Eyes in the Sky, Boots on the Ground

Junior Walk made this video today to get a look at the “reclamation” on Alpha Natural Resources’ 2,000-acre Edwight mountaintop removal site on Cherry Pond Mountain above our community. The WV Dept. of Environmental Protection issued a citation to Alpha on Dec. 15 for falling behind on their reclamation schedule, but then gave them an extension until today. From the video, it looks like they still have a long way to go. All that bare rubble puts deadly silica dust into the community’s lungs when there’s a dry day and a little breeze. It seems like more of that bankruptcy money needs to go toward hiring workers to do something about this mess instead of bonuses for executives.

Speaking of paying workers, can you pitch in $25 here to support Junior’s work? Or you can sign up for a small automatic monthly donation to be a partner in keeping Junior’s boots on the ground and eyes in the sky. Thanks!

Coal River Mountain Watch
PO Box 303 Naoma, WV 25140
304-854-2182, coalriver[at]crmw[dot]net