The People Comment Passionately On
Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

July 24, 2003

Comments by Lisa Henderson, Whitesville

To EIS hearing agencies: 

I wanted to voice my opinion AGAINST Mountaintop Removal Valley Fill mining. This mining is NOT producing jobs, just the opposite, it is destroying jobs 

            The town of Whitesville is dying with each new surface mine. The surrounding communities are disappearing from the effects of Mountaintop Removal, the blasting and the flooding. The animals are running from the hills from lack of habitat and are coming down into our homes and yards. 

            The blasting is destroying people’s homes and then we have floods caused by this type of mining. Our children with NOT have a place and our mountain culture and heritage is being destroyed with each mountain. 

            We are the poorest people and we live in the coal rich counties. Why?

             The coal companies DO NOT put anything back of economic development. There is NOT one development site on the 90,000 acres destroyed in the Coal River Valley. The coal field schools are being closed and as a matter of fact – 2 schools were closed this year and both within 1 mile of many Massey Energy mines. Coal is NOT giving anything back.

             President Bush should come to these hollows and talk to the people who live with the effects of this mining. The recommendations in this study is pure HOGWASH!!!!!!!!!

             P.S. I live in the coalfields, born and raised. 

Lisa Henderson

07/23/2003

Rock Creek, WV