Big write up on John Blair
June 4th, 2010
John Blair is a cohort in the no-coal world, and he’s been featured in a BIG write up recently — from the looks of this article, perception of him is expanding beyond the “Royal Pain In The Ass” mode to merit a feature in the… get this… the BUSINESS magazine in Evansville, Indiana. But make no mistake about it, John Blair IS a Royal Pain In The Ass, in the best possible sense of the word, he revels in it and does it very well. He’s been a fixture in environmental issues long enough that they’re learning it helps to pay attention. He operates his Valley Watch a lot like Alan and Green Delaware, the one person responsible for focusing direction and keeping it all together, and it’s not easy and for sure the work is NEVER done.
The article ends with a classic Blairism:
Blair says, “If I have something to add to the conversation, I’ll add it” — in a loud voice.
Here it is in its entirety, in case the link disappears:
A Watchful Eye
The controversial life of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and environmental activist John Blair
Aloft over Henderson County in a small Cessna, John Blair points out the windows in each direction and out to the horizon, identifying the power plants visible from 3,000 feet. He locates nearly a dozen plants, including the Rockport Power Plant with one of the tallest stacks in the world (1,038 feet) and Gibson Station, operated by Duke Energy, 2008’s third largest power plant in the United States for generating capacity, according to Electric Light & Power magazine.
Blair is on assignment to produce aerial photographs of a large construction project of an Evansville-based firm and has hired a pilot from Don Davis Aviation out of Henderson, Ky., to fly him up the Ohio River. The bird’s eye views he creates pay the bills and stoke his passion: the health of the citizens of the Ohio Valley. For around three decades, Blair and the organization he co-founded, Valley Watch, have been the most vocal and active area advocates for clean air and water.
“I, personally, and Valley Watch have had tremendous victories,” Blair says, claiming a record of 33 wins and four losses against projects and endeavors that his organization claims would cause serious harm to the public health of the Ohio Valley.
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