Citizens for Coal Hope to Spread Message of Supporting Industry - State Journal

After brooding, stewing, some begging and prodding, Roger Horton decided to do something.

"What happened was for the longest time we'd been hearing here in the coalfields that there are two sides," Horton said, "those of the environmentalists and those of the coal industry.

"We'd continue to one day work and the next day fight to continue to work, and for that reason we decided to establish a grassroots organization that would allow the citizens who have a stake in this ... to have a venue to express their concerns and also to express the way that they live and how they depend upon the coal industry to help them live."

Horton, 55, said he started Citizens for Coal to serve as a nonprofit lobbying organization with the mission to educate the public about the importance of coal and all coal-related industries.

"I have friends in the environmental community who I can sit down with and can discuss with and who actually do understand the importance of coal," Horton said. "They also understand that there are, by careless acts, negative consequences of both mining and the use of coal, and what I wanted to be able to do was stop the madness that's associated with it.

"That's my entire intent ... to be able to sit down with anybody who has an issue and to find an amicable resolution by virtue of technology or change of work habits or just change of heart."

Horton said he's been in the coal mining industry since 1974, and doesn't want to see coal go.

Horton said the group didn't set out with the intention of begging for money, but the Logan County Commission gave the group its first donation -- $2,500 -- Dec. 22 after hearing the group's pitch.

"Some of the environmental groups have put on some pretty effective commercials and stories about coal," said Logan County Commission President Art Kirkendoll. "And (Citizens for Coal's) position was that it's time everybody that has a future based on a job or just a normal livelihood based on the production of coal needs to get together and try to promote coal as one of the best energy sources America has."

Horton said based on the commission's donation, some individual representatives from other groups have stepped forward with contributions.

"Our most immediate goal is to collect the various organizations that already exist within the state of West Virginia ... and bring them all together in one frame of mind to work collectively toward one single purpose," Horton said.

Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said Citizens for Coal is unique because its members are involved in mining operations.

"This is a complement to what everyone else is doing," Raney said. "I don't look at it as any kind of additional organization; I think what it does is focus more attention on how critical coal is to not only the state of West Virginia, but to America."

Raney said when so much of West Virginia depends on coal for revenue, it makes sense for as many people as possible to rally around the coal industry.

Horton said the group wants to compile a list of all post-mine land use areas in the state.

"We intend to work proactively to put our message out to advertise not only the importance of coal as a resource but also mountaintop mining as a post-mine land alternative," he said. "Here in the state of West Virginia, we're not blessed with a lot of usable property."

I am a friend of coal and believe WV Legisation as well as our reps. and the EPA are in the pockets of Obamas admn. The so called water samples shown on the news is not water from sludge run off into wells. On the border of Kanawha and Clay Co. the water is contaminated with the same junk there are no mines there. I would like for someone to contact me regarding this matter, this will prove the EPA andour Reps. have lied.

If Roger Horton wants to see what state sponsored terrorism looks like he should move to Marsh Fork Elementary, or beneath any active mtr operation. It's easy for Horten to say such idiotic things when he doesn't live with the effects that mtr brings to nearby communities. Go blow up your own backyard and see how you like it when you are forced to breath blasting dust and put up with the fear of boulders and flyrock coming off the mountain and through your house. Over 3.5 million pounds of explosives are detonated in WV per day above our communities so Roger can have a paycheck. 3.5 million pounds per day, after day after day is the real terror. Enough is enough. Mine the coal underground Roger and quit trying to incite more terror on the citizens that are trying to defend their homes.

I've worked in the Coal Industry of Eastern Kentucky for the last 11 years. It's been great for myself and my family, especially over the last 8 years where my Company, along with Catepillar have enjoyed record years and profits. Now things have turned south quickly since the election. I think we should be allowed to mine Coal and then restore the area's back as close as possible to it's original landscape. If AMERICANS weren't so greedy and self-centered, these companies would take enough pride to fix these places back, without being made to by law. That, like everything else in this country is the problem, too many greedy, carefree, prideless Americans that have no respect for anyone or anything. Mining Coal or not Mining Coal isn't gonna make our problems any better. If we get our energy from another source, it's gonna be the same thing, raped, cheated and abused to no end because too many people simply don't care. Only 30% of the Nation even bothered to vote in the 08 Election, consider this for a minute, the biggest election in decades, and only 30%(actually less) even takes the time to vote. America has lost it's way, doesn't matter if Environment is good, or bad, America will collapse.

Sorry Roger but I support Lamar Alexander. You can find a better and more productive method to mine coal than by destroying the surrounding mountain tops.

Now if the mining industry replaces what they destroy, then I would not mind at all removing the mountain tops, if you can put them back to their original environment.

Whether you lose your lose job because of Alexander is NOT my concern. I want to see the mountains, not environmental destruction.

I always appreciate the opinions of others, even those in opposition to my own. However, I also appreciate options supported by evidence when addressing such a controversial and important topic. "TruthandReality" provided such a reference. Wouldn't it be great if all posted did so when using quantative descriptors such as precentages.

I think you people are crazy.The amount of jobs and revenue the coal industry provides to this country is astronomical.We have more coal in the US than any other country.We need to move forward with technologies to use coal more.Imagine the jobs we can create and, for the people that say coal can not be clean they don't know what they are talking about.

I don't agree with mountaim top removeral. I have seen the damages coal companies do for the bottom line Greed

PV ( Photovoltaics ) Technology can meet electricity demand on any scale. The solar energy resource in a 100-mile-square area of Nevada could supply the United States with all its electricity (about 800 gigawatts) , using modestly efficient (10%) commercial PV modules. A more realistic scenario involves distributing these same PV systems throughout the 50 states. Currently available sites—such as vacant land, parking lots, and rooftops—could be used. The land requirement to produce 800 gigawatts would average out to be about 17 x 17 miles per state. Alternatively, PV systems built in the "brownfields"—the estimated 5 million acres of abandoned industrial sites in our nation's cities—could supply 90% of America's current electricity.

U.S. DEPT. OF ENERGY http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/myths.html#1

The time has come for the powers that be in the state of WV to offer job diversity so this state will not be so dependent of the revenue from coal. The coalfields of southern WV is the sacrifice zone for this revenue. There is lots of revenue to be had in renewable energy. Only about 5% of the land that has been ravaged by mountaintop removal has been developed. I would think the other 95% should be enough blessing for Mr. Raney in the form of usable property. You don't have to blow the tops off the mountains to get coal and have coal mining jobs. This is what Robert Kennedy Jr. called it:"Crimes against nature."