Finally, the struggle to build a new school for the students of Marsh Fork Elementary may be coming to a close. This past Tuesday, March 23rd, Massey Energy pledged $1 million towards replacing the school. Previously, Massey had refused to help finance a new school, but after mounting public pressure, including lobbying efforts by local resident Ed Wiley as well as public criticism from Senator Robert C. Byrd, they have given in.
Marsh Fork Elementary currently sits 300 feet below a Massey Energy processing plant and 400 yards from the 2.8 billion gallon Shumate sludge impoundment. Independent studies have proven that coal dust contaminates the school and endangers the health of the students.
Coal River Mountain Watch has already pledged $10,400 for the school and the Raleigh County School Board is now awaiting a response from the state School Building Authority concerning their request for $6.6 million.
Read the full article from the Charleston Gazette here.
One battle won but the WAR is not over.
WOOHOO!! CHARGE!!
Well I am glad these kids are getting a new school. But this does not make Massey look like the bad guy, I think that is nice of them to agree pledge this amount to the school. These kids deserve a new school and I hope they (if the pledge goes through)realize that Massey is not as bad as people let on like they do….Congratulations Kids!
Oh Massey is bad. Maybe even worse than bad. They try to cover up their shit by throwing a few rose petals on top of it every once in a while so those with weak noses will be fooled but let me tell you, I’ve got a good, big sniffing nose and I can still smell the stench of their excrement. That’s okay though. Hopefully, the kids will get a new school and we’ll keep fighting to end MTR and we will win.
Love ya Raychel. Mean it. 
FINALLY! Yes, the kids deserve a new school, its only a shame what these kids had to endure and how long it finally took…..
Raychel, they have been screaming for Massey to do just that, and when they do the activists try to make it a bad thing. eM your as bad as Bob Kincaid, the hate exudes from you like pus from a sore. Get a grip and at least be civil.
Love you too Watcher….mean it.
I thought I was very civil. It’s called descriptive writing. smoooooch.
Why is when Armco was there nothing was said, when Peabody was there nothing was said. But when Massey took over OHHHHHH NOOOOO this is not the place to have a school. A problem with a bunch of hypocrites it appears. You have no idea how much Massey does for the communities and needy people that never sees the light of day. How many millions has been given prior to this to so many different groups. Most people only know one side just as when the protests where going on in “05 some of the out of staters that came in where told the kids of the school was being forced to drink the water from Coal River. That is why they came in. Once they found out the TRUTH they left. So, so many lies!!!!
Watcher, go to dailymail.com and read the article on there. On this page, they stated how Bryd had basically sent Massey to the dogs but go to the article and read what he stated about Massey. Not everyone is as innocent as they let on like they are, but I am glad the kids are getting their school now maybe people will shut their mouths for awhile and let them focuse on getting these kids their school! Em, make sure when you smell you don’t don’t forget that the little white stuff ontop of chicken poop is Sh** too! Love ya, Em
I can just see the newspaper now. Don Blankenship, The Gov, CGZ, and every other shitty local politico getting their picture made with some gold shovels. This makes me sick
Someone should get a billon gallons of gas and pour on on the State of WV and Burn the MotherFucker Down and Start ALL OVER
SELL OUTS
September 7, 2007
Mountaintop Mining
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09072007/watch3.html
MountainWitch, I think Raychel might enjoy that link. Raychel watch it and let us know what you think.
Sorry ladies I am too busy watching my Mountaineers! Get back with you when the road to final four is over until then, post all the links you want and when I get time I will catch up with you and when I read them, watch them, it wont change my mind or persuade me otherwise…Thanks and have a wonderful nite. Post link after link to try to make a point or statement, I wont change how I feel about this situation. I have been to the symposiums, sat in the conferences and from basically driving around looking at the MTR sites contour mining and driving back to where my dad worked and so forth, but hey if you want to post a link do it, knockyourself out or make yourselves seem the right way or whatever it may be. My dad worked for Eastern Associated Coal which was bought my Peabody so I have been around coal mining all my life and know alittle. But Em thats is fine I will listen or read what you have to say I don’t have a problem with that at all..Have a wonderful nite EM…..
You know what is funny….when the big to do was at Marsh Fork last June, I talked to the tobacco farmer from western NC. He said I would never let my kids live here. To make a conversation short, he said everyone in this community rejects Massey, noone at the school wants them here. All the while I watched his children play on the jungle gym. Stop by and read the sign in front of that.
Man, I wish the most important thing in my life was to watch a bunch of non-WV (oh wait there may be one actually from WV) basketball players run around with a little ball and try to throw it through a hole with a net hanging off it. I guess once again it shows where people put their priorities. Never mind our streams are being buried with waste which in turn is poisoning our drinking water….backed up by EPA studies. ….and our beautiful mountains are being destroyed acre after acre…but hey it’s all good….the basketball players are what is important. Those players don’t give a damn about WV or you Raychel…good lord…that shit is for adolescents.
Okay Em, I have tried to be nice and all to you but your little across the room comment to me has made me feel otherwise so here goes.
I you are nothing but a low life, poor excuse for a human being who gets on here attacking me, progress miner and watcher and YNLBA, we are the only ones who will stand up for our coal miners and their families on here we are the ones who get on here and let you know that the fight wont be easy and it may not turn out the way we would want it to but we are not going to stand by and let people like you attack when you are far from being perfect and have NO RIGHT doing so.
Do you actually think I am going to join your little protest over their where you all live or try to change my views no I am not.
And as far as the players being from WV, well there are more than just a few that are actually from WV, you need to get off your butt a read their roster before you make judgment. EM where is Bob Huggins from….YES HE IS FROM WV. WHERE IS CAM THROUGHMAN FROM..WV YOU GUESS IT, WERE IS JOHNNY WEST FROM AND TO MENTION HIS DAD, YES ONCE AGAIN HE IS FROM WV. I could give a flying crap if they care about me,I like basketball love my MOUNTAINEERS! AND I COULD CARE LESS WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT. Those players yeah their starting 5 are from NY(which is run mostly by coal) and Rhode Island but they weren’t to proud to say we do what we do for the state of WV but again I don’t care that they are not from WV it dosen’t bother me. I just like to watch the boys play.
I am sorry I don’t see things the way you do, sorry I don’t waste my time, trying to judge others and sorry I don’t waste my time on the internet attacking as you so often do.
Hey Em it seemed like the Enviro Ashley Judd had time to enjoy the game in a stadium that is powered by coal, oh wait Em, get your map out and see that it was held in NY a place that runs off COAL she didn’t care to give your money to get her ticket and spend money inside the stadium to watch the game that oh no she didn’t get to enjoy!
You can attack me all you want. It just makes me laugh a little harder each time and makes me think well this world is full of all kinds of people and it take all kinds of people to make a world and boy we sure do have those people like you living in it.
So Em. You can say what you want it doesn’t matter to me, matter of fact I am laughing my butt off as I write this at how low some people have to go to try to make themselves feel like that they have accomplished something at the end of the day and that is in your eyes attacking someone because they don’t see eye to eye with you or they (ME) enjoy other things in life other than sitting on a computer attacking people like you do on this site. Laughing all the way to the final four!
I hope you sleep good tonite Em! AND IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE A MOUNTAINEER!
Oh and another thing, Em. You talked about the ballplayers not being from WV, well I guess that holds true for Darryl Hannah, EmmyLou Harris, Randy Travis and oh wait who is that one sell out..Oh Yeah Kathy Mattea, well the first few that I mentioned, could care less about what is going on here in the state of WV, the wouldn’t as much spit on you if you were on fire, the few are people that haven’t sold an album in years and they see you guys as a way to make money off of.. Kathy Mattea has a nephew who works for Walker Machinery so I would say she is nothing more than someone wanting money also otherwise she would try to keep her nephew in work but I guess selling a few albums is more important….
All of those that I mentioned did not make their money in WV so what right do they have to voice an opinion about what is going they have none. They return to the lives after these protest are over and forget about you guys.
Let me give you something for reading pleasure Em. This is not a link, I don’t have time to scan the internet for a link or website. My facts are right here in front of me laying on my desk.
Water quality is monitored throughtout the mining processes and steps are taken to treat any streams and preserve the biology. Once mining is completed in a particular section of a surface mine or even when an underground mine ends production, crews immediatly move in and begin the process of cleaning up old equipment, rebuilding moutainsides and restoring the aesthetic evniroment of the area. Unlike the logging companies who leave things where they lay and walk off and leave them, or rock companies who blast a mountain off and have no laws or rules and regulations to go by so they too walk off and leave it and it looks worse than ever when they leave it. But they are not a coal mines so why attack them right?
In fact, Em, properly preparted former surface mine lands are very good for the growth of such trees and are even being used to restore the American Chestnut( but wait that wasn’t a tree that I just mentioned was it?) Hey Progress Miner you might need to make sure that I did indeed mention a tree there! to it’s former native range.
The Applachian region has seen a resurgence of wildlife on and around fomer mine sites, as they provide open spaces and sources of food and water(yes Em, I did say water on that one also). It was on a reclaimed land where more than 150 mountain elk were released recently in KY and wild horses have been seen in Logan Cty.
Now read this clearly, once again Progress Miner or YNLBA help me out. The mining industry is committed to environmental stewardship and takes it’s job seriously. Many governmental and enviromental groups, such as the WV Dept. Of Enviromental Protection, Ducks Unlimited and the Wild Turkey Federation, annumally review and nominate coal company relcaimation projects for special recongintion These are highly coveted awards and something for which everyone in the industry strives.
Typo. I do know that Kathy Mattea is from WV that was a typo on my part…
I think you covered it. Love ya Raychel, you rock!
EM, I went to bed and I had to get back up and say this. If you want I will contact the comedy Barn in Piegon Forge, Tennessee to see if you can come down there and entertain the tourist down there since you like to get on here and make me laugh so hard that tears roll out of my eyes! I am sure they would just love you down there. Better yet see if I can get you into a kindergarten class since you like to act like a child on here by posting such things as attacking college ballplayers who are not e ven aware this site is even out there. I mean come on Em, I figure you would know better than that.
But wait I am not finished, WVU is highly supported by coal. They get a large chunk of change from the coal companies here in WV. I would like to see how much you guys donate to the school, how much you support a college that is right now representing our state by making it to the final four! Which I think we all should be proud of.
If you can’t tell by now, Em I am mad no that is not the word I am disgusted that I live in a state with people like you! I have tried to be nice to you, but right now nice is not the word I would use towards you right now. You people claim to be “peaceful” “non-violent” but obviously those words didn’t fit you.
As far as college basketball being for adolescents well gee Em, I think come Saturday, I will tell the people in the stadium that they need to go home since the almighty EM said basketball was for college kids and under, sorry if your over 18 you need to go home, Em said so! Come on Em, stop acting like your supreme when you came from the same dust I did:)
You just keep talking Raychel and maybe some day you’ll actually believe what you’re spewing. Because it sounds to me like you “doth protest too much.”
By the way, I slept very sound last night.
Here is some “lies” for you Raychel, Progress Miner, Watcher….
The Spruce No. 1 proposal along with these 11 additional projects in the Coal River Sub-basin, if constructed as proposed, would impact approximately 29.4 miles of stream channels resulting in potential impairment to more streams in the Coal River sub-basin.
In addition to impacts from discharges and removal of riparian habitat and sources of freshwater dilution, there also will be an adverse effect from deforestation of the project site on terrestrial wildlife. Approximately 2,278 acres of deciduous forest will be impacted by the Spruce No. 1 Mine. Forests like these in Appalachia support some of the highest biodiversity in North America. A decrease in forest cover by mining followed by conversion to grasslands or other less valuable land cover has the potential to shift the fauna of the region from that found in intact, high elevation forests to one dominated by grassland and edge dwelling species.
Trend analysis indicates mountaintop mining and valley fills as a percentage of the land cover will continue to increase in the Coal River sub-basin and forest area will continue to decrease as a result.
construction of the Spruce No. 1 Mine would destroy streams and habitat, cause degradation of on- site and down stream water quality, and could therefore, result in unacceptable adverse impacts to wildlife and fishery resources. Potential adverse impacts include:
Burial of 7.5 miles of healthy headwater streams under 6 valley fills;
Contamination of downstream surface waters with pollutants from the mine including selenium, conductivity, iron, and aluminum.
Cause additional harm to the Little Coal River watershed already significantly impacted by previous mining activities. (33 % of streams are considered impaired).
Deforestation of 2,278 acres of mature, productive forestlands and;
Impact to human health by contributing to water quality degradation and contaminating fish and wildlife.
Boy she just keeps me rolling.. It’s a good thing that I have a sence of humor because with Em around I appreciate it more and more. WHHHOOO, she is alot funnier than I thought……
The obvious lack of concern for taking care of our Earth, the very thing that sustains us and the blatant disregard for the suffering of other people is disgustingly evident through the words or lack there of by some of the responses to the information being provided. This not only saddens me but if I were them I would be scared to death by the karma that awaits them. There is no job that can’t be replaced that is worth what is being done by mountain top removal. Here is my hope….I hope all the coal runs out soon or the EPA steps in and stops the practice all together or both and every single job that depends on this nasty, vial process is lost and the very people that fought to keep it even in the face of being provided facts as to the ultimate destruction it is causing suffers a horrible plague of disease and starvation. You’re right. I do loathe you people for allowing my Earth, my mother to be destroyed because of your stupidity and selfishness. I know that makes me weak to have that strong a feeling of anger but so mote it be.
Well gosh Em those were some pretty harsh words you spoke of. I would watch what I say because as I was always told Karma is a bit** and I would really step back and ask myself, “did I really say that ” did I really wish for children to starve, did I really wish for people to die due to what you mentioned. I mean how sickening it is to get on here and read the words of a woman who is “helping people” who has “served” her country.
I don’t believe in Karma by the way I believe in a much higher power, but I wont get into that because this is not the place nor the site for that.
It’s a sad day when someone gets on here and is so angered that they have to write the stupid stuff you just did.
Have a wonderful nite Em. By the way, Em, it doesn’t bother me that you “loath” me. I have been talked about worse than this stupid stuff you mentioned, been called worse than what you have spoken so basically Em, keep on writing it just makes me laugh all that much more.
Sorry to have, well no I am not sorry, I am glad that I posted what I did, maybe then you will see that not everyone is a push over like you wished.
Again, Have a wonderful blessed day and you be careful on your way to work in the morning….
Raychel:
You are just a informed citizen stating a uninformed opinion,huh? Enjoying freedom of speech. ;O) Anybody can make a mockery of people’s hardships online without disclosing who they are for shits and grins. Why you would want to..I’ll never know.
Well hello MountainWitch so glad you came here, I was getting worried about you. You have a wonderful nite MountainWitch!
eM, your mental state has clearly diminished over the course of time. Your comments betray you. Could it be something connected to your military service? Please get some help.
Coal is not going anywhere. WIthout it this country with have too many hardships to succeed. With our current government that seems to be what they want. If you want to speak of polluting the earth then you need to travel to China or India. There is pollution.
With technology coal is getting cleaner and cleaner. And mountain top removal is not the horrible thing everyone sees on the T.V. Is a skyscraper a beutiful work of art when it is being built, no. Mountaintop removal looks harsh at first but it creates usable land. Nothing is said of the logging companies that do not have to reclaim the lands.
It does matter what is done people will complain. I am fine with te complaints of the true residents and we will work through it. It is the outsiders that are doing it for college credits or to win money from some bogus “foundation” that make me sick. They do not care about the land or the people around here. They simply run their mouth to better benefit themselves. The coal companies help the citizens around them so much more than anyoone knows because the news like to show the loud mouths that are causing a fuss.
FINALLY! Yes, the kids deserve a new school, its only a shame what these kids had to endure and how long it finally took…..