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See that big ridge under the bridge? That's Gauley Mountain
Only in West Virginia would we put a mountain scene on our state quarter and then proceed to mine the mountain in that scene. Montani Semper Liberi! Mountaineers are Always Free! But the coal isn’t.
Last Thursday about a 100 or so people congregated at Ansted Middle School in Fayette County, WV for a Q&A with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) regarding the renewal of Gauley Mountain surface mining permit S3003-01 by Powellton Coal. I imagine many folks left even more frustrated than when got there when they saw the reactions of the WVDEP representatives who attended.
I don’t think the individuals there are in the pockets of Big Coal, but I do believe a culture of complicity has been cultivated (nice alliteration, huh?) since West Virginia achieved statehood in 1863.
In a nutshell, hopeful citizens tried to get their heads around the lack of stewardship the WVDEP exhibits in light of this project being wedged between two National Park Service units: The New River Gorge National River and the Gauley River National Recreation Area. So we went up to the microphone, asked what we thought were relevant questions or comments and sat back down. Then the meeting ended. Good times.
There’s been plenty of media attention given to the issue. I scratched the surface in a previous blog post regarding ways we can decrease the demands for energy. In a nation of free enterprise, dollars always win over emotion in these cases. The WVDEP cannot imagine not issuing this permit because for as long as they’ve existed they’ve given the coal companies carte blanche to take West Virginia’s coal and leave desolation and/or destruction in their wake. Take a look at WVDEP’s calendar of events. Blasting Training and Permitting Workshops abound. WV Department of Mining Support would be a more apt moniker.
I leave you with this for a bit of insight as to the influence King Coal has exerted on West Virginia since its creation in 1863. Take the time to read and then you can begin to understand why West Virginia state government has always been, by and large, a tool for the coal companies.
