Black water from Pioneer Fuels’ Horse Creek Surface Mine spilled into the Clear Fork today, polluting over thirteen miles of the river. The once-bustling city of Whitesville lies directly downstream of the spill, as does the Boone Raleigh PSD Water Plant, which is the source of drinking water for the town and surrounding areas.
The Clear Fork & Marsh Fork converge at Whitesville to become the Big Coal River. Note the difference in color between water flowing from both forks.
At approximately 2 p.m. the black water was seen 2.5 miles up Clear Fork Road, and continued to pour into the Big Coal River at Whitesville for several hours afterward. A Coal River Mountain Watch volunteer called the spill into the WVDEP around 4:20 p.m. The state agency later responded that it had been aware of the spill since 8 a.m. and that the black water output appeared to have stopped. It was verbally confirmed with WVDEP that the spill was sourced from the Horse Creek surface mine, owned by Pioneer Fuels.
A volunteer tests water in the Clear Fork, near the Whitesville confluence. You can see greenish water flowing from the Marsh Fork at the top portion of this photograph.
The Horse Creek mine has had similar incidents in the past, including a cessation order issued by the WVDEP in July 2007.
While the DEP claims that the spill is over, we do not know what chemicals have already leached into the drinking water supply.
“While we appreciate the DEP’s uncharacteristically swift action to halt this pollution, the minuscule penalties that they normally assess have not been effective in protecting our water sources,” said Vernon Haltom, co-director of Coal River Mountain Watch. “Our state government needs to begin making the protection of citizens’ safety and water sources a higher priority than coal company profits.”
I’m so darn tired of this. Why does the news and public go nuts over a man flying a plane into an IRS building in protest killing one person when Massey and other coal companies are murdering thousands? I just don’t get it. Oh wait, yes I do because they have money and it’s all about the money. If you have lots of money you can kill whoever or whatever you want and get away with it. We’ve seen it a million times.
Bombs kill, guns kill, missiles kill. Oh wait I get it their foreigners, duh. Medicine kills. Pharmacy latin term look it up. You practice it. So yeah if you practice it or was a part of it,, your guilty, that is your statement correct? I’m so tired of seeing people dump their trash along side a road, or better yet in their own yard. Boone county has free I said FREE, trash collection sites, the only in the state last I hear, but no people can’t take their trash and rid it the right way. It seems in fact they can make it to get their beer, cigs, drugs and welfare checks when they want them though.
Johnny Cochran?
eM Where’s the proof coal companies are killing thousands of people? I noticed you are a registered nurse, isn’t that a profession that’s part of an industry that, while it helps heal thousands, it also murders thousands thru the act of abortion. Here’s some proof if you care to look…http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100224/D9E28RNO0.html
I don’t work in that area of medicine. I only help people.
So, you can’t even make up your own mind? Are you not a Veteran, or a RN? Maybe you can enlighten us by answering some questions. A quote you love so much: Just answer the question. Watcher just like it’s NOT Global Warming anymore, abortion is called Pro-Choice. Look for your new CGZ dictionary at local stores. You have seen it a million times? If you have seen it then that makes you guilty of not filing a criminal complaint. Oh wait I see that was just more blundering exaggerations, not a member Watcher but sure speaks like it.
It’s interesting to me some people who comment here regularly often ignore the documentation and subject matter of a CGZ post (as above, water pollution, testing, mapping of sites, and so on) but rather come here to distract with unrelated statements about abortion, liberals/hippies, “you’re not from around here, are you?”, communism, or what have you.
Alyce,
That is because even they know that they don’t have a decent logical or ethical argument on the actual issue. And so they resort to personal attacks and misdirection. It’s a classic technique, and really the best response, eM, would be to completely ignore them, just as they ignore the facts at hand.
Unrelated ? How about being accused of killing thousands with no “documentation” . I don’t even work in the coal industry, but it seems I’m guilty by association, just as eM is with the medical industry. I’ll accept my guilt of being associated with an industry you claim killed thousands if you’ll accept the same to an industry that I think we all know, take’s life on a daily basis thru the barbaric act of abortion.
I am a veteran and a nurse. Nursing, unlike mining has many different career path choices. I chose nursing because I want to help people and that is what I do. I have taken care of injured soldiers that fought for our country. Have I always agreed with the wars and such…..nope, I haven’t but I believe that most of our young soldiers, airmen, sailors only fight because they believe in the cause and I want to be there for them. You are being ridiculous in even trying to assimilate the two. Also, perhaps I misspoke when I said, “murdering thousands”. I should have said “potentially murdering thousands” with poison water and dirty air. Not to mention the destruction to our Earth and it’s creatures that live there. And KY Mudd you are right I guess the best thing would be to ignore them completely when they decide to venture off the subject but being that I am so passionate about this issue, it’s very difficult for me to do that.
Watcher there are plenty of places online for you to discuss your particular views on abortion and other issues. This particular website is about mining and its effects on surrounding communities and environments.
em, Thanks for the clairification, but it seems you’ve picked up a trick common in the environmental movement: Post in knowing it’s incorrect or untrue only to retract it later. Oh btw I’m passionate about this issue also, only it seems I’m on the other side of the isle.
An article recently published in the esteemed journal Science cites research (Hendryx & Ahern 2009) that identifies thousands of excess deaths in coal-producing areas of Appalachia, after controlling for other effects. Many of these deaths are preventable. So, while it might not be murder, it sure could be characterized as negligent homicide.
M. Hendryx, M. M. Ahern, Public Health Rep. 124, 541 (2009)
KY Mudd, you really think that someone that subjects theirselves to open forums that take and submit comments on both sides of the issue like CGZ(which has treated me fairly in posting my comments) won’t be called out on what they do and the “potential” affects that come from their occupation. Good or bad? You see it hurts doesn’t it? I have come to learn it hurts and it upsets when you try not defend yourself but you try to compulate theorems of behavior. eg (ignore them) You see you wanted our attention. You got it. Thousands of excess deaths? I thought the population was diminishing becuase people were forced out? Hey maybe you can make a trip to Boone County and examine the area and the real hold that is on our population. I’ll give you a hint: if you go to a Dr. and get a prescription. You see coal mines haven’t put people out of jobs. This state persevered through this economical crisis somehow, and when the esteemed journal Science tells you the answer please post it here. It’s the simple fact that this country we live in wants to bog us down, and it won’t happen. The people in this state are to accustomed to make the rest of the country’s life easier. So your welcome! I post this not of the mining industry or that I am a surface miner, but I am a West Virginian. The ones that are Anti-MTR/Coal that are hard working West Virginians would agree if they have any pride. Or caught up in thier own. So KY Mudd in ending I have one question, are not the lives lost innocently by the bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan not as important to what happens here with coal?
Progress Miner, I am not going to answer for KY Mudd but I agree the lives lost innocently by the bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan ARE as important as any life lost here due to the affects of mining whether it’s because of the pollution caused or unsafe practices the miners endure. Any life lost innocently is important but this forum is not to discuss abortion or the effects of war it is to discuss mountain top removal. I get what you are saying but just because someone doesn’t fight every cause does not make them less important. This is my home. My family and friends, I feel, are directly affected by MTR and at this time I am choosing to do what I can to stop it.
It may not be, but you are saying that everyone you have ever disagreed with sat idle as you bantered them? You subject yourself here. I have, you have and every other person has. To say that I am off base is miniscule to the facts that this site portrays discord, and outright gagged out theorems, on our people. Here is an example, a church group passed out water in some areas of Boone County a year back or so. People affiliated with CGZ(maybe not members) claimed the credit of doing this, well I say Amen to you if you put the church as your affiliation when knocking on doors. If you did it as the(right thing to do.)If not then well like I am posting here, you have been found out.
you pro massey people watch this if you dare…i bet not one of you have the nerve to watch it…is this what you want a company that buys our government…do you really think they will do what is best for you or their pocketbooks….just watch it
http://nrswealth.com/index.php/2010/02/massey-coals-don-blankenship-shows-his-hand/
em, you lose the bet. I’ll take a DQ Blizzard sometime. Seen it like 3 years ago. Or sometime ago.
well, i hadn’t seen this one. so many to see though so i may be a little behind on some of them but still such quality news don’t you think.
Quality? You said it not me. I just get a paycheck. Oops I said a bad word here. He is just the CEO of the company I work for, googling his life events do not engulf me as some. So what do you say to all the children in Southern WV and parts of SE KY, who receive gifts for Christmas, what do you say about the so many people who want Massey out of Edwight, letting their children play on the playground equipment donated by Massey and Edwight Mining, and what do you say to the Doctors that you may work with who received scholarships from Massey? Here is a good one what do you say about the demand for coal you contribute to? You do, you have, and you will. Being a nurse why don’t you research how your job and the entire medical profession will be affected if carbon made by coal is done away with. Better yet are you involved in a revolution to help the field you work in go away from machinery, and the many other different tools you work with, that are made and need the use of carbon to provide the needs for it? Well anyways, bad news equals good news in this wretched world we live in. How about acknowledging the fact Massey contributes quite well to the communities around us. Massey gives employess a medical center to take advantage of, CAMC gives pink slips for those standing in what they believe in.
Progress Miner, Hitler rewarded his soldiers very heartily as long as they agreed with him and did what he said…..even if that meant performing horrendous medical experiments on women and children and the throwing them in rooms and gassing them to death. You go ahead and keep telling yourself that these coal companies and their leadership is “doing good for the community”…..The things you mentioned are good but it’s a smoke screen to keep people from looking past that. What was it Obama said during his campaign…”you can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig”……You sir are ridiculously gullible.
Here’s another little quote from our fearless leader “I’ve been in 57 states I think, with one to go”, and you put your trust in him? Talk about gullible.
Gullible? Not hardly. At least not hippocritical. You ma’am are completely in awe of someone that points out a relationship (namely you) that keeps me having a job with coal. Thank you and your profession for being a continuous Friend of Coal. You see you shouldn’t be in attack mode eM, you should be thanking me for letting you know how you can stop what you do for a demand that myself and many others supply. Mr. Obama also said many things, but you know he is a friend of coal as well. Just as before, research and find out exactly what powers the White House. Mrs. Obama stated that as a child in the 80′s she remembered sitting on her fathers lap watching a TV show or something, I don’t know what it was. Do some math, and see what was wrong with that statement. Oh, and while your at it if your so fond of the Obama’s, how being a Veteran do you like the statement Mrs. Obama made after the SC Democratic election? I’ll just put it this way I am a few years younger and I thank God every day I am proud to be an American. It didn’t take me nearly 50 years to make that a public statement! You subject yourself here eM, with all due respect, can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Progress Miner, your ramblings confuse me so I’m not going to even try to address them. I am a fan of President Obama and I know he is trying to work with the coal industry to ensure that you still have your job while at the same time produce as clean a product as possible. Not that I even agree with that but I don’t have to agree 100% with a person to admire them. And I’m sure if you had to live your entire life with some of the obstacles that Michelle Obama has had to live with you might be a little disallusioned with this country. I’m betting you’re a caucasian male. If not I apologize but until you sir live as a minority in this country be it a different race, religion, gender, sexual orientation then don’t even try to pretent like you empathize. You cannot know what it has even been like for me as a female in the military so I can only imagine what Michelle Obama has had to overcome as a black female. I greatly admire her even if at times she wasn’t so proud to be an American. I myself have had times that I am not so proud.
eM’s been taking lessons from hollergirl and playing the race card,here we go again.
eM, I believe your getting to caught up with knowing how much you mean to the mining industry. Eating at ya huh? Oh, by the way I never said I did not admire Mrs. Obama, nor underestimated what type of life she has had to overcome. Personally, I think she is a very beautiful and elegant woman, on the other hand that doesn’t make me take every word she says to heart. You serving and the other women I know that have served have my greatest admiration. See compliments are appropriate here, like it or lump it. Ramblings, are considered statements being made without knowledge. If I say it, I know it. It’s cut and dry. The only way to show that I am rambling is show a contradiction of what I am saying. You haven’t done that. I am a fan of Mr. Obama as well, I can recite I Have A Dream, and have family, god daughter, and have been under the authority of blacks throughout employment. Those things do not make me black or white do they? The only thing being of minority is you thinking I am white just because I don’t agree with some things Mrs. Obama has said in the past. Serving in the military shouldn’t be considered as a male profession just as nusing should not be considered a female profession. Relative, isn’t it?
Progress Miner,
I did not say that your statement were not based on your knowledge, what I said was that how you were expressing your thoughts with words made it difficult for me to understand exactly what point you were trying to get across. The point I was trying to make by saying that Michelle Obama probably has been disappointed many times in her life with this country is because of the prejudices she has surely had to endure because of her gender and race. Even if those prejudices are not spoken they are there and as a woman who has served in the military since the 80′s I can tell you they are there and alive and well. And no Watcher I am not “playing the race card” if any card is being played it’s the gender card and I have every right to play it when I know and have experienced it’s effects. When you have female soldiers that are sexually assaulted then told by their commanding officers, “I heard you got yourself into some trouble” or when you have female soldiers that are groped by a male solider then the male soldier is promoted and “let retire” then you have problems. But oh, don’t you dare go outside your chain of command with this or you will be considered a troublemaker and your career is basically over from then on out. Okay, I am off subject now but these are the things that DO GO ON so I do have very strong feelings about them. Back to subject now.