The People Comment Passionately On
Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

July 24, 2003

Comments by Julia Bonds

I am Julia Bonds and my family and I have been here many years and for many generations. I am the sister, daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter of coal miners. My home is in the heart of your study area in the belly of the beast-the beast is the greedy, irresponsible coal barons and the corrupt regulatory agencies and politicians serve as the minions of this beast.

This draft EIS is a blueprint for continued assault upon the people of Appalachia, a declaration of war upon our children, their children and GOD'S creation. Enough! STOP Mountaintop Removal NOW!!!!!

This EIS encourages the coal industry to continue to use - to rape and take - Appalachia and her people - as a national sacrifice zone.

This EIS did NOT study the cumulative effects of environmental, community, human, cultural, health and socio-economic impacts of post, present and future Valley Fill Mining. How did you study the environmental justice impacts of this draft? You did not study the culture, community, people and property being destroyed by this mining method, you dismissed it.

I demand a revised EIS that includes cumulative impacts of cultural, social, spiritual, and health problems of communities affected by Mountaintop Removal.

A partial cultural study already exists, this study by Dr. Mary Hufford is available on the Library of Congress website. Dr. Hufford [Dr. of Ethnography] can be reached at the University of Pennsylvania. Our mountain culture has been here long before the white settlers came and before commercial coal mining began. Our culture will be here long after the coal is gone!

It is believed that many people in Mountaintop Removal affected communities suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-from blasting and flooding. How dare you dismiss the suffering of low income and invisible minority people of central Appalachia!! How dare you dismiss and defy the Executive Order dealing with environmental justice, the low income and minority people.

Your own study says that this area is well above the average in poverty and unemployment. Where is the study on socio-economic problems in this area? Why are the people in the coal rich counties the poorest? What are the ACTUAL costs to the communities and people that suffer the effects of Mountaintop Removal? This mining affects the very poor, the powerless and oppressed people. Economic Development of these artificial sites? Only 6% of these destroyed mountains are ever given any economic development for the affected communities. Where is the study on this? - I want to see the figures and a study on how much "prosperity" goes back to Buglar Hollow or Bon White or Montcoal, or any small mining community. In the last 6 months 2 schools in the Coal River Valley, both surrounded by Massey mining permits, were closed. Sending our children on very, very long bus rides. One was at Montcoal - Marsh Fork High School - where is the support - where is the money? The Raleigh County Board of Education said it does NOT receive a red cent from coal tax for - coal says it gives - who is lying? I want to see a report on that.

The scientific evidence of this study shows that Mountaintop Removal is environmentally insane, but the recommendations by the administration is to make it easier for the greedy coal companies to destroy everything, which leads me to believe that even worse scientific evidence was omitted from this study. Even so, your report makes an airtight case against your conclusions. Your report and your conclusions strongly contradict. Did a complete idiot write the conclusions?

As a fellow Christian I challenge President Bush to come to the coalfield hollows in central Appalachia and talk with the blasted, flooded, poor and oppressed people impacted by Mountaintop Removal. I ask President Bush to investigate his agencies. No true Christian would allow these evil abuses to continue. I am sure once the President discovers these crimes against the citizens of Appalachia, he will stop Mountaintop Removal. No true GOD-fearing man would allow these crimes to continue.

People should NOT have to make a choice between a job now and destroying their children's future, making their neighbors suffer and selling their eternal souls in the bargain.

Revelation 11:18 Thy wrath is come, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward to thy servants the prophets and to the saints and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth.