Winds of Change Newsletter, September 2005     See sidebar for table of contents

Coal Barge Woes Rear Their Ugly Head in Huntington - Again

Members of the Westmoreland Neighborhood Association in Huntington, WV, are organizing to fight Huntington Marine Services’ proposal to dock up to 200 barges along the Ohio River’s banks.

Residents are worried about increased air pollution and related illnesses from coal dust, noise pollution, the safety of their children swimming and playing near the barges, damage to the river’s banks and destruction of the viewshed and their property values.

Thankfully, Huntington City Council has shown opposition to the Army Corps of Engineers issuing the permit in the residential neighborhood.

Arguing for the facility, a Lawrence County, Ohio (across the river from Huntington) commissioner said, “You can’t have business without someone sacrificing somewhere.”

While most coal industry apologists usually aren’t this blatant (or stupid), this is quite obviously the industry’s modus operandi: Someone (usually of modest means) has

to suffer so the coal industry can have its way.

Frances Case of Huntington wrote in an August 9 letter to the Huntington Herald-Dispatch: “Excuse me. Is that what it has come to in this area in the pathetic attempt to attract any type of job, no matter how menial and no matter how much it hurts citizens? We have sold out so much of our heritage already to big coal companies and the timber industry… Come on, Mr. Commissioner – would you want this in your neighborhood?”

At a recent meeting, residents noted they are already getting some coal dust from Kanawha River Terminals. Putting a barge docking area in Westmoreland will make it like a coal camp, one woman said. Why not put in a company store while they’re at it?, she asked.

Contact Joyce Clark, president of the Westmoreland Neighborhood Association. if you would like to get involved in this matter, at (304) 429-4032.

The Corps of Engineers is currently evaluating the dozens of requests it has received to hold a public hearing.