Comments on: Breaking: Climbers Up on 20-Story Piece of Mining Equipment Protesting Mountaintop Removal

By: Dianne

Dianne — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:41:33 +0000

Many people in West Virginia have been working together in every way legally possible to fight MTR – some of us for fifteen years or more.
I am so grateful for the courage of the Dragline 14 – I wish I had the courage they do!

By: Martha Bird-Middleton

Martha Bird-Middleton — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:36:49 +0000

It is time that Massey be held accountable for its unsafe labor practices and for destroying the environment.

Thank you all who are calling this corporation to account.

By: Donna Gibson

Donna Gibson — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:13:40 +0000

THANK GOD FOR THOSE PEOPLE STRONG ENOUGH MENTALLY, MORALLY AND PHYSICALLY TO ACT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT! Mountain top removal makes me virtually gag whenever I even think about it!

I grew up next door in Ohio; I visited West Virginia quite often and spiritually rejoiced in those magnificent mountains and valleys. I cannot even comprehend a reason compelling enough to destroy a way of life, a mountain top, its trees, wildlife, watercourses and even weather and wind patterns. If there is sin, this is it.

By: Getting Wall Street Out of Appalachia « FUTURISM NOW

Getting Wall Street Out of Appalachia « FUTURISM NOW — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:41:41 +0000

[...] is funding 6 out of the top 8 corporate producers of mountaintop removal coal in Appalachia–Massey, International Coal Group, Arch Coal, Consol Energy, TECO and Foundation [...]

By: Video: NYC Campaign to Stop JP Morgan Chase from Funding Mountaintop Removal « It’s Getting Hot In Here

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:11:55 +0000

[...] is funding 6 out of the top 8 corporate producers of mountaintop removal coal in Appalachia–Massey, International Coal Group, Arch Coal, Consol Energy, TECO and Foundation [...]

By: Judy Belle

Judy Belle — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:04:23 +0000

MY family has been here IN West Virginia for 8 generations- My father and grandfather was underground coal miners. Mountaintop removal is a crime–strip mining is a crime. It is blasting our homes and communities and poisoning our air and water. Most locals hate strip mining but are afraid to speak out because Massey workers and coal workers intimidate and harass people who dare speak out. You coal people are not fooling any one-they have seen it with their own eyes. Strip jobs are short term destructive jobs that blast and poison- that is the real criminal act.

By: suzanne o'meara

suzanne o'meara — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:37:12 +0000

it is completely wrong & , what if worse offshoots occur, e.g. – any single person could steal an entire mountain , abduct any mountain , steal the energy , destroy the meaning of the Himalayas & all mountains . this is already the tone worldwide , for promoting wealthy tourism – the nature & the locals are already terrorised in spirit, raped, murdered every day for perverse evil tourism ; especially for intl sport as well ; i live in cape town & the situation is already a disaster.
& the pain the mountains experience through the removal for mining & pollution – it is a crime . how can this be allowed ?

By: WV underground miner

WV underground miner — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:37:01 +0000

Im against mountaintop removal. If all these mountaintop removal sites were mined using underground mining, it would mean a lot more jobs for West Virginians. Im ashamed of some of the comments being made by coal’s supporters. You all should hold your head up and show pride in West Virginia, not just ugly name-calling. These are God’s mountains and to destrot them is a sin against God.

By: Yvonne Hahni

Yvonne Hahni — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:12:09 +0000

It takes huge courage to overcome the fear of loss of job and income to feed a family but when the coal miners in West Virginia take a step back and look without bias and through the eyes of their children at the path of destruction that MTR inflicts on the mountains that are their heritage, they may find the strength within their hearts and minds to say “No More” and join the many voices in their own communities who take a stand that the erasure of century old forests is no longer acceptable in our 21st Century. Millions of chestnut trees are no match to the ancient forests of the Appalachians. The united voices of coal miners will roll like thunder all the way to Washington and fearless we will all stand together and change will come. This is what is possible in America!

By: AnneG

AnneG — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:00:58 +0000

Coal companies don’t care about the people or the environmental damage they cause,it’s all about the buck.

By: Mark Hallett

Mark Hallett — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:16:18 +0000

Jobs are never a reason to continue an industry that destroys the environment. The mountains of West Virginia do not belong only to the people of West Virginia. They are a part of the natural heritage of the nation. Filled streams affect others downstream. Coal must be eliminated from our energy mix for the sake of all future generations. This is what science tells us. There is no other method to determine what to do!

By: Vernon Haltom

Vernon Haltom — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:48:19 +0000

By the way, the coal industry only employs 5% of the WV workforce, total, so maybe 2% of the WV workforce is involved in mountain demolition (real miners go underground). MTR is a net economic drain on a community.

By: Vernon Haltom

Vernon Haltom — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:38:38 +0000

I live in WV next to a mountaintop removal site. Please folks, don’t think locals like MTR. It destroys our water, air, communities, planet, etc. etc. The REAL outsiders are these out of state coal companies, such as Massey, Arch, Consol, etc. and their Wall Street bankers (read bailout, corporate welfare, etc.) plundering the mountains and communities. I welcome all residents of this planet to stand up against mountaintop removal. By the way, everyone I know fighting MTR is either working, retired (on money they EARNED), or a student (also working, for those who think college is easy). The coal companies try very hard to divide this movement and to divide communities. A lot more local folks would stand up against MTR if they had the time, the health, or confidence they could actually win. Big coal has been instilling a culture of fear and oppression for over a century here.

By: turrburr

turrburr — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:09:45 +0000

Rather than huge corporations removing coal with the minimum number of jobs possible, better to join the protestors to shut down the large scale strip minining and set up worker owned and controlled mining, using methods that don’t destroy our water and forrests.

Wouldn’t that be better if the community owned and operated the mines? Keeping the money in town rather than dividends to shareholders that don’t care whether we live or die.

By: SR

SR — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:00:17 +0000

Not surprised that most posts appear to be written from people outside the State of WV. Its easy to ignore simple economic growth and development when you don’t understand the big picture. I think people that do not understand surface mining and have never seen with their own eyes what a reclaimed mine looks like not to mention the millions of Chestnut trees that are planted each year.

By only looking with a narrow mind and at negative pictures that are shown can skew the sharpest of minds.

By: Craig Nazor

Craig Nazor — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:58:29 +0000

OK, West Virginia miners, what are you going to do when the coal is gone? What are you going to do in the toxic wasteland of mine refuse left behind? What happened to the streams and the forests? How are you going to explain that to your children in the 100º+ sun? Do you think the coal companies care about what you will then do?

This is called penny-wise and dollar foolish. It is also called fiddling while the earth burns. There has got to be another way – I don’t think humans were put on this earth to destroy it.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:44:36 +0000

The West Virginia mountains are owned by all people, not just you WV locals who want nothing more out of them than to lop off their tops for some coal, the burning of which is destroying our very planet (and our futures).

Fat, stupid and short-sighted is no way to go through life.

By: Rick

Rick — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:41:12 +0000

I love the short-sighted selfishness of most of these commentators. It’s all about jobs, selling their wares to miners, etc., and keeping the miners in a state of coal-industry “welfare” in what should be a dying, dinosaur technology. You WV-ers may like living in a flat enviro-wasteland, but the rest of us are living for the day when coal is DEAD — and those miners can get jobs in other fields, like green technology.

Join this century, people! Or is that too much to ask of West Virginia?

By: Sensible One

Sensible One — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:16:56 +0000

Wouldn’t it make better sense to protect the natural resources of the area, like the mountains, trees, and streams, that sustain life in the area, rather than to destroy it from the top down?

Those who have commented posts here about the fear of losing jobs, I understand. But what good are those jobs if in the creation of those jobs, you are destroying your health, the environment that you live and raise your children in, and the planet we all share through the continued excavation and use of coal products.

Wouldn’t a better idea be to nurture the awesome beauty and gifts that God has provided to you by showing respect and gratitude. What if jobs could be created by more tourism dollars which in turn would bring in more businesses and more tourists to keep the cycle going? What about other sustainable energy projects? Has anyone of you considered the idea that there may be a better way to provide jobs and protect the blessings that you live amongst?

Coal is not the answer to your local employment problems, nor our national energy problems.

By: Ilove coal

Ilove coal — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:51:43 +0000

Coal mining has been around for years and if you people think your stupid protesting is going to stop that your crazy all your doing is stiring in a bees nest we all here in West Virginia love our minier and support them and they work very hard to keep your light on and support there families and probably yours too I mean how was you able to sent those people here for so long they must be on welfar get a life people find something else to do other than mess with families and there jobs. Go huge a faggot and tell them you love them or something make there day lmao