Denver has the good fortune of magnificent views of the Rocky Mountains. The Rockies sit as a regal reminder of wilderness, freedom and fun. One thing is for sure, Denver residents love their mountains, whether they visit them for adventure, or simply admire them from afar.
I recently traveled home to the Appalachians from Colorado and was shocked at what I found in my beautiful mountain home. The coal industry has destroyed more than 500 mountains in West Virginia, through mountain-top removal. They have destroyed over 1,500 miles of streams and have poisoned numerous communities of people.
My family’s land is north of the coal fields and I was relieved to find it just as generations of my family have enjoyed it. The hardwood forests in West Virginia are simply amazing. Our land boast dozens of types of trees, including Black Walnut, Hickory and Hazelnut. There are also thick brambles of Blackberry and Raspberry vines that bear giant berries every year. A beautiful creek runs through my family’s wooded acres and I wondered if it was still okay. Just a few miles away, the river had been polluted hopelessly by the coal industry.
I remember slow summer days, spent fishing by the river with my family. It had been lined with trees and green meadows with cattle grazing. Now, trucks from the coal-fields to the south, haul coal up to enormous transfer stations. There were miles of mountainous piles of coal, train cars filled to overflowing and tug boats pushing barges piled high. The river ran a dirty gray.
Locals feel intimidated and at a loss for answers in areas where coal has been the only industry for generations. Solutions are on the horizon, however, and West Virginia may be poised to diversify its economy through renewable technologies.
Eric Mathis started the JOBS Project in Williamson, WV. Locals, long wary of outsiders or oppositions to coal, are embracing the idea of economic diversification and green technology. Earl Long began Angel-Winds Wind-Farm in Monroe County, WV and the project, where landowners own their wind-mills, has been deemed a success.
There are two bills before Congress that could turn the tide for the entire coal-field region. Appalachians are asking Coloradans to please contact U.S. Senators Udall and Bennet and ask them to Co-Sponsor the Appalachian Restoration Act. They would also appreciate your contacting your U.S. Representative to ask them to Co-Sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act.
When she realized I was from Colorado, one young Appalachian asked me to pose this question upon my return, “Ask them to imagine, for a moment, their mountains being blasted down around them… and when they’ve imagined that, ask them to please help us save ours.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
