By BILL ARCHER
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
—
RICHLANDS, Va. — The Eastern Coal Council is in the process of organizing a rally for coal industry supporters willing to travel to the nation’s capitol for a pro-coal rally on Capitol Hill on Sept. 15. Jack Richardson, chairman of the council, sent an e-blast message to several organizations that support the coal industry and asked them to join the coal council at the rally.
“We don’t know if we’ll have 1,000 people there or if there will be several thousand,” Barbara Altizer, administrator of the coal council said. “Several anti-coal groups are planning a rally in late September at Washington. Whether we have a few people or if we have a lot of people, we want the nation to understand the importance of coal.”
In his e-mail message, Richardson said the coal council plans to charter buses to transport people from several coalfield locations to Washington. He said buses will leave on Sept. 14, and return the following day after the rally. “Our objective is to develop and build a strong base of support for the coal industry during our visit,” Richardson wrote in his e-mail. “We must provide our friends and allies with the knowledge and facts to effectively counter the negative assault on coal mining by extremist organizations.”
According to a posting on the Rainforest Action Network, several grass roots organizations have formed a coalition to protest mountaintop removal coal mining, or large area surface mining. The groups workshops and other events Sept. 25 and 26, with an “Appalachia Rising Day of Action” on Monday, Sept. 27, where anti-mountaintop removal mining groups will work to bring attention to the problems they say are associated with that method of coal mining.
Richardson said the pro-coal group hopes to hold a press conference in Washington at 10 a.m., on Wednesday, Sept. 15. The coal council has extended a call to similar coal industry supporters in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. “Feel free to invite your senators and representatives from states you live in or conduct business in,” Richardson wrote.
“We need thousands of people getting off buses in Washington,” Richardson wrote. “We must send a strong message to the elected officials in D.C., that coal is important and it’s time for them to hear the rest of the story and learn about clean coal technology, safety, reclamation-reforestation, etc. They need to understand base load power and the importance of dependable and affordable power; coal: Backbone of America’s energy. We must show them there are thousands of people that support coal.”
Debbie Maynard, executive vice president of The Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce said that Bud Clapp, vice president economic enhancement with the chamber brought the subject up at the chambers board of directors meeting on Thursday. “Some members asked if Bluefield is taking a bus to Washington too,” Maynard said. “Budd (Clapp) encouraged chamber members to consider participating.”
Altizer said that it can be difficult for coal companies that are working to give employees time off to participate in a rally. “I’d like to have everyone who supports the coal industry to participate in the rally,” she said.
Contact the coal council at (276) 964-6363 for additional information.
– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com
