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Press Release |
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Editor: Digital photos available upon request
September 19, 2006
Contact: Vivian Stockman 304-522-0246
Lincoln County Activist Visits DC
Seeking Help for Kids Threatened by Coal Mining Activities
Lincoln County activist Versi Sims traveled to
Washington DC last week to join citizens from across West Virginia
and the United States for a Stop Mountaintop Removal lobbying week.
The citizens met with congressional representatives to express their
concerns about mountaintop removal strip mines and coal sludge dams.
We asked lawmakers to pass the Clean Water Protection Act, HR
2719, Sims said. It should be a no-brainer for the
Representatives--clean water is a basic need for life itself. The
Act would prohibit companies from dumping waste into our streams.
That would make most valley fills illegal.
On Wednesday, September 13, Sims attended a Capitol Hill press
conference with Raleigh County grandfather and former coal miner Ed
Wiley. Wiley, representing the Pennies of Promise campaign left
Charleston on Aug. 2 to walk 455 miles across West Virginia,
Maryland, Virginia, and into DC. The campaign and the walk are to
raise awareness about the need for a new school for the children of
Marsh Fork Elementary in Raleigh County.
The school sits just 225 feet from a coal loading silo that releases
coal dust associated with coal processing. A leaking earthen dam
holds back 2.8 billion gallons of toxic coal sludge, just 400 yards
above the school. A 1,849-acre mountaintop removal coal mine
surrounds the dam and school area. Independent tests confirm the
presence of coal dust in the school. The dangers at the school have
received national attention in recent months, including features by
ABC World News Tonight, National Geographic, Vanity Fair, and
Oprahs O Magazine.
Before his press conference, Wiley and his wife Debbie had a
face-to-face meeting with Senator Byrd to discuss the situation at
the school.
I admire the determination and dedication that Ed and Debbie Wiley
have shown, Byrd said in a press release. The Bible teaches that
if we have faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. I believe
that the Wileys have that faith.
Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), lead of the Clean Water
Protection Act, spoke at Wileys press conference. Over 60
Congressmen and women have signed onto the bill, and the lobby week
brought promises of more sign-ons, including one Representative from
Kentucky. So far, no West Virginia Representatives have signed onto
the bill.
Its time for our so-called leaders to stand up for the health and
safety of West Virginians. That means they will have to develop the
backbone to stand up to the coal industryand turn down its campaign
contributions, Sims said. She encouraged people to call Congress in
support of the Clean Water Protection Act.
Two new websites launched during the lobby week will educate people
across the nation on ways they can help end mountaintop removal coal
mining. The websites are www.stopmountaintopremoval.org and
www.iLoveMountains.org.
Visitors to the I Love Mountains site can watch a video that
features an interview with actor Woody Harrelson and download a new
acoustic version of Bob Dylans Blowin in the Wind, performed by
country music singer Willie Nelson.
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