The first photo was taken March 6 of this year.
The next photo was taken yesterday, June 10.
It doesn’t take long to move a mountain with mountaintop removal coal mining. All of the debris in the first photo missing from the second is now a part of one of the surrounding valley fills along with the rest of the missing mountain.
I went to Kayford Mountain today with Mountainsaver to document a very dangerous booby trap.
Larry Gibson was walking on a four wheeler trail with his dog when he discovered a wire hanging from a tree in the middle of the path with a large rusty three prong hook attached to the end of the wire. This was hanging on the path near the mountaintop removal site where Larry takes visitors to view the site.
The hook would have been about chest high on someone riding a four wheeler. If someone were to ride into this hook and it didn’t catch them in the chest it would have most likely caught them in the neck. I can say this, thank God Larry found the trap because if someone had run into it they would have been in big trouble being at least an hour, probably longer, from the nearest hospital. And that is if they were somehow able to drive their self to the hospital otherwise you can double or triple the time taken to receive medical care.
I would have given anything to catch the worker that placed this trap. I can guarantee it would be a long time before they could tie their shoes let alone a hook.
This is the kind of bullshit we have to deal with from the very few workers on a mountaintop removal site. Most of them blinded by the coal industry. An industry that will leave those same workers scratching their ass when the coal is gone. Who is the extremist here?
Let me tell you something mountaintop removal workers, if you set a trap for me you better damn sure catch me in it because there will be no end to the hell I pay back. My patience has run out with you morons. What you are doing is wrong times ten and you know it. If I have to take my last breath denouncing mountaintop removal coal mining I will do it gladly. Your job means absolutely squat to me.
The mountaintop removal site on Kayford Mountain is operated by Catenary Coal Company, a subsidiary of Massey Energy.
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While I was on Kayford today I decided to try out the video capturing ability of my little digital camera and had I known the sound was so sensitive I would have definitely had something to say. I’ll know next time.
When looking at the negative impacts of coal one would be remiss not to take a close look at sludge impoundments.
Before being transported to market, coal must be washed to separate it from the surrounding soil and rock–the more impurities a company can remove from coal, the higher its market value and the lesser the transportation costs. The washing process generates huge volumes of liquid waste, while the mining process generates millions of tons of solid waste. The cheapest way for coal companies deal with this some of this waste is by constructing dams from the solid mining refuse (that is, rocks and soil) to impound the liquid waste. (In mountaintop removal coal mining, some of the solid refuse is dumped directly into valleys). Coal companies usually build these dams in the heads of hollows (valleys), close to their coal processing plants.
The photos in this post are from a sludge impoundment operated by Marfork Coal, a subsidiary of Massey Energy, located in Raleigh County, WV.
Photos courtesy B. Mark Schmerling
From Appalachian Voices
In addition to the environmental impacts of blasting mountains into rubble and burying streams with mining waste, mountaintop removal coal mining requires the building of giant sludge dams, which can hold billions of gallons of toxic coal sludge behind un-reinforced earthen dams. These slurries are necessary because, unlike coal from underground mines, coal from mountaintop removal requires extensive washing to separate the coal from debris and residues from the blasting of bedrock.
As of 2000, there were more than 600 sludge impoundments across the Appalachian coalfields. Chemical analyses of this sludge indicate it contains large amounts of arsenic, mercury, lead, copper, and chromium, among other toxins, which eventually seep into the drinking water supply of nearby communities.
Coal Impoundment Location & Information System: Brushy Fork Sludge Impoundment
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Sludge impoundments are another reason why coal can never be considered clean.
I don’t usually like to post articles from other websites on this blog but this one disgusted me so much I just had to. I think for anybody that has even halfway followed my writing will know that I hate the disrespect laid upon our ancestors by the coal industry. The story that follows takes disrespect to a whole new level of disgusting.
Battle to Mine Coal Under Graveyard, Draws Reaction Story by Jerry Echemann
BELMONT, Ohio — A battle to mine coal under an historical church and graveyard in Belmont County, took on biblical proportions Friday.
Church leaders have already voted to allow the mining, but others say it’s wrong to disturb those who’ve been laid to rest there.
Ohio Valley Coal wants to mine an additional 1,500 acres in Smith and Goshen Townships. The state held a hearing Friday on their permit request. The Pastor of Chestnut Level Church said economic and Biblical ramifications were considered before giving the green light.
The Chestnut Level Church has been around since 1856. The pastor, at a hearing before the Department of Natural Resources, says mine subsidence is no factor since it can’t be fixed anyway. He said they don’t even ring the church bell for fear it will fall.
“A heavy snow and a strong wind will blow it down. We have tiles falling down on us. It’s in severe disrepair.” Rev. Brent Hopper said.
The 200 year old graves at the site present a different story. But the pastor pointed out that most of it could legally fall under the fringe of the mining. Hopper believes graves will see less damage by the decision to sell the entire coal rights.
The pastor, like a lot of other people, has ancestors buried here. And there we enter the religious realm.
“When are we going to draw the line? You can’t even rest in peace when you’re dead.” Belmont County resident Cheryl Skinner said.
Skinner said profits are the motivating factor, when respect for the dead should be.
But the pastor, whose grandparents are buried at the cemetery, takes a different view of what it means to disturb the dead.“But you know something? My grandmother is not there. My grandfather is not there. The carcass they left behind is there, but they are not there. They are with the Lord. What is here they’ve got no use for.”
If the coal is mined, a new Chestnut Level Church is expected to be built. No decision on the mining permit was made.
I’m not going to get into a big discussion about religion but in my opinion the Rev. Brent Hopper has reserved his place alright - in Hell. Somebody needs to take this man out behind the church and teach him the meaning of respect.
Seriously, how far are we willing to go for profit or cheap energy? Humanity has reached a new low when our ancestors are disturbed for coal, a non-renewable resource. Mark my words, there will come a time, in our lifetime, when we regret some of the decisions we have made and continue to make for cheap energy. This story, in and of itself, is one prime example. Mountaintop removal is another.
I think it is way past time to rein in the destructive ignorance of the coal industry. And those who look upon the coal industry and see dollar signs. They are all a disgrace to the human race.
Let’s try this again.
The Blogger’s Challenge
http://www.ilovemountains.org/bloggers-challenge
The ultimate resource for bloggers interested in writing about mountaintop removal coal mining which includes embeddable video, coal tracking widgets, news and blog post headline tickers, and customizable “Spread the Word” widgets. These tools will encourage and incubate a community of concerned bloggers who spread the word, collaborate, and take action. The Blogger’s Challenge page also includes a “Blogger’s Impact” map, which shows where the campaign has spread around the country as a result of the challenge.
We have a somewhat special interest in the Bloggers Challenge in that it was inspired by our Blogging for Appalachia. I started Blogging for Appalachia a few months ago and I did it to try and get other bloggers to blog about the devastating impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining. The main reason was because MTR was hidden in the coalfields and I thought if more people blogged about the practice, people would stand up and take notice. In some ways we have succeeded in helping spread the word.
A day or two after I announced Blogging for Appalachia on my blog Kristine from Gun Safety Innovations issued a Blogging for Appalachia Challenge on the Outdoor Bloggers Summit blog which resulted in most of the links in the Blogging for Appalachia link list on this blog and all blogs I author. At the time the only thing I could offer was multiple links back to posts written about MTR. I could only guess at the impact I was having and how far the word was spreading.
With the Bloggers Challenge, iLoveMountains.org takes the idea to a whole new level. Now not only can you see the impact you are having they also have a number of tools to help spread the word.
I hope all of my blogging friends will take advantage of the new tools and once again rise to the occasion. It has been said that bloggers are the new news media. I always tell people that is so because if it is happening somewhere on the planet, there is a blogger or two talking about it. As bloggers, I sincerely believe we can make a difference. I encourage you to sign up for the Bloggers Challenge, put a couple widgets on your site and help us make a difference. We are bloggers and we will be heard.
Please sign up below so we can track our impact and then you can start tracking yours. BTW, you don’t have to be a blogger to add your voice. 
America’s Mountain Majesty At Risk
New Online Video Series Kicks Off, Shows the Real Cost of Coal to America’s Most Endangered Mountains
Advocates for the mountains and coalfield residents today launched a new series of online videos showing the looming danger to some of America’s most special places: the Appalachian mountains, which are home to a vibrant and indelible culture, stunning biodiversity and enormous economic potential. The videos, at www.ilovemountains.org, tell the stories of individuals and communities facing a future where their natural heritage is at risk of being blown up by mountaintop removal coal mining.
“We can find better ways to generate electricity without destroying communities,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Executive Director of Appalachian Voices, which created the videos. “Though too many mountains have been lost, there are many more that can still be saved – and their stories need to be told. Justice must be served to the communities of Appalachia.”
Mountaintop removal coal mining is an extremely destructive form of strip mining found throughout Appalachia, with some mines as big as the island of Manhattan. Coalfield residents say that it tears apart communities, destroys any chance of economic development, poisons water supplies, pollutes the air and destroys our nation’s natural heritage – while only making the climate crisis worse. Features of this new campaign include:
“For too long politicians have written off mountaintop removal coal mining as solely an environmental issue, but these videos show that it is so much more,” said Hitt. “The electricity that comes into your home when you flip your light switch may come at the cost of a community’s health, its economy, and even its culture. And that means it’s up to you to do something about it.”
The effort to end mountaintop removal has been gaining steam over the past year. As of today, the leading Congressional plan to end the practice has 140 co-sponsors - dozens more than in the last Congress, with months still to go.
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These new tools were actually released yesterday but since I have been feeling a little under the weather lately I’m a little late in announcing them on this blog. If you blog and want to help spread the word be sure to pick up a spread the word widget for your blog and then track your impact at ilovemountains.org.
Two of the widgets are in the far sidebar and a spread the word widget will be located there after I resolve some issues with the new widget.
Personally I don’t like any of the three possible future Presidents. As I have heard a few people say - I have become a one issue voter. And the issue is the future use of coal. The reasoning behind it is simple - more coal usage means more mountaintop removal. I especially hate to hear anybody talk about clean coal.
In this quoted statement Hillary Clinton talks about clean coal technology and to be honest her statement is kind of hard to figure out. This is the question Clinton and Obama were asked and Hillary’s reply. This is the source.
Q: A new Bush administration report says most of the oil and nearly half of the natural gas beneath public lands in the U.S. are off limits to drilling. To get at those resources would require Congress to roll back environmental safeguards and lift drilling prohibitions on large areas of the Rocky Mountain West. As president, would you favor lifting some of these restrictions to increase domestic energy production?
Clinton: Not at this time, no. I’m familiar with the discussion about drilling on the Rocky Mountain Front and on other federal lands. I do not favor that at this time. I think we ought to be much more focused on energy efficiency and conservation and looking for sources of renewable energy like investing in clean-coal technology. I agree with Senators Baucus and Tester that keeping the Rocky Mountain Front untouched by drilling is essential to the enjoyment and economic security of local families and communities along the Front and all of Montana.
What is wrong with the highlighted part of her reply? How can clean-coal technology be termed a renewable energy source? It is simply impossible because it involves coal, a non-renewable resource.
So which one was it - a slip of the tongue or ignorant of the facts?
The photos in this post I took over the Memorial Day weekend. The first photo - I was thinking, Beauty and the Beast.
I hate to waste a good title but unfortunately hiking Schumate Hollow is no longer an option.
In case you missed it, Mountainsaver was on CNN Thursday night as a part of the Anderson Cooper 360 show. I believe it was the longest segment yet that I have personally seen on any type of news network concerning mountaintop removal coal mining.
At the end of the video - the mouthpiece for the National Mining Association is talking about using these sites for future economic development. This is what I keep talking about would be absolutely impossible with West Virginia’s current infrastructure. The state would have to be totally committed to revamping the entire coalfield infrastructure. From basic water and sewer services, which most people here don’t have now, to a complete highway system. Wake me up in 200 years so I can see how that turns out.
Also the part about we may need areas safe from flooding, she’s joking right - there wouldn’t be devastating floods if the mountains were not destroyed. At least not at the frequency in which they occur now. I absolutely hate to hear the coal industry open their mouth about anything. I never could stomach a liar.
I know the title may not seem appropriate but what else could you call it? Progress maybe…
If all of the destruction on the upper ridges were not enough - at the base of this monstrosity sits 2.8 billion gallons of coal slurry. The pond in the next 2 photos is the one behind Marsh Fork Elementary.
The first photo shows the front end of the pond at the dam and the second photo shows the tail of the pond at the base of the mountaintop removal site. Which means the pond is not only storing coal slurry but it is also catching all of the rain and run-off from this side of the MTR site. That’s scary for obvious reasons. Reasons that God will most likely have to take the blame for.
MountainSaver Stop MTR Forum
Mountaintop Removal
