West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin came out and met with about two dozen protesters who filled his outer office reception area, demanding that the governor step in to stop Massey Energy mountaintop removal operations near the company’s Brush Fork slurry impoundment in Raleigh County.
The governor told the protesters:
We want to do everything. We’re committed to attracting wind farms and attracting solar farms. We’re looking at all of that.
What we’re trying to do is find a balance and that’s tough to do in an extractive state.
When I left the Capitol about an hour ago, many of the protesters were still there. Some of them were holding big banners outside the reception area, in the main hall of the building. Seven others had locked arms, sat down and were refusing to leave the reception area unless Manchin stopped the mining permits.
It looked like Capitol security were going to let the protesters stay, as long as they weren’t blocking entrances and exits or otherwise disrupting business. But that could change. Manchin spokesman Matt Turner reported:
The protesters have the same rights as any person who enters the capitol. We are not asking them to leave, so long as they don’t block safe ingress and egress from the Reception Room or pose a fire or security hazard. They may stay there until the Governor’s Office closing time at 5 p.m., and stay in the capitol’s public spaces until it closes at 7 p.m.
Updated: Gazette statehouse reporter Alison Knezevich reports to me that all seven of the sit-in protesters have been arrested after they refused to leave when the reception room was closing for the day at 5 p.m.
Today’s protest action was apparently planned by Climate Ground Zero, which has been organizing non-violent civil disobedience actions against mountaintop removal throughout the year. A number of local residents and activists also attended, and got a chance to take their complaints directly to Manchin.
Former underground coal miner Chuck Nelson told the governor:
We can have a wind facility on top of these mountains, and Massey Coal can deep mine under these mountains to get the coal.
Lorelei Scarbro of Rock Creek told Manchin “the whole world is watching” how he and the rest of West Virginia’s government and political leaders handle the mountaintop removal issue. Complete copies of the protesters’ demands, and their statements to Gov. Manchin, are posted online here.
Manchin indicated he has no intention of stepping in and getting Environmental Protection Secretary Randy Huffman to do anything about the Massey permits in question. When one of the young folks told Manchin some of them weren’t leaving until he took action on those permits, the governor responded, “Then you’re going to be here for a long time.”
The governor repeated the standard line his administration has offered when coalfield residents seek help on specific mountaintop removal or other coal-mining permits:
I can’t get involved in permits. It goes through the process and I respect that process.
Manchin conceded that he appointed Huffman, but said that doesn’t mean he tells WVDEP what to do:
No politician has that power. I appoint judges, too. Do you think I call them and tell them to find you guilty and you innocent?
Chuck Nelson responded by asking Manchin why had had flown to Philadelphia and to Washington, D.C., to complain to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about the Obama administration’s review of mountaintop removal permits.
The governor said that he got involved there not to address specific permits, but to object when the state and the coal industry felt that EPA wasn’t setting out specific rules for mine operators to follow to get federal permits approved.
Does Manchin’s line on this hold water? Well, keep in mind that only Friday the governor issued a statement criticizing EPA for its actions on a specific mining permit — one that isn’t even pending in front of WVDEP.
Manchin did hand out business cards for his constituent services aides, and urged any citizens who felt that they were being harassed or intimidated at last week’s big Army Corps of Engineers to contact the state to file complaints. “That was awful,” Manchin said of that hearing.
But, the governor also said he has been told that some parents and teachers at Marsh Fork Elementary School in Raleigh County don’t want their school relocated away from a Massey Energy operation and have been “scared to speak out because of all of the harassment that was coming from the outside.” Here’s some video of that part of the governor’s discussion:
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[...] Blogs @ The Charleston Gazette – » Manchin to protesters: Balance ‘tough’ in ‘extractive stat… blogs.wvgazette.com – view page – cached West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin came out and met with about two dozen protesters who filled his outer office reception area, demanding that the governor step in to stop Massey Energy mountaintop… (Read more)West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin came out and met with about two dozen protesters who filled his outer office reception area, demanding that the governor step in to stop Massey Energy mountaintop removal operations near the company’s Brush Fork slurry impoundment in Boone County. (Read less) — From the page [...]
Ken — Thank you for your excellent coverage of today’s events.
I’d be really curious on more follow-up on this statement by the governor: “We want to do everything. We’re committed to attracting wind farms and attracting solar farms. We’re looking at all of that.”
From what I can tell, the major energy-related efforts of the state economic development apparatus are all for coal-related projects, not wind or solar. I would be great to know where economic development resources actually go.
As a related example, when Gov. Manchin was just over in Germany saying how great their one small coal carbon capture project was, did he also take the time to visit any of the dozens (if not hundreds) of solar or wind projects that Germany is making great strides with?
Likewise, can the Gov. point to anything he has personally done to promote consumer solar or wind projects? I’ve searched for a press release on the current tax credits and can’t find anything from the Gov.’s office.
I don’t follow Manchin’s logic for picking which permits he speaks out about. I don’t know if it is the right explanation or not, but the simplest one is that only speaks out when something happens that could slow down mining.
I do give Manchin some small credit for talking to the protesters today. That’s more than some politicians would do. But, that doesn’t change how unconvinced I am by what he had to say.
The Governor was told wrong on the issue of “outside harassment” on Marsh Fork Elementary School. That is simply not true. The harassment and violence is only coming from one side, that is the coal side. If the Governor thinks the coal antics at the Army Corp of Engineers was “awful” then why doesn’t he do something about it. We have had a press conference in May to ask the Governor and coal operators to step in and calm down the intimidation and we have asked the Governor several times to take steps to control the violence coming from the coal industry and their workers. As of yet, there has been no response or action from the Governor. Not one word until it seems to be to benefit the coal industry.
I’d like to know what is so “tough” about upholding human rights, and how in this world he can possibly validate the human rights violations in his state, for short-term profits.
I would like to know what human rights violations you are talking about. If you really believe that coal is so bad,turn off your electricity and use only wind. Do not visit malls,grocery stores etc..These all need coal to provide electicity and coal provides 55% of this nations electrical needs.If you believe mountain top removal is so bad then stop road construction and new developement. In this state alone entire mountains,rivers and streams have been removed, rerouted or destroyed to build roads and shopping malls.Why do you not protest this type of mountain top removal? With the mountain top remeoval we are seeing flat land that makes new industry a viable option in a state that has very little of the above. Yes we need to keep our streams ,water supplies and air clean but we need to exercise common sense in these matters. I wonder how you the protesters are getting the money to protest,they eveidently dod not have jobs,so where is the money comming from? Wind farm industries maybe?
Angela, there is a very specific situation these protesters are addressing. The very real danger to the community of blasting beside a massive sludge dam over underground mines makes this a human rights issue. To know that thousands of our lives are in the hands of Massey’s blasters, engineers, and map makers is downright terrifying given their previous history of violations and disasters. And when you deprive the community of clean water and other sustainable economic resources it does become a human rights issue. Massey doesn’t intend to remove the mountain to make a shopping mall or road–that argument just tries to divert attention away from the issue. Manchin’s comments about Marsh Fork Elementary are puzzling.
Angela, please don’t dismiss the very real concerns of residents living beneath the Brushy Fork impoundment. The blasting on Coal River mountain, on the bee tree permit, would occur closer than 200 feet in some locations. There are very serious concerns about this impoundment and about blasting so close to it. It seems to me that “exercising common sense” would involve making the lives and safety of residents below the impoundment the top priority. If there are no problems, why not allow a site visit and a thorough assessment of the stability of the dam and the pillars below before risking the lives of wv citizens? Doesn’t that sound like common sense?
Who are the Governor’s hypothetical Marsh Fork parents afraid of? Sen. Byrd? Sen. Rockefeller? Congressman Rahall?
They all think there should be a new school built away from the Massey impoundment/gob pile.
Video of the arrests with explanations from Lorelei Scarbro
http://mobilebroadcastnews.com/MBN/blog/Citizens-Arrested-WV-Governor-Joe-Manchins-Office
I have seen alot of post regarding violence on the part of pro-coal, yet I have seen no reports of some one being injuried, no reports of any one being transported to a hospital, no reports of pro-coal being arrested. This along with most of the information is unfounded. Atleast to me. If wind is such a wonderful thing, why do you folks spend your time fighting coal. Spend your time getting permits, buying land, hiring workers, infastructure, loans, clearing building sites, making roads, workers comp,will you get the idea. It would seem to me that you have alot of work to do. How is there time left to worry about coal. Don’t try to convince me that wind is the way to go….show me. Put your product side by side with ours. Do it for the same price to the consumer as coal. Keep the same number of people working, at the same pay. Hmmmmm any takers? I bet not, let us work.
Angela let’s go line by line by line.
Human rights, how about the right to clean air and water. Nobody said that coal was bad, we said we were against mountaintop removal. Although, I did watch my husband die a slow death of black lung and that is about as bad as it gets. Fifty-five per cent, the most recent data states the correct number is 42.6 % of our nations electricity needs are supplied by coal and that number is falling.
Road construction, shopping malls and industry, with 95% of the already leveled land still undeveloped, let’s start with that. When about half of that is developed, then you might be able to justify making more flat land. Until then, this argument means nothing.
Now let’s talk common sense, people who work for coal like to pretend that if we protest we must not have jobs and your husbands taxes must pay my welfare check. I was perfectly happy running my business from home and being partially supported by surviving spousal benefits because my husband worked in coal and died of black lung. The coal industry brought this fight to my door and then I went to work protecting my home and my human rights. I work every day and pay taxes like many of the other people that I align myself with. It seems to give some people in the coal industry a great deal of satisfaction to belittle their opposition by pretending they don’t work.
I am not financed by the wind industry, but it appears you are financed by coal.
To coal is great, and Governor Manchin: June 23rd. Without provocation a Massey wife cut through a state police line and punched a peaceful activist in the face. The activist did have to go to the hospital and did receive medical care. July 4th. A mob of Massey workers went to Kayford Mountain, bullied a gathering of peaceful citizens at a picnic and threatened to slit the throat of a young man and his infant son. Oct. 13. An organized mob of coal industry employees converged on the outside of the Chas. Civic Center, name called, intimidated and threatened to kill those that were there to speak against the Army Corp of Engineers issuing of Nationwide 21 permits for valley fills. Peaceful citizens were forced to leave for fear of their lives. Democracy was denied. The People’s inherent right to attend and participate at a public federal hearing was denied. The coal industry has resorted to violence and threats of violence because they are losing the mtr debate. It’s as simple as that. Go back underground, get off the mountain, stop blowing the mountain up, people live below your extreme radical form of mining. What do you expect us to do? We have family’s too, and we are trying to protect them.
Personally, I don’t really want to see a wind farm on Coal River Mountain, but it would look like a beautiful thing compared to what Massey is about to do to it.
Governor Manchin said he doesn’t know much about the issue?! That is rather “perplexing”, given that he just blasted(no pun intended) the United States Env. Protection Agency for exercising their regulatory authority on mtr.
I say this to the Governor. Governor Manchin, if you don’t know much about mtr, you should educate yourself. I can’t think of a better way for you to do that then move down here on Coal River with those of us that live beneath mtr. You could easily convert a couple rooms at Marsh Fork Elementary into office space and living quarters. That way you could kill two birds with one stone. You could learn all about mtr while at the same time breath the same coal dust the kids breath and feel what it’s like living directly beneath a 3 billion gallon sludge dam, especially when it rains heavy. It wouldn’t take long for you to have a better understanding of the issue of mtr and Marsh Fork Elementary. Come on down, we’d love to have you!
To “Coal is great:” the reason coal’s “price to the consumer” is so low is because neither consumers, nor the coal industry, nor utilities pay the cost of many of the problems caused by coal, like air pollution, water pollution, human health impacts, land degradation, flooding, lowered property values, etc. Ken blogged about that right here just yesterday: take a look at the NAS’s estimate of coal’s “external” costs. And their report doesn’t even include ALL the costs, e.g. mining impacts.
OK, folks … I think we’ve had enough back-and-forth ranting over who is a mob and who isn’t and whether protests are peaceful or not, etc.
It’s interesting — and kind of sad — that the discussion about this draws so many comments and such heated feelings, while a thoughtful discussion of the underlying regulatory failures that lead to the problems related to mountaintop removal — see my post on Judge Haden, http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/10/20/ten-years-after-haden-ruling-issues-still-unresolved/, does not generate any more detailed discussion than it has.
There have been numerous comments on this post that I’ve had to take down because of the venom in their tone and the name-calling in their choice of words.
It’s another example of the polarization of our region on this issue, and not a good sign for the future.
Anyway, I’m going to turn the comments off on this particular post.
Have a good evening everybody, Ken.