We know that strip mining is tearing up the beauty of our state. We know that strip mining is not a good economic future for West Virginia and not a good economic future for our children. And we know that, whatever advantage it has now, the damage that it leave is a permanent damage.
– Sen. Jay Rockefeller, 1972
The story is probably worn-out now, about how Jay Rockefeller lost that election, and then switched his position on strip mining. By 1977, Rockefeller was governor, and was urging Congress to allow an exemption to legalize mountaintop removal to strip-mining law then being written:
Mountaintop removal should certainly be encouraged, if not specifically dictated, by proposed legislation.
Back then, Rockefeller was among the West Virginia leaders who pushed hard for lawmakers to allow mountaintop removal instead of forcing all surface mines to be reclaimed to their “approximate original contour.” As I wrote in one of the Mining the Mountains stories more than a decade ago:
Some members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation, including Sen. Jennings Randolph and Rep. John Slack, both Democrats, also argued that allowing mine operators to flatten out the hills would be good for economic development.
“In the state of West Virginia, we have a need for level land,” Randolph said in 1973. “We know that ofttimes surface mining can allow for the location of a school, an airport, or for housing – not one, but many homesites.”
But at the “media availability” after Gov. Joe Manchin’s big closed-door summit with the coal industry yesterday, Rockefeller focused on this issue again:
I think there are virtually no states in this country except West Virginia that has the degree of mountaintop removal that we do have. We need it, we can’t exist without it, because you can’t build a high school, you can’t build a house, you can’t build an industrial park without having a place to put it.
In my post last evening, I decided to focus on Rockefeller’s comments that some changes need to be made in the way mountaintop removal is done and in the way the practice is regulated. But now, it seems to me that Erica Peterson had a better idea when she included Rockefeller’s “flatten it and they will come” quotes in her piece for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. (Thanks to a Coal Tattoo reader for pointing this out)
The problem, of course, is that politicians who resort to this argument leave out the fact that thousands and thousands of acres across the Appalachian coalfields have already been flattened, and according to every study that’s been done, there’s very little in the way of economic development on those flattened sites to show for it.
So more than 30 years after Congress allowed mountaintop removal, in exchange for the promise of development by the industry of the sites it flattened, why is the need for level land still used as a justification for mountaintop removal? It would be interesting to be in the room if that question was on the agenda the next time Gov. Manchin has a session with the region’s top coal executives.
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“there’s very little in the way of economic development on those flattened sites to show for it”
In a single county I am familiar with, there is an airport, two hospitals, a middle school, industrial parks, a soon to be built dental school, a soon to be built research facility, a college football stadium, currently under construction college basketball facility, a winery, several housing developments and numerous commercial developments. I would say this is somewhat more than “very little” in the way of economic development.
which county is that Engineer?
and are they all on sites mined by MTR? a winery? really? i’d like to see those grapevines.
The point seems to be , that John D. Rockefeller IV, aka “JAY”, does not often mean what he says relative to Mountain Top Removal.
Well looks like it’s getting close to election time. All of a sudden all politicians are for the surface mining method. They see that the majority of local people support our jobs and way of life and they want to be re-elected because this is a serious issue. The sleeping giant is awake and it’s screaming on the side of coal mining in 2 forms. I’m glad to see all of the coal leaders, coal miners, miners wives, and pro-coal groups getting on the social networking banwaggon and showing we are united for coal. After all what kind of tax can be put on wind and solar energy that would b equal to what the coal severance tax brings to the state. Something I wanted to add is that yes the coal rich counties seem to be some of the poorest in Kentucky and west Virginia but that’s because the state decides where the money goes. Thanks Gov. Manchin and others for recognizing us.
I wager Engineer doesn’t have the statistics to back his rant. The politicians may get one more term by leading their sheep to the mountain side, but face it. Enviornmentally it can’t go on. The MTR groups will eventually lose. Especially the way the rest of the country is taking notice.
rcj112
My rant??
I made a statement in response to a statement Ken made.
Brandon is deluding himself if he thinks “the sleeping giant” is the workers and families. Now if he’d said coal executives, awash in cash to make campaign contributions, I’d agree – but coal industry workers are outnumbered compared to the occupations of the rest of the state …
What county were you describing, Engineer?
Wise County, Virginia
Engineer,
There’s been a relatively little amount of what most people consider “mountaintop removal” in Wise County, Va. Some relatively large surface mines, but nothing like Southern West Virginia or even Eastern Kentucky.
I don’t know if you bothered to click through the post, especially to this link to a previous post:
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/10/19/reclaiming-and-developing-the-mountains/
That described in some detail some positive things that have happened in Mingo County, W.Va., but also studies by the government and the media that show that, overall, very little surface-mined land has been developed in the way you describe.
Before you assume I’m wrong, I’d suggest you click through and read some of those links, such as:
http://www.kentucky.com/reclaiming_mountains/story/981954.html
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/200803100636
and
http://www.epa.gov/Region3/mtntop/pdf/appendices/g/postmining-landuse/text.pdf
Ken.
Rockefeller is acting and sounding like Rush Limbaugh. He has reached his conclusion on MTR while ignoring overwhelming facts that do not fit his preconceived solution. Pure Rush and pure horse hockey.
Even if someone wanted to invest in large scale building on these sites I am not sure the ground would support it. In the northern panhandle the small surface mine sites are usually reclaimed as agriculture and I believe they may not have the ablility to support a large building. I am guessing the same is true in the MTR counties.
Shouldn’t our politicians be forward-thinking, preparing us for the future? You’d think by now I’d stop being appalled by leaders who consistently refuse to diversify the economy. When coal runs out and Appalachia is left with nothing, the blame will lie on our politicians who didn’t do anything to prepare for what’s next.
[...] Blogs @ The Charleston Gazette – » Rockefeller still saying ‘Flatten it, and they will come’ blogs.wvgazette.com – view page – cached We know that strip mining is tearing up the beauty of our state. We know that strip mining is not a good economic future for West Virginia and not a good economic future for our children. And we know… Read moreWe know that strip mining is tearing up the beauty of our state. We know that strip mining is not a good economic future for West Virginia and not a good economic future for our children. And we know that, whatever advantage it has now, the damage that it leave is a permanent damage. Read less [...]
Cannot forget the infamous Rockefeller amendment from 1979:
http://groups.google.com/group/bob-mooney/web/rockefeller-amendment
The Rockefeller amendment was a proposal by West Virginia Gov. Jay Rockefeller that would turn control of strip mine regulation writing over to the states. His proposal died in Congress last year [1980], and Congressional staffers had not expected the bill to be revived during the current session.
It is amazing that Rockefeler has been taken in by a bunch of good old boy, southern WV politicians. I would have thought that he was more intelligent than that. I have lost all respect and trust in him.
Bob that is still the position of some of the industry leaders, that the states have the right to determine “adverse impact” and not the EPA. How would that bill have rewritten the federal oversight of SMCRA and CWA?
There is much change ahead. Coal will continue to be replaced by other sources of energy BUT it still will dominate electrical power generation.
In the next couple of weeks, EPA-USACE-OSMRE will bring out changes for “review” that pertain to their Memorandum of Understanding. (OSMRE has been sitting on its oversight review initial recommendations for weeks.)
P.S. No one is going to be happy.
I guess that is a private question that shouldn’t be asked. I only wanted to see how you tie to the information stream out of all the agency’s. Do you just know people that give out the info or do you research it yourself. Like mooney3 wrote (in the next couple of weeks there will be changes for review that pertain to their Memorandum of Understanding). And it sounds like OSMRE has been sitting on its oversight review initial recommendations for weeks. How does he know that 2 weeks ahead. I know the 2 weeks can turn into month when dealing with gov. agencies but it came from somewhere.
As an everyday mtr visitor and coal miner, i see everyday what needs to happen, make the coal operator do the reclaimation to exacting laws. this land that is disturbed can be used for many uses, i believe that the time of compromise is upon us. we need to work together and plan for the future!
What’s ahead:
The U.S. government owns quite a lot of coal reserves in western states that could be traded for coal reserves in West Virginia or elsewhere.
Arch Coal is growing westward…others may too.
Then there’s the Lands Unsuitable declaration process under SMCRA — it’s difficult and requires compensation for takings.
Ultimately, less and less coal will be mined in West Virginia for various reasons.
I have said many times, that, even if the coal companies could “put it back “, this does not justify the destructive effects that the people living in the communities below and down stream must endure during the mining. Dr. Hendryx’s study certainly supports our health concerns as well. I continue to ask our elected representatives, “What about us”? Our elected representatives continue to ignore my question.
But in my humble opinion, reclamation will never restore the land to the great “Climax Forest” it once was. I am so proud of our great mountain forest called Appalachia, it is the hidden crown jewel of America. As I hiked along the backbone of the mountain behind my home last week, there was a carpet of leaves on the ground at least 3 inches thick.