Hi, I am calling to demand that Massey Energy halt blasting on Coal River Mountain and the abuse of the three tree-sitters occupying Massey's Bee Tree property. Security personnel have been incessantly blasting noise from an air horn to keep the tree-sitters awake. This puts both the sitters and the miners at the site at risk for hearing loss, and could be considered a felony under West Virginia state law. Also at risk are the lives of the 998 people who Massey predicts will be killed should the 8.2 billion gallon Brushy Fork Impoundment fail. To dynamite in the surrounding area is to gamble with the lives of the people of the Coal River Valley. The mountains of Appalachia soak up water and act as a water filtration system for millions of Americans inside of and surrounding Appalachia. To release toxins into Appalachia's waterways puts the health of these millions in jeopardy. Please stop this abuse of our forests and our health and halt the blasting..

Once you have made the call, please submit the form below to let us know. Thank you for standing up for our tree sitters and for Coal River Mountain.

For more background, please see the initial tree sit press release.

Laura Anglim,
I called the office of Jose Alfaro and was immediately transferred to the comment line, the same happened with the swtichboard. I left a messsage in support of the tree sitters & coal river mountain!

Maren Cooke,
Didn't get word until after Monday morning, but I called in anyway -- left a voicemail telling them to see reason and step back from the blasting and from harassing the tree-sitters as well as endangering the people in the Brushy Fork watershed.

John Mayer,
Hey, ain’t this hunting season for squirrel, rabbit and a lot of other animals. Ain’t there a law against making a lot of noise and disrupting hunting? Seems like somebody ought to prosecute.

kyle thiermann,

Peter F. Cannavo,

Kayla Ward,
I kept being transferred and finally was sent to voicemail. I left the message above.

Holly Nolting,
I called the initially suggested number and they put me on a message machine for this very issue- thus I had my say!

Julia Sendor,
They are beyond lame! Entered my comment into the computer. I asked when the governor would see it, and the woman said he would "probably" check the computer database of comments during the day. I asked how I could be sure he looked at them, and she said there was no way. I asked if I could call back and see if he'd read the comments, and she said no one would know whether or not he had. Awesome transparency, accountability, and communication.

Barry O\'Keefe,
I called and left messages expressing my concern about the abuse of the protesters and the blasting on Coal River Mountain and asking for both to be stopped immediately on Steve Edgar Sears, John Poma, Jeffrey Harosinski, and Baxter F. Phillips' phones.

Mark Ekdahl,
I called and left a message on Alfaro's voicemail, since I didn't get this msg. till late at night in Arizona. I think its a great cause. I'm a college student and have taken Environmental Ethics class, which I think should be required for anyone who works in an energy field like this, just like communication is required, along with psychology, for a lot of Peace Officers. Coal mining, along with petroleum-fueled automobiles, is a technology that needs to be rapidly phased out not just for the environment and humankind, but for the future of the American economy! (And I know, I'm taking a world history class right now and learning about how stagnant, outdated technology usage led to the fall of the Indian and Chinese economies in the 18th century!). But first and foremost, what worries me most is flagging ethics of the Massey Company in lieu of a government that has practiced torture. In the message, I stated that I would like to share some ideas with Massey, like transitioning their resources to a "soft energy path" (wind, solar, geothermal, etc.). In fact, perhaps even as soon as 2010, our government will make a massive investment in such industries and provide incentive for Massey to change its course. But the moral incentive should be first and foremost. Be human. Treat others as you would have yourself treated--the golden rule behind all major religions, and in my opinion this especially applies to people who will go down as great Americans, alongside the abolitionists and suffragettes. Make no mistake, these persecuted American activists are the heroes of tomorrow's history textbooks, and it is because of such individuals, starting out in small groups, that all major positive changes in American history have occurred.