by Wilma Steele, Mingo County, WV

One Sunday, a group of friends came together at our home for Bible study. The passages we studied seemed very clear to us. One person said, "Why can’t people see that?" An older man pulled a dollar from his pocket and placed it over the words. He asked, "Can you see it now? Money blinds us from the truth."

  The truth about mountaintop removal (MTR) is that it is the greediest, most destructive way to mine coal. Coal will be mined any way they are allowed to mine it, until there is none left. MTR is the fastest way for out-of-state coal operators and a few rich CEOs to get richer – quicker. Most can’t wait to make a mountain of money and carry the spoils back home.

Our real mountains mean nothing to them.

  Our mountains mean something to me and they should mean something to you.

Listen! I’ve stood on the hill and watched rocks fall like rain. I’ve seen gas companies cut hundreds of trees and leave them like corpses littering the ground. When the rains came, these massive rocks and dead trees washed off the mountain. They floated down Mate Creek and many other streams in our county. I watched as my neighbor’s bridges, yards, fences, and cars washed off and rolled down the hollows. I was grateful I still had neighbors. I saw yards filled with muddy water. Through the dawn’s early light, I saw their "Friends of Coal" signs were still there.

  I have met the coal companies’ hired puppets – their job seems to be to cheat people out of their land while they lie and turn neighbors against one another. I know this is true. We have been locked out of our graveyard – there is even a locked gate that blocks the right-of-way to six acres that our families own. To coal companies, "responsible mining" means paying after the damage is done. That is, if the people quit fighting each other and take the companies to court . This is a poor excuse for responsibility. I don’t want their money. I want our mountains and the right-of-ways to family property and graveyards.

  If we allow these things to happen and just settle for money, we’re to blame. We would rather blame God or our politicians for all our troubles – they must be very tired of that. The Bible says if you have enough faith you can move mountains. In Mingo, all it takes is enough money. If our politicians try to do the right thing, the coal companies turn most of us against them. Just ask Ken Hechler. He spoke against MTR and our miners almost attacked the man. It didn’t matter that Hechler had worked very hard for coal miners’ black lung legislation.

  Coal companies pay to keep people like George Warren on the radio. You know George, the voice of coal companies. He uses his airtime to ridicule anyone that speaks out against MTR. He cried, "Don’t bite the hand that feeds you!" I know his questions and I’ll answer. Yes George, I have a four-wheeler. No George, I’m not on comp. I’m one of those teachers you make fun of all the time. The worst kind – an art teacher. George, I know the truth when I hear it. I have eyes to see the beauty that is being destroyed. I have a voice to speak against the propaganda that is dished out in Mingo County.

Coal isn’t my friend. It’s just an important resource. We are told to be wise stewards of the land – our mountains and our heritage are too important to sell.