Opponents of mountaintop removal coal mining today took to the trees near a Massey Energy operation in Raleigh County, W.Va., in their continuing protest campaign to halt the controversial mining practice.
Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice announced the action and distributed photos, including the one above. According to the groups:
Two people are occupying two treetops at the edge of Massey Energy’s Edwight mountaintop removal site above Pettry Bottom and Peachtree in Raleigh County, West Virginia. At 6:30 a.m., concerned citizens unrolled two banners reading “Stop Mountain Top Removal” and “DEP – Don’t Expect Protection” from their treetop platforms. They are perched 80 feet above the ground, within 30 feet of the mine, and within the 300 feet of blasting. Blasting is prohibited when people are within such proximity.
Nick Stocks, 25, and Laura Steepleton, 24, of Rock Creek, West Virginia, are in the trees. Kim Ellis, of New Orleans, Louisiana and Zoe Beavers, of Hurricane, West Virginia are on the ground below. All protesters are associated with Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice.
Steepleton said:
I am sitting in this tree to halt the blasting that endangers the residents of Pettry Bottom and Clays Branch. The people of Pettry Bottom, Clays Branch are living below a land slide waiting to happen and the only barrier between fallen trees, mud, boulders and water and the Pettry Bottom community is a wooden stake and tarp fence. The DEP needs to step in and protect its citizens – not Massey Energy – stop the blasting above Petty Bottom, and end mountaintop removal.
The groups’ news release noticed a NIOSH report — discussed recently on Coal Tattoo — that detailed several cases of residents or passersby being killed by flyrock from surface mine blasting. A recent OSMRE study, also first reported by Coal Tattoo, that detailed a variety of weaknesses in the enforcement of blasting rules by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
The news release concluded:
This is the thirteenth in a series of non-violent direct actions and protests that have brought together Coal River Valley residents, NASA climate scientist James Hansen, students, underground miners, military veterans, concerned citizens and environmentalists from across the nation with the goal of ending mountaintop removal. This is the third protest in two weeks to focus attention on the WV Department of Environmental Protection and their embattled Secretary, Randy Huffman. It also follows days after the leak of DEP biologist Doug Wood’s memo on the scale of environmental degradation caused by mountaintop removal, directly contradicting Huffman’s statements at a senate hearing last June.
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I hope they don’t lose their jobs while they’re up those trees!!?.
Old Grey,
I know those people and they could get a good job any time they wanted. They believe there are certain things in life more important than a “job”, one of them being a clean and healthy environment to raise our children in. I believe many West Virginians feel the same way.
Old Grey-
Isn’t it amazing how people are so quick to defend the ignorance of a few people? Obviously Roselle knows just how important this “protest” is and what wonderful people these outstanding “citizens” are! I am glad to see that people are finally getting sick of this foolish childish behavior. A month ago there would have been 40 comments by now saying what a wonderful jobs these people were doing. Well guess what Roselle, people are finally realizing that radical behavior will get you nowhere but jail and fined. Get a real solution or go home. Thanks
I guess you are right. It’s more important to protest than provide
These people are doing a wonderful job! Hooray for them!
Hooray for the brave people in trees, volunteering to do the job DEP refuses to do. Our tax money pays Randy Huffman and Joe Manchin to protect the citizens of WV, but instead they go off to DC or PA to defend outlaw corporations and mislead Congress and the EPA. Randy and Joe should be in trees.
Many thanks to Nick and Laura for their brave efforts. They are heroes. There is many things going on today or there would be more comments. I think that the real radical behavior is the actions of the coal industry in blasting mountains, sending fly rock down on innocent families and destroying streams.
Actually the most radical behavior is the intimidation, violence and threats of future physical violence toward environmentalists and community activists.
I support the tree-sitting. It takes courage to stand up and oppose the coal industry, and even greater courage to do so by putting your personal health/life at risk. The blasting being conducted at the Edwight mine is dangerously close to homes and has resulted in flyrock landing in people’s yards and silicon dust blanketing the community. To live next to a site where blasting is occurring from which you can feel the impact from over 3 miles away (as I did), does not qualify as a good quality of life. It qualifies as living within a blasting zone, and no American or other human being should have to live that way. My appreciation goes out to the tree-sitters. Great job!
But most of you are not West Virginians
EM2 -
First off, what difference does it make where someone is from? Air and water know no state borders. Even on the top of a ridge line, my well water comes downstream from somewhere. I don’t stop calling someone my neighbor because of an invisible municipal boundary, either.
Second, most West Virginians just aren’t all that happy about mountaintop removal.
Poll: Most oppose mountaintop removal – http://www.wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/200807030412
“The poll found that 53 percent of respondents opposed mountain removal mining, 29 percent favored it, and 18 percent did not know or had no opinion. That compares to 52 percent opposed, 32 percent in favor and 16 percent with no opinion in the May poll.”
Admittedly, those are old polls. My memory is the most recent one also found more West Virginians oppose Mountaintop Removal than support it.
Fellow member of humanity,
Clem Guttata
Clem,
There are more recent polls …
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/200407140003
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/200407150003
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/200810230324
http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/200809250789
Ken.
Yeah, these protestors arent real West Virginians. We need to hear from real West Viginians – like Ted Nugent, Sean Hannity and Lord Christopher Monckton, the 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Mr. Cooper: How do you know these people in the tree tops are not West Virginians? Did you climb the trees and ask them for their I.D., and where did you come up with those 4 names that you mentioned in your comment? Seems like two are British, and one is Irish. Come on now Mr. Cooper, let the two people in the trees protest. They are not bothering anyone or anything. I am sure that Mr. Blankenship will stick his nose into it before long, and have the State Police to arrest them for just wanting to climb a tree and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery before it is all destroyed by Mountain Top Removal mining.
Many of the people that are for MTR mining have never been near a MTR mine, and have no idea what a war zone that has been created by these people that are destroying the mountains. Also, many of the strip miners or (DESTRUCTION MINERS) do not live in West Virginia, and very few of the strip miners live near the destruction sites. God created the mountains and the waters for all to enjoy the beautiful works He created. I don’t believe that God wanted the beautiful green mountains destroyed, and He meant for the water to be clean and pure and fit for all to drink.
Fact: The majority of West Virginians are opposed to mtr. Most workers on these sites are “outsiders”, not living in the Coal River Valley, and many of them are from other states.
May God bless these two young people are not only taking a stand for their future, but are taking a stand to protect those of us living beneath this nightmare of terror. Thank you Laura, thank you Nick.
We’ve seen what the WV DEP is going to do about the dangerous slide condition above Pettry Bottom and Clay’s Branch; nothing!
Joe Manchin should resign hand in hand with Randy Huffman. When government fails to protect its citizens from something as obviously dangerous as the situation above this community, the people are forced to take action in order to protect themselves, and they have a constitutional right to do so.
Thank you Laura, thank you Nick.
It’s so unfortunate that after working at every level possible – from local to federal governments – it is still clear that laws are not being enforced at MTR sites. Coalfield residents and environmentalists have been working together for over a decade to stop the extreme damages caused by MTR.
The civil disobedience that’s happening is a tactic of last resort. Every possible lawful channel has been exhaustively tried already. And still the Obama administration continues to permit more MTR.
While some of the protesters are from out of state, they realize that MTR is an issue that concerns the entire country.
The headwater streams of WV contribute to clean water supplies regionally. I feel that the more MTR is permitted, the longer it will take to develop clean sustainable energy sources. It seems as though WV’s politicians are so busy trying to get more coal based energy, that unlike officials in other states, they are not even trying to get federal funding for sustainable, clean energy sources.
I fear WV will be left behind again – the federal funding available may go to other states whose politicians are actually working to bring clean energy to their areas.
Thank you Nick and Laura.
Yes, thank you Nick & Laura. True mountaineers appreciate what you are willing to do.
Thank you Laura and Nick! It takes great courage to do what these two fine young people are doing. They should be commended instead of ridiculed for their actions. I am very proud of them!
I like how Mr. Ward has edited the blog. My previous post FOR mountaintop removal has been removed. I doubt this one will stay up for long. Thanks for the “freedom” of speech Mr. Ward. When someone presents FACTS that support the argument for MTR and that global warming is a farce, the “free” media decides to remove it. Thank you Mr. Ward for removing my post as well as my constitutional rights.
wv_coaldigger — You (and everyone else, for that matter) have an open invitation to post a diary at WVaBlue.com making the “argument for MTR” — I’d love to hear it. WVaBlue.com is an open access site with no restrictions on who can post a new diary. As long as you follow a few basic rules (mainly, copyright/plagiarism) we don’t delete things.
BTW: you have no constitutional right to post comments on a website paid for by someone else… that’s not what the 1st amendment freedom of speech guarantees. You can, however, create a website yourself and say just about anything you want (within copyright and libel/slander laws etc.).
wv_coaldigger,
Your previous comment on this post was removed because of your suggestion that cutting down trees with people sitting in them would be a good idea. Perhaps you want to see people hurt, but I’m not interested in allowing nonsense comments like that on my blog.
If you’d care to post something that is not so mean-spirited, then I’m happy to allow you to take part in the discussion.
BUT, if you’re going to post climate denier arguments, please provide citations and links to the material that supports your view.
Finally, as Clem noted, you should study the First Amendment a little bit — nothing in the First Amendment requires a private company (The Daily Gazette Co.) to allow you to say whatever you want on one of our blogs. The First Amendment prohibits Congress from passing laws that infringe upon our write to publish a newspaper (or website) and your write to free speech. A private company like the one I work for can’t violate your First Amendment rights.
You can, as Clem also said, start your own blog and rant and rave as much as you’d like.
Best, Ken.
[...] – Steepleton as quoted in the Charleston Gazzette Blog [...]
Mr. Ward:
There was never any insinuation that people were to be hurt. I never suggested that the trees in which the people were sitting in be cut. You, as a reporter, should be able to dissect a sentence. All that was said was that there was no mention of timbering nearby. I posted here to counter the arguments against MTR. Yes, while I agree that the Daily Gazette Co. can edit any and all blogs to say what they want, does that not bode well for their image for the Daily Gazette Co. to edit out all opinions that do not agree with theirs (or yours for that matter)?
To answer some of the questions that people have asked here, let’s start with this. Yes, I have worked on an MTR mine. I am involved with underground mining at the moment but realize that both methods have their place. I live in Boone County within 5 miles as the crow flies of two large MTR operations. I have felt the air blast at various times from either of them depending on climatic conditions on the days in question. While not a native of WV, it is now my home and my salary. Would my viewpoint be different if any of the above were not true? No, it would not. The coal, oil, and natural gas that WV produces fuels this nation of ours. Without it, we would be facing rolling blackouts.
As for the global warming debate, I challenge each and every one of you to visit http://www.globalwarmingheartland.org/index.html and explore the site. There are many facts available on the site from world renowned scientists that counter the entire global warming farce.
Oh, and by the way Mr. Ward. As a journalist, I expected better. Can you tell me what’s wrong with this sentence, as quoted from your reply to me?
“The First Amendment prohibits Congress from passing laws that infringe upon our write to publish a newspaper (or website) and your write to free speech.”
wv_coaldigger,
Thanks for pointing out the typo in my email to you. I certainly make plenty of such mistakes, as my editors — and even a casual reader — can attest.
I’m going to post in full your initial post, just to readers can see for themselves what you wrote … and I think that any reasonable person who follows the comments section on this blog knows that plenty of opinions from all sides are allowed … Ken.
“Blasting is prohibited when people are within such proximity.” Doesn’t say anything about cutting down trees……….TIMBER! How do you think your I-pods and I-phones got charged this morning? Oh, from a coal burning power plant more than likely. Face the facts. Sun, wind, “renewables” (now that’s an oxymoron, but I digress). None of these can provide baseload generation. The only others that can are hydro (provided we don’t have a drought) and nuclear. Oh, and yeah, this whole man-made climate change theory? Well, it’s just a theory, and it’s FALSE. I challenge all of you to actually read the FACTS. Not what the media reports. The facts. Once you do, you’ll realize the earth has been MUCH warmer in the past than we are now.
Mr. Ward:
While I appreciate a timely response, it severely lacked in substance. You suggest that I wrote it mean spirited. Well, and I will reiterate from my previous post, there was no mention of cutting down the specific trees that the environmentalists were sitting in. Nor was there any mention of getting anyone hurt. While your readers may wish to take it that way, it was not intended as such. In fact, I even suggested that it be done in a safe way. If you were to research, the expression “TIMBER!” has be used for more years than I wish to count to warn people to clear the area for THEIR own safety. Additionally, I find it ironic that you would call me mean spirited when these people that you write about (and obviously support) very openly are mean spirited. They claim to be environmentalists, yet both were arrested on Monday for, among other charges, littering. Yet then don’t even take into consideration the number of jobs that are at stake if MTR is banned in this state. Have you ever thought what MTR really is? It’s nothing more than an inverted quarry pit. So if you get MTR banned, are the quarries next? And then are we going to go after open-pit gold, silver, etc? Your argument falls apart. That is unless you and the others involved in this wish to see this country either return to the Stone Age or become even more reliant on other countries to provide our natural resources. Did you have a chance to look at the link on global warming that I posted? I would appreciate yours as well as your readers thoughts.
I am SO proud of these young people! As a seventh generation West Virginian who is SICK of seeing the most beautiful place on earth RAPED by greedy outsiders, I support the tree sitters 100%! What a beautiful marriage of trees and people when they stand together to help all of us!!