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June 24, 2009

Marsh Fork protest

31 charged with blocking highway, State Police say; Former Congressman Ken Hechler, actress Daryl Hannah, NASA scientist, among protesters arrested

By Jackie Ayres

Hollywood actress Daryl Hannah, former Congressman and West Virginia Secretary of State Ken Hechler and NASA climate scientist James Hansen were among 32 people arrested by State Police at a mountaintop removal mining protest Thursday in western Raleigh County.

A State Police spokesman estimated 800 protesters and coal miners, and 40 state troopers, converged at Marsh Fork Elementary School’s football field at noon. While protesters took turns speaking on stage, coal miners booed and shouted harsh words in opposition.

The miners yelled profanities at Hannah when she took the stage and asked Hechler to turn up his hearing aid when he failed to respond to bellows that he was trying to take miners’ jobs away and hurt their families by participating in the protest.

After being shouted at by miners during her minute and a half oration on stage, Hannah told The Register-Herald she was not paid to travel to West Virginia for the protest.

The actress said she utilizes her free time to advocate for “a more sane way of life.”

“We can create power with renewable and regenerative clean, infinite forms of energy instead of finite fossil fuels,” Hannah said.

“It is almost heaven here. It’s just beautiful. I don’t understand why people would be so excited to blow it up, except for the fact that they think it’s their only option for income — but it isn’t.”

She said she’s been off petroleum and renewable energy for around 20 years.

“There are new types of windmills that are so much more efficient, that don’t have blades and are silent. This community is perfectly situated for something like that, to provide jobs that won’t damage the future health of their children or the community or the rivers or any of the species that live in this area, so that people can continue to enjoy this beautiful garden of Eden,” she said.

After voicing opinions on stage, more than 100 protesters formed a line around the football field.

Protesters passed around “jail support” forms and several signed them, volunteering to be arrested. The protesters led the group on a march from the school to Massey Energy’s Goals Coal prep plant several hundred feet away, where coal miners and family members blocked the entryway.

Singing “Amazing Grace” as they walked toward the gates of the Massey-owned plant, the protesters were met by numerous verbal threats from the miners.

State Police kept both sides under control and began arresting protesters who sat in the middle of W.Va. 3 and refused to leave. Vehicles on both sides of the roadway were stopped for over a mile, with onlookers sitting on the tops and walking up the roadway to find the cause of the standstill.

State Police charged 31 protesters with obstructing and impeding the flow of traffic, and one Massey employee with battery, according to Sgt. M.A. Smith and Lt. Scott Van Meter.

- - -

Massey Chief Operating Officer Chris Adkins stood on Massey property during the march.

He told The Register-Herald that regardless of what was happening on the outside of the plant, Tuesday was a normal operating day.

Adkins said all the miners who participated did so of their own free will and on their own time.

“People are concerned about their jobs,” he said.

“The coal industry’s tough enough without people from Seattle and New York coming in for the summer and taking West Virginian’s jobs and going back home,” he said.

- - -

Just before being placed in a State Police cruiser, a member of the crowd yelled to Hannah, “Was it worth it?”

“Absolutely,” a handcuffed Hannah replied.

As protesters were handcuffed and taken into custody, coal miners chanted “na, na, na, na ... hey, hey, hey, goodbye.”

- - -

Earlier this week, Massey CEO Don Blankenship issued a challenge to debate with Hansen, the climate scientist for NASA.

“While I don’t recall anyone inviting out-of-state environmental protesters from San Francisco and a Hollywood actress to Massey’s property on June 23, I’m more than willing to invite Dr. Hansen to have a factual discussion about coal mining in West Virginia, which provides thousands of jobs in the state and provides low-cost energy to millions of Americans,” Blankenship said in a statement.

“I look forward to hearing from Dr. Hansen, as I’m sure a productive dialogue — not publicity arrests — is what Dr. Hansen, a university professor who values an exchange of ideas, surely, must desire.”

However, as of late Tuesday, it still hadn’t been confirmed when, or even if, the two would actually debate. Initial reports had indicated that a debate would be held at 1 p.m. today, hosted by West Virginia Public Broadcasting from Mountain State University’s campus in Beckley.

However, Blankenship and West Virginia Media announced Tuesday that an invitation had been extended to Hansen to appear on a statewide television broadcast with Blankenship at 7 p.m. Thursday.

For updates, visit The Register-Herald Web site www.register-herald.com.

— E-mail: jayres@register-herald.com

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