This article originally published by WVAH

July 10, 2007

Channel 11 Transcript on Mattea Visit to WV Mountaintop Removal Site

It's mind boggling."

COMING UP ON FOX, A MOUNTAIN STATE NATIVE SONGSTRESS COMES HOME TO THE HILLS AND DOESN'T LIKE WHAT SHE FINDS.

GRAMMY AWARD WINNING COUNTRY SINGER AND WEST VIRGINIA NATIVE KATHY MATTEA SPENT TODAY TOURING THE SOUTHERN COALFIELDS ...

AND SEEING FOR HERSELF THE IMPACT OF MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL COAL MINING.

JAKE GLANCE IS IN THE NEWSROOM WITH MORE ON THIS STORY. JAKE?

SHE SAW THE EFFECTS OF MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL FROM THE GROUND AND FROM THE AIR.

IT'S SOMETHING KATHY MATTEA SAYS SHE KNEW EXISTED, BUT DIDN'T KNOW HOW WIDESPREAD IT WAS.

NATS 145517 - "Whats to say? What can you say?"

THE COUNTRY SINGER ... DOESN'T HAVE THE WORDS.

NATS 145558 - "I'm holding back ... expletives at the moment."

SHE SPENT NEARLY AN HOUR ... FLYING ABOVE MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL COAL MINES ... SEEING THE EFFECTS WITH HER OWN EYES.

NATS 144015 - Mattea shakes head ... "It's mind boggling."

BACK ON THE GROUND ... ADRESSING A RALLY AT THE STATE CAPITOL ... URGING NOT THE OUTLAWING OF MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL, BUT EFFORTS TO FIND A BETTER WAY.

Kathy Mattea/Activist 184712 - "How much of it there is, how big the mines are. How quickly they can devastate so much."

BUT MATTEA, WHO'S RECENTLY BEEN WORKING WITH FORMER VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE ... PROMOTING AWARENESS OF GLOBAL WARMING ... DIDN'T JUST POINT FINGERS.

Kathy Mattea/Activist 184210 - "We are all part of the problem, and we are all part of the solution. I have a house in Tennessee that has an air conditioner that's running right now, probably burning coal from one of those mountaintop removal sites."

ONE OF THOSE SAME SITES THAT BROUGHT THE GRAMMY WINNING SINGER TO TEARS.

NATS 144404 - "Run out of gas before we run out of mines."

Kathy Mattea/Activist 184552 - "Do I think we should shut down all the mines? Absolutely not. We have to find a way ... but as we move forward we have to have a dialogue and that's a hard thing to do."

NATS 143843 - "God, look at the size. It's a huge mine. Wow."

NATS 144022 - "We're going to go over Marsh Fork Elementary and make a circle."

NATS 144115 - "Look at that pond up there. That's a sludge pond. So what if the dam goes? That's right."

NATS 144454 - "Look, you can see drag lines. OH MY GOD! Oh, my God. That's huge. The bucket will hold 22 Honda Accords. It's the same as a 22 story building."

NATS 144602 - "They're blasting. Right there on the egde, see the rock coming up? Oh, yeah."

144945 Good shot of Kathy and mines.

150443 Kathy crying.

SHE ALSO MET WITH PEOPLE LIVING IN THE KAYFORD MOUNTAIN AREA OF RALEIGH COUNTY, JUST TO HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.

SHE ALSO STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF RECLAMATION ... BUT SAID FROM WHAT SHE SAW, THE RECLAIMED MINE SITES DIDN'T LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE ACTIVE MINE SITES.

LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM, JG. EYEWITNESS NEWS.