West Virginia Grandfather Takes on the Coal Industry: Ed Wiley on His Battle Against Mountaintop Removal Mining : Indybay

The technique involves blasting off the tops of mountains and dumping the rubble into valleys and streams. Its use has expanded under the Bush administration. With deep ties to the coal industry, President Bush has weakened federal regulations dating back two decades. But in a state where coal mining is an integral part of the social fabric, a grassroots movement is fighting back. This is an excerpt of the documentary “Mountaintop Removal” by Mike O’Connell.

The film also focuses on the efforts of Ed Wiley. He’s one the leading activists behind the grassroots effort to stop mountaintop removal in West Virginia. Ed Wiley’s granddaughter goes to school in Coal River Valley, less than a quarter mile from billions of gallons of coal mine toxic sludge. In 2006, Ed staged a 40-day walk across West Virginia to demand funding for a new school. He continues his campaign today. Ed Wiley joins me now from our firehouse studio in New York.

Ed Wiley, former coal miner and activist in the Appalachian Valley.

Related Democracy Now! Stories

“What this Rule Change Amounts to is a Declaration of War Against the Appalachian People”: Opponents of Mountaintop Removal Decry Bush’s New Mining Rules (8/24/2007)

LISTEN ONLINE

West Virginia Grandfather Takes on the Coal Industry: Ed Wiley on His Battle Against Mountaintop Removal Mining

Related Democracy Now! Stories

Donate

Get Involved

Publish