, 2022 February 11.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository