Let's End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

[246alive]

im so sick of people defending coal by saying "50.2 percent of your electricity comes from coal"

its basically like saying this...........if 50.2 percent of NAZI GERMANYS lights are powered by the burning of JEWS its ok because its more then half of the electricity???

thats some messed up logic if you ask me its asking you to ignore that its wrong and that their are other ways of extracting the coal (deep mining) and just accept that its 50% of your energy rather then push for that to change.

[ThePointinDog]

Ok Sierra Club if you want mountain top coal mining to quit then you better give up the internet ads, mountaintop mines produce half of the power made by coal...

[246alive]

@ThePointinDog we dont have to give it up we can just get rid of the coal and the people lobbying to prevent other energy sources..... ie the coal companies

this would clear the way for alternatives to coal. even gas fracking is better then coal.

[srwilliamz]

Lights work because of coal, do more research

[jeffor13]

Coal is evil. Massey are murderers.

[ThePointinDog]

@jeffor13 If coal is evil, you just used it to post on the internet, dumbass

[srwilliamz]

Do you people know what turns the lights on in your house across the country. its coal. Coal is a vital part of our life, You better look up all the good that coal is doing for a country. I dont like mountain top removal butyou better look and see ALL the uses of coal that we use.

[jeffor13]

@srwilliamz Our lights were workingjust fine before the advent of mountaintop removal. Get a clue.

[ThePointinDog]

@jeffor13 Yeah, it was powered by underground mining.

[vanvfx]

"Ashley Judd makes a living removing her top, why can't coal miners?"

-Because, It's like giving mother earth a mastectomy without her having breast cancer...

[stillifebrian]

LOL,people are actually arguing for the coal companies!I get that people need jobs,but y cant we mine the old fashion way,with people, wouldnt that make more jobs?And I dont want to hear"if we did that prices would go up"because prices go up every year anyway.Prices go up,costs go down,more profits for companies.The only reason for MTR is less ppl to pay and more profit.You would think that since their making more money,prices would go down but its not the case.END MTR,CREATE MORE MINING JOBS!

[akirakhan]

Your jobs will come and go. If you want to live in a trash heap and pass that to your generations please leave the US and go somewhere like Nicaragua. Don't destroy our kids future just because you have no other skills or education.

[husbwife1994]

80 percent of the world is powered by coal if you stop MTR their goes your power and millions of jobs in America and putting families into Poverty. Let you( Ashley Judd) and your tree huggers go home to a dark home. If you don't like MTR stop useing electricity in case you didn't know COAL makes electricity which powers your house. IF YOUR AGAINST COAL GO BACK WHERE YOU COME FROM until you start paying my bills get your a** off my hills West Virginia CoalMiner and PROUD OF IT...........

[1canyonguy]

@husbwife1994 Sorry pal we gotta save you from yourself for ourself

[MrKycoalminer]

oneknothead: You are a dumbass!

[MrKycoalminer]

HAHA...Ashley... you grew up in kentucky coal hills. You green freaks don't even realize how much America needs coal. For those of you all who don't support coal you need to find the main breaker box where your power enters your house and turn the main breaker off, de-energizing the power in your home. After you sit there in the cold dark.,you might realize that your appliances require electricty. Everybody wants electricty, so America has to have coal!

[Motoferde]

Stewardship? I guess that's a "fancy" word in WV.

[deludeddragon]

Most of the people protesting have never even lived in WV. Nobody wants you here, at least mining sites are reclaimed,why is acceptable to flatten a mountain for a shopping mall , housing or airports? Mining is the only career option for most because they couldnt afford to go to college.These miners are just out working trying to make a decent living and support their family are being called terrorist,this is ridiculous,people who look for handouts and live on welfare are the real criminals

[1099951801]

Tell little Ashley to go back to Hollywood and straighten out California's problems

before coming to our region and acting like she knows how to solve everything

related to MTR. I dont see any problems

with MTR except there is not enough of it going on right now. Long live coal and long live MTR. Down with the bleeding heart liberals who would love to destroy

the American traditions and turn us over to a communist/socialist dictatorship. Go to hell Ashley Judd & take your Enviro-freaks to.

[oneknothead]

hey friend .... you do have an option .... join the military like i did ... i grew up in welch so i do know what i'm talking about .... but you are right about not being able to afford collage .... after you blow your big paychecks on stuff you dont need ... i've know so many miners that made 60 70 80 grand a year and still lived in a trailer .... dude educate yourself

[schererart]

And to think that blowing up the mountains is called progress! No matter where you live, you will be affected by this destruction. If you're against it, don't give your opinion through the kitchen window; come away from the window, off your porch, and fight to stop this. "Man did not weave the web of life-he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." - Native American Chief Seattle.

[BellaSwanEdwardCulle]

Why dont you tree huggin people come to a stripmine after it have been recalmed I know for a fact that the stripmines "MY HUSBAND USED TO WORK AT BEFOR BEING LAID OFF DUE TO YOU GUYS" MAY I SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT TOO. Has gotten 13 awards for there recalmation. they have brought back and planted chest nut trees, there are deer, bears, turkeys, and cows on the job site. and the greenist grass you have ever seen. so why dont you go and look at the way they HAVE to do it now.

[JeffFurrowCountry]

Outsiders should have to live here for 20 years or so, and try to make their living in WV before trying to take our jobs.

[chistletoe]

if coal mining ended in the United States,

so would the Internet. and the sierra Club.

and air conditioning, television, cell phones, and electric guitars.

good plan ...

[cab1024]

these comments are not threaded...

[mstaff657]

If the woman wants a shock she should look at her gigantic behind.  green power - green power. shortly this pathetic administration will make it impossible to make a living.

Then we will see how they try to feed themselves.

[bigapple2625]

This is an anti coal video. If you tree hugging wackos want to sit in the dark 50% of the time and pay 4 times more for your electric, go right ahead but dont expect me to jump off of the cliff with you.

[coal4life]

Freeze in the dark. If the alterative energy gets it's ass into gear I'll look to another way to earn a living. In spite of the fact that I've been a coal miner for over 32yrs. I have a strong interest in wind and solar energy sources. Been building my own ways to get off this grid and if you do the same we could take the fight to the meters and sell the juice back. Or do away with the energy construct as we know it..... Free energy to the people. Just do it and quit your crying.

[SUPERHIPPIESLAYER]

She said HOLLAR like she was a hillbilly.She needs a Dick coverd in coal shoved in her cocksucker

[fuckyamountains]

We'll have to tell Chris T. about her, maybe he could help her out?

[fuckyamountains]

Also, Walmart has no severence tax, unlink coal, which gained the state $7,295,991.45 in the 2nd quarter of 2009 alone. Thats a total of $17,281,724.98 at the end of the 2nd quarter that is directly given to the state!

[fuckyamountains]

Plain and simple...

If your against coal, then stop using electricity if it comes from a coal fired plant. Stop driving vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, etc. that use coal to melt down the metal. Stop going to the grocery store and walmart, etc. That use trucks, which use diesel (a fossil fuel) to deliver goods...

Just become a hermit and leave us working men and women of appalachia alone!

PS.. Computers are made out of metal and more than likely use coal electricity..

[zappamannn]

This is not an anti-coal video. This is an anti-MTR video. Most people understand that 50% of this country's energy comes from coal. No one in their right mind is saying that we could stop burning coal today. But MTR is too invasive... too destructive.. too ugly. Just so big coal can get more profit, quicker and easier. I don't know what your job is, but unless you're Don Blankenship, they would lay you off in a second if it meant more profit. This is about money for the big guy, nothing for WV.

[fuckyamountains]

1:25 into this video.... "The solution my friends is new power." SOUNDS LIKE THAT IS ANTI COAL!!!

And you say nothing for WV... What about our paychecks that are mostly spent here? Our taxes that collected here in WV... The coal severence tax that WV has...

An underground mine doesn't require as many people anymore either, as it has gotten modern machinery.

And underground mine requires the use of slurry injection or a slurry impoundment, both of which you all are against.

[zappamannn]

New power to offset the use of MTR mining, besides, If big coal was smart, they would be the ones developing wind. Coal can't last forever.

Isn't Massey based in Virginia? WV gets the miner's wages while the real profits go out of state. WV is left with water pollution and gravel piles.

I understand the need for slurry ponds (NOT in close proximity to an elementary school), but I am definitely against slurry injection.

What about dry press filtration? again, it goes back to big coal profits

[fuckyamountains]

True, coal won't last forever, but it is predicted to last another 150-200 years. Yes Massey is based in VA, but we spend our wages here, and mining parts are bought around here, Walker Machinery, United Central, etc.

As far as dry press, it is still in developmental stages in my uderstanding.

Walmart is based in Arkansas, but we still all go there and shop. Same scenerio here!

[zappamannn]

Marrowbone Development in Mingo County used a dry press filter well into the

1980s. Other dry press systems, and dewatering systems have been utilized in

West Virginia. Existing coal processing plants can be paired with a filter press that will dry the

slurry into filter cakes that can be disposed of in a lined landfill. The cost is slightly higher (50 cents to one dollar per ton)

50 cents to one dollar per ton to process coal in a way that reduced WV pollution significantly. Greed stops them.

[zappamannn]

It just shows they don't care about this state, they look at it like a big waste dump. Sure, Miners get their salary and support industries benefit, but billions in profit go out of state. At least Wall Mart doesn't pollute WV because it's cheaper for them.

As for having 200 years of coal... I have heard so many varying estimates of this number. If it's 200 years of coal that can only be reached through MTR, we'll have a state that looks more like Ohio than WV.

[fuckyamountains]

Marrowbone has an impoundment, why did they switch from dry press back to a wet system? And slurry cakes in a landfill?? What happens if the landfill get wet? It turns into a quick sand type death trap! Atleast an impoundment mixes and compacts the slurry with refuse rock! Alot more stable!

[zappamannn]

I'm not sure about Marrowbone, they probably are trying to save that $1 per ton. As for the quick sand, that sounds like a bit of a stretch to me seeing as TVA is disposing of thousands of truckloads of wet ash sludge to landfills and no one has suggested stability issues. The benefit of a landfill is that it is relatively sealed... less chance of leaching, spilling, and getting into wildlife and the food chain.

[fuckyamountains]

If the patties would happen to get wet, they would return to their original state of being fines, thus becoming soft. The dirt or fill overtop of it is heavier, when something get on top, it would begin to sink. Depending on the moisture, it could sink slow or fast! I see deer, bear, coyotes, etc drinking from an impoundment on a daily basis. I see ducks and waterfowl swimming on an impoundment daily, no problems.

[zappamannn]

Then how is landfilling wet ash sludge not a problem? I'm sorry I haven't heard of this possibility, any examples of this happening that you can cite?

The list of chemicals and metals in slurry is too long to quote here. Are you suggesting that since you've seen deer drinking it, slurry is not harmful?

By the way all those metals and chemicals end up in the deer meat.

[fuckyamountains]

Do they cover it? Ever walked in Lake Stephens in Glen Daniel WV? If not, and you et the chance to go into one of the coves, check out the 'quick sand' effect at the bottom... Same type of deal, just slurry is as deep as the 'landfill'. And the deer aren't drinking the slurry itself, they are drinking the water. the slurry comes out of the discharge pipe and most of it sinks instantly. What doesn't sink instantly doesn't travel far before it sinks.

[zappamannn]

I would assume if it's okay to dispose millions of tons of wet ash sludge in a landfill as they are doing for the TVA, It's okay to dispose of dry slurry cakes. I've poked around a bit and found nothing on this issue so If you have something that points to the contrary, by all means let me know. I have not been to lake Stephens, but that is a lake, not a landfill. Landfills are covered and have irrigation systems so I don't see this as much of an argument against dry press filtration.

[fuckyamountains]

Have you ever had to mess with coal fines? I'm assuming not! Coal fines is what you folks refer to as "slurry." When they are disposed of in a refuse impoundment, they are wet.. The coal fines are like quick sand, that is why they go to the bottom, you mix it with rock and cover it to make it stable... What I am saying is what happens when these cakes get wet? Water does seep through dirt, correct? And if it has an irrigation system, it has to be releasing some of the slurry out???

[zappamannn]

As for the deer, it would be naive to think that the toxins in slurry don't intermingle with the water in which it is dumped. That is why you don't see people using these impoundments themselves.

[fuckyamountains]

Well, exactly what toxins are in slurry? Obviously don't bother the animals that return year after year! And I thought impoundments "released" the toxin into the stream, and that's why they are bad??? I thought that was your all's argument against impoundments?

[zappamannn]

Slurry contains the prep plant chemicals, heavy metals, and other chemicals naturally present in coal, such as arsenic, mercury, chromium, cadmium, boron, selenium, and nickel. There's no question that this is nasty stuff.

Dry prep processes that do not use chemicals and water and do not produce slurry do exist. They produce less toxic waste, but cost the coal company a little more to use.

This is about profit margin.

[fuckyamountains]

What chemicals exactly do the prep plants use? And where did you get your information?

[zappamannn]

Here's a good study on the makeup of slurry and its effects on the liver....

USGS: "Preliminary Toxicological Analysis of the Effect of Coal Slurry Impoundment Water on Human Liver Cells"

tinyurl[dot]com/o7zu5p

But there are plenty of other resources on slurry composition. I usually try to get information from a variety of sources, everything from government studies to Wikipedia, but I try to check Wiki citations when possible.

[fuckyamountains]

As far as the slurry itself, yes it is nasty. But it sinks to the bottom, so ya really don't have to worry much about it after that. The run-off from the slurry ponds are check quite often each week, with findings recorded. The pH levels are spot on and there aren't high levels of anything. The heavy minerals sink to the bottom, along with the flocculant chemicals used. Then the water is reused and recycled. Purified by the flocculants and mother nature's remaining process.

[zappamannn]

You paint quite the rosy picture. But how many water pollution violations has Massey committed, and how many millions in fines have they paid?

[fuckyamountains]

A water violation isn't just for a slurry spill, it can be for a range of things... Extremely muddy water, sediment ponds needing cleaned, to much runoff, etc. I'm not really sure how much they have paid.... How many water violations have the union mines that you all seem to shy away from had? Just because Massey is mostly non-union, they seem to get all the protestors on their back... Did anyone know that the Goals Prep Plant is part of the UMWA??? Probably not or they wouldn't get protested!!!

[zappamannn]

Washington Post Jan, 2008

"One of Appalachia's coal-mining giants (Massey) agreed yesterday to pay $20 million, the largest such fine imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, after an investigation found more than 4,500 instances in which mine runoff tainted nearby waters"

[fuckyamountains]

From January 2000 to December 2006... Yeah, they did have approximately 4500 violations, and did pay approximately 20 million, but that included 2 slurry spills, one big one, the Martin Co. problem. The mine run-off isn't just MTR sites, it's underground sites also. Water violations aren't just a coal mining problem. The EPA fines sewer plants, farmers, etc.

[cab1024]

Paying the fine doesn't make it alright. The fines are supposed to be a financial deterrent to breaking the law. Obviously if coal companies simply take fines as a cost of doing business, they are far too small fines the way they are.

The coal industry leaders are as dirty as the product they are forcing on America.

[zappamannn]

According to this article some of the prep chemicals include polymers with acrylamide monomer.

American Journal of Industrial Medicine:

"The patients had worked in different coal preparation plants in southern West Virginia for over 10 years and had exposure to an acrylamide polymer flocculent contaminated with acrylamide monomer... Patient A developed Parkinsonism and Patient B peripheral neuropathies with a neurogenic bladder.

[fuckyamountains]

The prep plants don't use sulfuric acid and "hardcore" chemicals anymore... The flocculants used today are alot more environmentally friendly than the ones used 15-20 years ago. The flocculants today usually make sure that the solids go to the bottom and settle instead of hang out on top of the water in the impoundment.

[zappamannn]

Oh no big deal I guess...

EPA:

Massey discharged excess amounts of metals, sediment, and acid mine drainage into hundreds of rivers and streams in West Virginia and Kentucky. Many of the pollutants were discharged in amounts 40 percent or more than allowed. Some pollutants were discharged at levels more than 10 times over the permit limits. The complaint also alleged that Massey spilled large amounts of slurry, which is waste containing metals and sediment, into local waterways numerous times.

[fuckyamountains]

The excess amount of "metal" was iron, which is a naturally occuring side effect of underground mining. If the limit on the sediment is 5ppm, then it doesn't require much to get over the 40% or 10 times the permitted level. As for the large amounts of slurry, that would be the martin co spill, which was the brunt of the 20 million, and the raleigh co spill, which was approxiamtely 10,000 gals. Why do you all just pinpoint Massey, when every company gets these violations?

[zappamannn]

Pollution is pollution. You can try, but there is no way you can put a positive spin on 4500 violations.

It's just one example that shows that this myth that you are selling  that surface mining is environmentally friendly is complete B.S.

Why Massey? They're the biggest in this region, probably the worst violators, and their poster boy, your boss ;) is the most unrepentant, judge shmoozing, greedy, openly WV wilderness hating, coal boss of this generation.

[fuckyamountains]

Do you have well water? Does it leave a orange ring around your bathtub? Again, most of these violations where from underground punchouts, etc.

[bigapple2625]

Isnt this America? Isnt it my right to do whatever I want to with my property? If I want to put a 200' tall windmill on it sobeit, if I want to have my coal removed for the economic benefit of my family, so be it. Ashley Judd isnt a Kentuckian just because she was here for a couple of years in her childhood. Look where she chooses to live now. Not KY! She is a washed up actress whos trying to draw attention to herself at the expense of real Kentuckians. If our coal jobs leave KY then what Ash?

[sarahlmarcum]

Is Ashley Judd going to put all of us up in her big mansion IF they put our husbands out of work? Send the crazy tree huggers out of here!

[LBear89]

My dad is a coal miner and this video shows how dumb people can get when someone like Ashley Judd starts putting down coal miners and coal mineing. It pisses me off seeing assholes like that thats from good old KY put down what there family did to keep food on there table and to make money for them to have stuff. I belive with all my heart that there is more people out there that will stand up for coal mineing then there is that will put it down. All I need to say is Coal is here to STAY!!!

[JeffFurrowCountry]

We do know that we have to blast and remove mountaintops to install the windmills, right? I mean, they wont sit on the side of a mountain. Why cant we take the coal first, and then put them up? Just an idea, but it takes an open minded person to see it.

[philbusa]

hey iraqgenocide,do what you want with my water dumbass. truth is coal is keeping your ass warm in winter and cool in summer. and its affordable.you are probably another cheeseeating check drawer or hippie. coal isnt going anywhere soon.and when or IF it ever does your goofy ass wont be able to afford your electric bill. maybe you can move in with ashley judd and you can split the bill.

[Iraqgenocide2]

philbusa, you're a complete slimebag, go crawl back to the sewer you came from. I'm coming there to dump arsenic in your water.

[marcusvwvuspa]

Sickening

[BlacklitFloater]

OMG.. THis is too sad, those pictures of balded mountains, beheaded mountains, they seriously made me cry. And all the animals that called that area their home.. all for just stupid coal. If we put half the money that's put into coal and crude oil into green alternatives we wouldn't have to use all this crap! The technologies would build on themselves in the long term, allowing us to not need to use as many resources over time.

[eastwood203]

Cratered, hacked-off moonscapes with sludge ponds never look like the majestic mountains they once did and never will. You are a liar. Just look at the devastation across southern WV in satellite maps on Google. Or worse yet, hike the hills.

[frankodelic]

There's no such thing as clean coal!

[ThePointinDog]

@frankodelic Give me a rag and some windex and I'll polish coal until it turns into diamonds!

[GaunletofDestruction]

@ThePointinDog Thats only a job that Chuck Norris can do:D

[BolsaChicalandtrust]

Whats next blowing a whole in the ozone layer... whoops to late... Thanks for the informative video it's needed this is crazy.

Also please check the Bolsa Chica Project were trying to raise funds to save a sacred Indian burriel on one of the last coastal weltands in CA. Please check out our vid we need your help...

Thank you!

[stuntcat666]

destroying the old mountains for a couple of days of energy is a SHAME.

To me the Blue Ridge and Appalachians is the most beautiful place in the world. But we're wrecking it and destroying the habitat of everything living there.. including the people.

This is the biggest shame of all.

[Fred13B]

What the Wise stuntcat said.

[ThePointinDog]

@stuntcat666 Without coal half of the power in the U.S. would be out, and this video wouldn't have been recorded......I hope you freeze to death when the wind stops blowing.

[dollydagger509]

This is absolutely INSANE! How does our government allow this??

[SgtJoeEvil]

When huge profits are involved, scientists who do the environmental studies can be bought off, people are cowed by private security thugs hired by the coal interests, and just plain greed of corrupt officials.

[aydemiaydemi]

video voice and film keep stopping!!!

[excinit]

i can't believe that MTR is still going on...how ridiculous? how can anyone be pro-this? END MTR TODAY!