Protesters Try to Save Mountain from Coal Removal

Earlier this week, protesters gathered in Governor Joe Manchin's office in West Virginia to make their voices heard on the proposed destruction of the Coal River Mountain. Massey Energy Company has plans to strip Coal River Mountain of its coal using the mountain top removal method. The company has already cleared the trees from the mountain top.

The protesters asked Governor Manchin to save the mountain, which is the last remaining mountain in the Coal River Valley area. They have proposed building a wind farm on Coal River Mountain instead, a project that could bring in millions of dollars and create hundreds of jobs.

The governor emerged from his office to tell the protesters, “What we’re trying to do is find a balance and that’s tough to do in an extractive state.”

The protesters had vowed to stay "... until Manchin moves to halt MTR on Coal River Mountain or they are forcibly removed." Seven people were arrested when they refused to leave the governor’s office at 5 pm.

For more information on Coal River, go to the Journey Up Coal River Web site.