Malarkey

This is the biggest bunch of bull hockey, nothing but Big Coal propaganda trying to pass itself off as "news."

Click the image to watch the video:



What I am heartened by are the comments left on the news page, some by folks I know, lots by folks I don't, pointing out the lies and destruction of the coal companies as well as the inaccuracies in the "news" report, comments that (mostly) refuse the poisoned bait of the pro-MTR comments and refute their fuzzy logic. Comments like this:

Posted on Mar 9, 2008 at 04:11 PM
Sorry, but I keep reading such lies and cannot help but keep commenting. I want people to know that this bill WILL NOT take away jobs. I wish people would read the bill and understand what we (everyday normal Kentuckians) are trying to do. I know there are people, either working in the mines or have family in the mines, who are afraid to speak out against the wrong doings of the coal companies. I am not a terriorists. I am a Kentuckian. I love the mountains and the streams and the people. Please people you all know the truth about the coal companies. They are the ones that are not truthful.Please understand we are not taking jobs away. We want a better life for our families.

Posted on Mar 9, 2008 at 02:02 PM
A person ask me one day... Do you really think you can stop mountaintop removal? ... I had to respond by saying do you really think you can keep doing it? How many mountains are to many? We as society have currently leveled over 470 mountains in Appalachia for energy.. www.ilovemountains.org find your connection... See for yourself www.ohvec.org

Posted on Mar 9, 2008 at 12:12 PM
When you're looking at who supports this bill and who doesn't in the legislature, you'll find many of the non-supporters, even those "from eastern KY", are bought and sold by the coal companies, own stock in them, have an interest to maintain that is not the interest of the people.

Posted on Mar 9, 2008 at 11:10 AM
I worked in southern West Virginia and saw how the water and the the homes of local people were devistated by mountain top removal. It's unfair to persons who have made their homes there for generations and its destructive of our earth.

Posted on Mar 9, 2008 at 09:53 AM
The real terrorists are the men who are blowing up the mountains, destroying their neighbors homes and water wells, and forever destroying the Appalachain mountains. They are not miners...they are heavy equipment operators. If you can't find a job here without destroying the very place where you live...then YOU get out! The people who actually love this place will find a way to make a living.

Posted on Mar 9, 2008 at 08:29 AM
More jobs can be found-maybe not as well paying-maybe better. The land can be used to produce other income, but not without water. How long do you think the mines will supply water after the coal is gone?? You can't grow a garden with bad water contaminating your food supply. Yes, I live in Charleston, but I lived in 1993 where I grew a garden and was told by the health department "don't use that well water even on your garden." Ask yourself,"would you be happier to live like your grandparents with clean air, water, and food or have 3 and 4 wheelers and other toys for a few years?"

Posted on Mar 9, 2008 at 12:03 AM
In Kentucky in 1979 there were 47,190 people employed in mining. In 2002 that number had dropped to 17,042 people. That’s a loss of over 30,148 mining jobs!3 And coal production during that period? In 1979 Kentucky produced 67,067,653 tons of coal. In 2002 Kentucky produced 131,402,797 tons, almost double the amount of coal, with close to 1/5 of the jobs. How is this possible? It is the nature of strip mining. Strip mining by its very nature erodes and destroys miners’ jobs; it is the death knell for mining unions and more traditional deep mining techniques. Strip mining does not generate coal jobs, it destroys them. As coal from strip mines begins competing against coal from deep mines, the earth is stripped of its coal and the miners are stripped of their jobs.

Posted on Mar 8, 2008 at 11:19 PM
If you knew anything about the government you'd know that often the only way to get a bill introduced is to bury it within another bill. That's why this bill's language was disguised within the camel food bill. This is done all the time. The coal companies use these methods ALL THE TIME to get through loopholes and now they're mad because they've gotten a taste of their own medicine. I am tired of everybody talking about KFTC, too, because I'm not even in KFTC and I'm against MTR. Just because you're anti-MTR does not mean that you're a member of KFTC and it also doesn't mean that you're against coal miners. If people would read and educate themselves they'd know that MTR actually takes job away from this region. Look at this website to educate yourself before saying things that are not true: www.ilovemountains.org .

Posted on Mar 8, 2008 at 03:05 PM
Oh, by the way, I do not oppose shopping centers or Wal-Mart. But I doubt seriously if they would build a shopping center here on my hollow. It is too far out in the boon docks. We have a one lane road. If you meet someone you pull over and let them pass. But one can't get too far out to get away from coal companies.

Posted on Mar 8, 2008 at 02:55 PM
I am from Eastern Ky and I do have a septic system. No I do not have city water. That is not my fault.It is not available to us. There are no water lines on my hollow. But there are plenty of hollow fills. I do not smoke, but I breathe plenty of dust rolling from the strip mine every time a coal or rock truck rolls around the hillside. And I hear the constant sound of dozers and heavy equipment 24/7. My house has been shaken 3 to 4 times a day by blasting, But the OSM inspectors say the cracks in my ceiling are not from blasting. Yesterday a coal company person sat in a neighbor's driveway and stared at me. Then he went past my house revving his engine. Last night someone was sitting in front of my house staring into my living room from the road. Coincidence, I think not. I stated before we have refused the coal company offers. This is the way you are treated if you don't lease to the coal companies.

Posted on Mar 8, 2008 at 12:02 PM
Why assume a person against MTR is not from here? How many of you supporting MTR have it in your front or back yards, or as in Raul Urias’case surrounding his home, 360 degrees. Be honest, we’ve been waiting on the coal companies promises of progress and riches for too many years. My grandparents were moved off their home place in the 70’s due to a strip job - the land has yet to be developed. The Wal-Marts and airports are few and far between, the hardwood forests have yet to reappear. The coal boom has reappeared to provide very few jobs and much destruction! Visit the so called industrial parks of Hazard, Jenkins, and Martin Co. Sure there are a few businesses there that come and go (Sykes). I bet locations could have been found on already stripped areas. The coal counties remain the poorest in the State. Coal is in our mountains -the law of supply and demand dictates King Coal should bow down to us – mine responsibly and safely when taking our coal supply, it is not infinite.

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 11:31 PM
I am sitting right here in Hoskinton, in the very heart of Eastern Kentucky, and I am against the way MTR is done, as are many of my friends and family. Now that the Stream Saver Bill is getting seriously looked at the coal industry is running scared and spreading lies. I am just surprised that the news would help to perpetuate these lies since the headline on this story is so misleading. This bill is not to "halt mountaintop removal mining" as the headline says. This bill is to keep the coal companies from dumping waste in the streams. The only people who will pay any price if this bill is passed is the coal companies, NOT the workers. There are a few good local coal companies in Eastern Ky but most of the coal taken out of here is taken by huge corporations headquartered all over the world. I am proud to be a hillbilly and it's time we stand up for ourselves and quit letting these big companies tell us what to do and what to believe.

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 11:20 PM
Since it was made public that the Stream Saver might actually be heard before the legislators--much to the chagrin of the coal industry, since they thought sure they had all the legislators under their thumb--the coal association has come out in full force to feed lies and rumors to the people of Eastern Kentucky. Gorman says ending MTR could hurt the region's ability to grow and create jobs. I say the coal companies have been able to do whatever they've wanted to for 100 years and THAT sure hasn't helped us to grow or to create jobs. Come over here to Leslie County and see all the booming economy we DON'T have despite millions of tons of coal coming out of here for the last 100 years. Anybody who believes that letting the coal companies do whatever they want is misinformed and not thinking straight. Don't believe the lies of people who are taking money out of here and leaving us with nothing. There is a better way to mine coal, without destroying Eastern Kentucky.

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 10:15 PM
MTR is our own Civil War in the Appalachians. It pits neighbor against neighbor. Just because I speak out against MTR does not mean I am anti-coal. I am against the burying of streams (no matter the kind), the destruction of mountains, the ruination of peoples' health and homes, and unsafe roads. I am for clean water for all, good paying jobs (I bet most miners would switch jobs if they were here and paid equal $/benefits), mountains majesty, clean air, renewable energy sources, and safe roads. We can work this out together. Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) gives people a forum to do just that. Go to their website, www.kftc.org, and see what they are all about. Attend a chapter meeting. Put all these thoughts to positive action. By the way, I've been a member for almost three years now and I have yet to hug a tree!

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 05:40 PM
I'm tired of Coal Companies too! They have been blasting and destroying homes. Saturday a blast was set off and a huge Elm tree landed on top of my home and destroyed it. So was that a act of NATURE? I think not, these blast have been getting worst since January, something has to be done!

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 04:02 PM
I appreciate WYMT’s coverage of the Stream Saver Bill. The impact of the coal industry on our lives and communities deserves careful analysis and discussion among all of us who live in this region. I wanted to alert you that there are two important errors in the story. First, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC) and other environmental groups DO CARE about the lives of coal workers and their families. We know that if it were not for a job in the coal industry, many families in the area would have to leave to find work elsewhere, or go on welfare. Enactment of the Stream Saver bill will NOT lead to a decline in the number of coal industry workers, and may actually increase it (see Sara’s posting). In addition, the demand for our region’s coal will remain very strong because this nation and the world depend on it to generate electricity. Over the next 20 years or so, our nation will have no alternative to coal for generation of much of its electricity. In addition, the Stream Saver bill will improve the condition of our streams as a source of recreation (swimming, fishing, etc.) and drinking water, and it will also help protect our unique and valuable mountain forests. An improved environment will benefit everyone in the region. The second error relates to the spelling of Mr. Urias’ first name, Ruhle. He grew up in the coalfields of Pike County, and worked in coal mines for a number of years.

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 02:12 PM:
MTR is an abomination to the land and people of eastern Kentucky. It is already illegal to conduct MTR unless the coal companies get a waiver for says the land will be used for future development. The Army Corp has given these waivers even though there isn't any type of planned development. I'm the son of a coal miner and I want to see the coal mined in a safe and responsible way. Strip mining and MTR mining are not labor intensive ways of mining coal and the lasting results of destroying the water is criminal. Every time there is any opposition to what coal companies want those against the abuses of coal companies are labled anti-coal. I'm not anti-coal, I'm anti MTR when there isn't any type of develpment on the area mined. If I wanted to live in the flatlands, I would move there but I want to live in these hills. Coal companies cry wolf everytime there is anything that will cut into their profits. But they continue to mine coal!

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 01:01 PM:
If Mr Gorman had to look at the stream that runs by my house each day I think he would change his mind. The epa nor the coal co is admitting they know what is causing gypsum to form in this stream. If that is what it is. However we know that high levels of sulfates, magnesium and phos. are present. The stream has filled up with a crust about 18 or more inches. Grass is growing in the stream, leaves are sticking together and it has a funny color to the top of the water. Mr Gorman, I want to know: Which is most important- long term health problems for the people living below this stream or a little of money for a season?

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 12:28 PM:
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth is a grass roots organization that deals with social justice issues in Ky with over 5000 members. No where in our legal reporting process to the U.S. Government,due to our non-profit status, do we say or imply that we support any type shuting down of the mining industry. For the knowledgeable citizens of Eastern Ky. this coal industry rhetoric has been repeated over an over an over for the entire time coal has been mined. For us older citizens we can remember coal companies crying when the UMWA tried too organize, the coal industry has bought legislators,shut down certain mines,filed bankruptcy, ect. and there are no UMWA to be found in Eastern Ky. The employees therefore have no longterm benefits,this in itself has put billions in the coal barons pockets. Believe what you will, but in my humble opinion the coal companies aren't hurting and they could take some of those profits and hire extra employees to clean up there destruction

Posted on Mar 7, 2008 at 12:08 PM:
I wonder if you people would feel the same way if your home was being shaken 3 times a day from dynamite blasts and had to live with a valley fill above your home which could slip and cover your home at any time. This is not a bill to stop mountaintop removal. It is a bill to stop the coal companies from dumping rocks and dirt into valleys and hollows thereby filling streams completely. I live here on a hollow with 9 valley fills with ponds above my house. Anyone of these could break at any time and flood my home. If your husband is truly a miner, he can tell you the truth about what he does on the job all day. I don;t feel I am obligated to give up everything I own so that your husband can have a job and we can ship coal to China. By the way I refuse to lease my land to the coal company. And we get constant harassment from workers and truckers. Would you kill me just to keep your job and take my land? The truckers are constantly trying to run me and my husband off the road.