On the coal trail in Ohio and West Virginia
[video:http://vimeo.com/5314291 660x371]
It's been a wild week on the coal front. It started with a few days in Meigs County, Ohio, where we interviewed people about the proposed powerplants being built in the area for a story led by my colleague Sara Peach (see her post below). It ended with a trip to Coal River Mountain to cover a mountaintop removal protest. The video I have shared is a compilation from both of these trips. It felt appropriate to put these images together because even though there is an obvious connection between a story on extraction and a story on power production, I think we've been a little surprised by how conjoined our stories feel. It's been and will continue to be a challenge for us to make these stories focused and unique. The issues are just enormous.
Now on to Tuesday's protest.
More than 30 people were arrested Tuesday during a mountaintop removal protest at Marsh Fork Elementary School in Raleigh County, W.Va. Among those arrested were actress Daryl Hannah and NASA climatologist James Hansen. As he was being cuffed by police officers, Hansen reiterated that coal is one of the chief contributers to climate change and called for an end to mountaintop removal, which accounts for a relatively small percentage of the coal-related jobs in the state.
But protesters were met with resistance from hundreds of miners and their families, who waved signs, set off air horns and chanted "Massey, Massey, Massey" — a reference to the energy company — in an effort to drown out the anti-mountaintop removal speeches. Massey Energy offered the workers time off without pay to make their case. As the rally wound down, miners fell back to block the entrance to Massey's Goals Coal Co., well aware that protesters intended to risk arrest by crossing over the property line. It worked. Protesters did not cross the line, opting instead to take a seat on Route 3. They were charged with impeding traffic and obstructing police.
Though I have only been following this issue for a short time, I have to say that this protest seems to mark a distinct escalation in the tension surrounding this issue. Activists have vowed to keep the pressure on Massey by staging more acts of civil disobedience throughout the summer. One recent act, an attempt to climb onto a dragline and unfurl a banner, was likely a big reason for the counter-protest. Last week, 14 activists were arrested for trespassing at the Twilight Mine; four were charged with battery, for allegedly pushing an operator out of the way. Check out the video here. (Note: it's not an impartial video but it does offer a unique vantage point and the opening sequence is shot well.)
Credit goes to the police officers for keeping this from getting out of hand. It was an intense scene, and there were a lot of heated exchanges and some downright mean-spirited rhetoric. To my knowledge though, the only assault occurred when a mining advocate slapped local activist Judy Bonds.
But in the midst of all this, I talked to several very thoughtful people on both sides who make me believe that beyond all the harsh rhetoric on the extremes, there is potential for productive dialogue. Whether that dialogue will ever happen when miners and activists share the same space remains to be seen.
Ultimately, how long this battle wages may depend on Congress. The Obama administration has sent mixed messages on mountaintop removal and that uncertainty has fueled a mighty fire down on Coal River. Tomorrow will be the first Senate hearing on the matter in a good many years, so stay tuned. I'll be following it and posting updates.