Actress Daryl Hannah Arrested At Mine Protest In West Virginia (Photos)
Posted on June 24, 2009
Actress Daryl Hannah and NASA scientist James Hansen were among 31 people arrested on Tuesday while they protested mountaintop removal mining in southern West Virginia. Read more about Daryl Hannah’s arrest and reason for protesting below.
State Police Sgt. Michael Baylous stated that all the people arrested were released after being cited for impeding traffic and obstructing an officer after blocking a road near a Massey Energy Co. subsidiary’s coal processing plant.
One woman in the crowd of mining industry supporters was charged with misdemeanor battery, Baylous said.
The arrests came after a rally involving several hundred protesters outside an elementary school near the plant’s coal storage silo. Following the rally, protesters marched quietly to the plant and attempted to enter the property, but were blocked by several hundred coal miners shouting, “Go home.”
The protesters sat on the road before surrendering.
From the AP:
Mountaintop mining involves blasting away ridgetops to expose coal seams. While mine operators typically are required to return the mountain to its approximate original shape, excess material is used to fill valleys, burying streams.
“It’s not necessary,” Hannah said before she was arrested. “If you do it wisely, there are ways to use renewables. It’s realistic for everybody.”
Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, criticized President Barack Obama’s administration for not banning the practice. The administration does plan to tighten regulation of it.
Miners such as Fred Griggs, who works at a Massey surface operation, arrived in droves to apply pressure of their own.
“Defending my job,” he said, leaning on a pro-mining placard. “I’ve got to support my family.”
Massey vice president of surface operations Mike Snelling said the company did not bring miners to protest.
Richmond, Va.-based Massey is the nation’s fourth-largest coal producer by revenue. It operates mines in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky.
Click Thumbnails for Larger Pictures
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We could argue both side of this indefinitely…the environment or the good that coal brings. There are valid arguments to both. Truth is, the state is trying to limit mountain mining to preserve the environment, but it doesn’t happen overnight. There is a process to this. There are existing permits that need to run their course. There are strict laws in place to protect the environment better than 20 plus years ago. Reclaimation (the process of replanting vegetation and disposing of waste/materials, bringing the mine site to a natural state) is a BIG deal and mining companies MUST adhere to it. These things are being monitored by inspectors. Companies are held accountable for not meeting the standards with very hefty fines.
Although my husband works underground, protesters still come in and start spouting off about alternative sources of energy and protecting the environment. WE HEAR YOU! It isn’t that we don’t agree. BUT there isn’t anything out there YET that has proven to be MORE cost efficient to produce and use than coal. When there is, then come talk to me!
Oh, and when that day comes, you better be bringing a lot of jobs with you. People talk about how beautiful this state is. Take away mining and it will look like an abandoned trash heap…it will resemble the neighborhood in and around the car manufactures of Michigan. There will be NOTHING here for the majority of our population to sustain life. NOTHING! There are no other industries, no other good paying jobs….there is no reason for people to live here without the mines.
So when you find a solution that will still pay my bills, fine….bring it on, I would love to hear it. Until then, stay out of our great state…we don’t want you here and don’t need your help! Talk to the folks in Michigan….I am sure they would like your assistance with job solutions up there!
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some fancy duds to get arrested in.
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