The Coal and Gas Industries Continue to Damage our Land and the Public Health

Wake Up West Virginia Before It ‘s Too Late!

Commentary by Maria Gunnoe, Regional Coordinator with OVEC, October 18, 2014

It seems to me that someone somewhere would see the errors in the ways of the gas and coal industries in the Appalachian region.  Surely the people that live with these nightmares aren’t the only ones who see what these industries are doing … ?

It’s terrible! The people of the Appalachian region suffer horribly because the coal and gas industries have a free ticket to pollute and pillage our beautiful West Virginia.  It’s terrible to see, for the ones that live and die from it, especially knowing for many years that it was coming, literally watching as the wagons were surrounded.

Our forefathers have tended to these lands only to see our generation kill them.  I have fought mountaintop removal coal mining for nearly 20 years, most of which was volunteer work.  I have witnessed firsthand what regulation in the state of WV looks like and basically there is NONE. And, what is on the books doesn’t get enforced.  OUR resources and OUR people have been sold off to the highest bidders, being the coal and gas companies.

The attack on our people, air, land and water has “leaders” if you will.  These “leaders” are our industry-owned politicians.  It’s time to end the BUSINESS AS USUAL in WV.  We are at a crossroads and it’s now or never.  Once these areas are gone …  there is no getting them back.  Polluting is easy … UN-polluting (reversing the damages) is nearly impossible.

People’s health, well being and quality of life will come first ONLY when we put ourselves first at the voting booths.  Mountaintop removal pollution has been shown to promote LUNG CANCER and these companies are still doing it.  WHEN we develop the political will to pass the ACHE Act (www.acheact.org) we can beat this corrupt system by putting people’s health first!

It’s time to clean the slate in WV.  It’s time to realize that none of our citizenry has rights anymore! Industry now has those rights.  OUR resources have been negotiated and we DO NOT and DID NOT HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.

I have heard ALL of our politicians talk about how important coal and gas are to West Virginian’s economy.  People’s ability to live here is real important to the economy too, isn’t it?  I recently heard Nick Rahall say that “Coal was the most important resource in our state” when in reality coal-related chemicals are what polluted 300,000 people’s water in January 2014.  Thanks to COAL we didn’t have a safe faucet, stream or spring to drink from!

I recently read where WV is planning to allow FRACKING UNDER the OHIO RIVER.  First … are they trying to get WV sued?!?  This river is millions of people’s drinking water!  Can someone tell me how this was ever conceived as a good idea?

The State of WV has been generational-family run by the same families who have always stuck the screws to our people to prop up their buddies.  It’s sad to see what we have allowed to happen to our state but it’s even more sad to see that we continue to turn our heads while it continues to happen again and again.

It just seems to me that these catastrophic things keep happening and everyone keeps forgetting about them while people all around die of the health impacts of these out-of-control industries.

No wonder the people in DC think that we all are “stupid hillbillies.”  The politicians in office are the ones that represent the will of our people, supposedly.  I don’t think the residents of Appalachia want anyone to suffer and die so we can flip on the lights.  The problem here is that our people are suffering and dying to produce electricity EVERYDAY and no one wants to talk about it.

WAKE  UP  WEST  VIRGINIA  BEFORE  IT’S  TOO  LATE!

Note:  Maria Gunnoe won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2009 for her work in southern West Virginia.  Her work is part of the projects of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC), now active throughout much of West Virginia.

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