Temporary Stay of Execution for Coal River Mountain

Starting in early 2008, Rock Creek resident Lorelei Scarbro led Coal River Mountain Watch (CRMW) in building a local campaign to develop a wind farm on Coal River Mountain. The wind farm would be an economically viable alternative to Massey Energy Companys plans to destroy the mountain for coal.

On Aug. 19, Scarbro, Rory McIlmoil and other CRMW members, working with other groups, launched a national campaign to create widespread media attention and public support.

Lorelei said, "We have many community people involved in this fight, anxiously waiting to see if everything they have will be ravaged by the coal company. Gary Anderson of Clear Fork and his neighbor Bacon Brown have helped so much on the Clear Fork side of the mountain. Ernie and Sharon Thompson of Horse Creek helped organize their neighbors. Nick Regalado, who works for CRMW, did so much, including knocking on doors to inform people of Masseys intentions and building community support. These folks and many others are the underlying reason Massey has yet to blast away Coal River Mountain."

In late August, Massey ran a public notice in the classifieds section of the Beckley Register-Herald, noting it would begin blasting on Coal River Mountain on Sept. 10. Sherry Geisler, a vigilant resident of Rock Creek, came across the notice on September 2 the same day that the Coal River Mountain Wind Campaign was awarded Co-Op Americas national Building Economic Alternatives Award and immediately notified CRMW.

From Sept. 2-10, CRMW and friends redoubled their efforts, knocking on doors and calling the governor, the DEP and reporters. CRMW gave still more presentations on the wind-energy potential of the mountain. If Massey did blast the mountain, it would lose much of that potential.

On Sept. 4, Matt Noerpel of CRMW went to the DEP and spent the whole day looking at the original permit, permit revisions and maps and talking with the inspector. He found that the permit revision hadnt yet been approved, that Massey hadnt obtained its blasting permits, and that it also hadnt received the required approvals from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

On Sept. 8, both a newspaper reporter and Randy Huffman, chief of DEP, conducted their own investigations and found the same issues. Massey had set a begin-blasting date without even having its blasting permits.

By Sept. 10, CRMW, with the strong support of OVEC, Citizens Lead for Energy Action Now (CLEAN), and other regional and national groups, won a temporary "stay of execution" for Coal River Mountain.

Although we would like to believe that the victory was fueled by a shift in the mindset of state leaders, this victory was won due to the dedicated work of community organizations and the immediate strategic support offered by groups such as CLEAN, which believe in the missions of CRMW and OVEC to bring an end to mountaintop removal coal mining and to promote clean, sustainable forms of economic development for southern West Virginias communities.