Comments on: Seng Creek, near Kayford Mountain http://www.ilovemountains.org/memorial/c251/45 END MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL COAL MINING IN APPALACHIA! Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:09:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: Mike Garrity http://www.ilovemountains.org/memorial/c251/45#comment-76552 Mike Garrity Sun, 09 May 2010 03:52:39 +0000 http://www.ilovemountains.org/memorial/c251/45#comment-76552 As I type this post---I am down on a "fact finding" trip in the coal fields of West Virginia--from the tales I have been told by a number of the folks I have talked to down here---it is pretty much par for the course that no matter what the situation is----the state of West Virginia and even the federal government hardly ever find serious fault on the part of the coal companies. As one lady told me last night--with the incestously close ties between the coal industry and government officials---"they do things just like the mafia!" It is nothing less than astounding what sorts of things the coal companies get away with down here in West Virginia. This is probably a model that big money interests of all sorts would like to see replicated elsewhere in America to turn us into a paradise for them---a place they can make vast amounts of money--while the "little guy" gets totally screwed-and worse than that---so many of the little guys getting so screwed--are willing participants in that process--and they are so scared---they dare not cross their bosses. You have those "little guys" being the fiercest defenders and advocates of the industry!! " The destruction wrought by MTR is astounding and so is the social and many other impacts of this way of extracting "carbon neutral coal!!"---(what a major lie that is that coal is "carbon neutral!!--the stuff is mostly pure carbon!!) As I type this post—I am down on a “fact finding” trip in the coal fields of West Virginia–from the tales I have been told by a number of the folks I have talked to down here—it is pretty much par for the course that no matter what the situation is—-the state of West Virginia and even the federal government hardly ever find serious fault on the part of the coal companies.

As one lady told me last night–with the incestously close ties between the coal industry and government officials—”they do things just like the mafia!”

It is nothing less than astounding what sorts of things the coal companies get away with down here in West Virginia. This is probably a model that big money interests of all sorts would like to see replicated elsewhere in America to turn us into a paradise for them—a place they can make vast amounts of money–while the “little guy” gets totally screwed-and worse than that—so many of the little guys getting so screwed–are willing participants in that process–and they are so scared—they dare not cross their bosses. You have those “little guys” being the fiercest defenders and advocates of the industry!! ”

The destruction wrought by MTR is astounding and so is the social and many other impacts of this way of extracting “carbon neutral coal!!”—(what a major lie that is that coal is “carbon neutral!!–the stuff is mostly pure carbon!!)

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