Over the years, I’ve gotten used to the fact that politicians are slow to act. Maybe I’m cynical; maybe I’m just being realistic. But sometimes, after enough public pressure and media attention surrounding certain issues, politicians actually take a stand on (seemingly) tough issues.
Last week, Senator Byrd of West Virginia said Massey Energy’s “arrogance” in refusing to help fund Marsh Fork Elementary School’s relocation “suggests a blatant disregard for the impact of their mining practices on our communities, residents, and particularly our children.”
Following this comment, Senator Rockefeller and Representative Rahall, both Democrats in West Virginia, called on Massey Energy to help fund the relocation of Marsh Fork Elementary away form a huge Massey slurry impoundment and coal-processing plant.
For those of you who might not be familiar with Marsh Fork Elementary School, it is one of the many examples of blatant social injustices happening throughout Appalachia due to mountaintop removal. The school, located in Sundial West Virginia, is about 400 yards away from a mountaintop removal site. Directly behind the school is a coal processing plant, where coal is washed and stored in a silo. The close proximity of the plant to the school has afflicted many of the students with respiratory issues like asthma and chronic bronchitis. As if these weren’t bad enough — there is also a slurry impoundment, containing 2.8 billion gallons of coal sludge contaminated with mercury, cadmium, and nickel sitting upslope from the school.
Concerned parents, citizens, and even celebrities have been fighting for years to get Massey Energy to pay for the school to relocate. In 2006, Ed Wiley set off on a 40-day walk from Charleston, WV to Washington, DC to raise awareness about issues at Marsh Fork and to raise funds for the Pennies of Promise Campaign. Earlier this year, hundreds of people gathered for a rally at the school that was attended by celebrities like NASA scientist James Hansen and actress Daryl Hannah. Thirty-one protesters were arrested at the rally, including Hansen, Hannah, former Congressman Ken Hechler, and RAN’s Executive Director, Michael Brune. The fight to protect the students of Marsh Fork Elementary School is definitely not a new one and it’s about time that some politicians stood up to Massey Energy to protect the children and communities in West Virginia.
Lisa went to school at UNC Wilmington and majored in Environmental Science and Spanish. Since then, she's been fighting the good fight with various organizations, including RAN, Greenpeace, and Rising Tide. She's always been passionate about protecting all aspects of the environment, but she gets downright angry about mountaintop removal mining. Washington, DC is the place Lisa currently calls home, but this is subject to change at any moment.
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RYSE is the youth branch of RAN, Rainforest Action Network, which works to protect the Earth and support human rights through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action.
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Totally awesome. It’s about time.
Good job reporting, Lisa R.
@polprav — sure, of course.
Thank you for writing such an honest article!