Chris CarmichaelChris Carmichael
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Finding yourself in the middle of a big story is a daunting position to be in. Mountaintop removal, with its myriad supporters and detractors, is certainly a huge story that seems to be unraveling more and more rapidly. For the past week, I have wrestled with my interviews and b-roll, looking for a way into the narrative. When you are working on a project like this, away from daily deadlines, there is this temptation to make your piece the end-all say-all on the topic. Especially when you step into a story as epic as coal. The history of coal in West Virginia is a rich and often tumultuous story with no shortage of compelling characters.
But it's a preposterous idea. Let's face it, no story can be the end of the conversation on a particular topic. The best you can do is effectively tell a small part of that story and hope that it adds something to the canon of reporting that's already been done by people far more experienced and knowledgeable than yourself. Ira Glass has said this best when he talks about restoring intimacy and "human scale" to storytelling in an effort to get away from the "know-it-all" mentality of broadcast journalism, which he says "makes the world seem smaller and stupider and less than it really is.”
So here's to telling small stories that show how big and complicated the world really is. Back to editing.
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It's been a wild week on the coal front. It started with a few days in Meigs County, Ohio, where we interviewed people about the proposed powerplants being built in the area for a story led by my colleague Sara Peach (see her post below). It ended with a trip to Coal River Mountain to cover a mountaintop removal protest. The video I have shared is a compilation from both of these trips. It felt appropriate to put these images together because even though there is an obvious connection between a story on extraction and a story on power production, I think we've been a little surprised by how conjoined our stories feel. It's been and will continue to be a challenge for us to make these stories focused and unique. The issues are just enormous.
Now on to Tuesday's protest.
More than 30 people were arrested Tuesday during a mountaintop removal protest at Marsh Fork Elementary School in Raleigh County, W.Va. Among those arrested were actress Daryl Hannah and NASA climatologist James Hansen. As he was being cuffed by police officers, Hansen reiterated that coal is one of the chief contributers to climate change and called for an end to mountaintop removal, which accounts for a relatively small percentage of the coal-related jobs in the state.
But protesters were met with resistance from hundreds of miners and their families, who waved signs, set off air horns and chanted "Massey, Massey, Massey" — a reference to the energy company — in an effort to drown out the anti-mountaintop removal speeches. Massey Energy offered the workers time off without pay to make their case. As the rally wound down, miners fell back to block the entrance to Massey's Goals Coal Co., well aware that protesters intended to risk arrest by crossing over the property line. It worked. Protesters did not cross the line, opting instead to take a seat on Route 3. They were charged with impeding traffic and obstructing police.
Though I have only been following this issue for a short time, I have to say that this protest seems to mark a distinct escalation in the tension surrounding this issue. Activists have vowed to keep the pressure on Massey by staging more acts of civil disobedience throughout the summer. One recent act, an attempt to climb onto a dragline and unfurl a banner, was likely a big reason for the counter-protest. Last week, 14 activists were arrested for trespassing at the Twilight Mine; four were charged with battery, for allegedly pushing an operator out of the way. Check out the video here. (Note: it's not an impartial video but it does offer a unique vantage point and the opening sequence is shot well.)
Credit goes to the police officers for keeping this from getting out of hand. It was an intense scene, and there were a lot of heated exchanges and some downright mean-spirited rhetoric. To my knowledge though, the only assault occurred when a mining advocate slapped local activist Judy Bonds.
But in the midst of all this, I talked to several very thoughtful people on both sides who make me believe that beyond all the harsh rhetoric on the extremes, there is potential for productive dialogue. Whether that dialogue will ever happen when miners and activists share the same space remains to be seen.
Ultimately, how long this battle wages may depend on Congress. The Obama administration has sent mixed messages on mountaintop removal and that uncertainty has fueled a mighty fire down on Coal River. Tomorrow will be the first Senate hearing on the matter in a good many years, so stay tuned. I'll be following it and posting updates.
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We're still working out some kinks with the blogging plug-in but I thought I'd share a few photos from the field.
During a busy day of protesting on May 23, seven protesters were arrested after trespassing near the entrance to a Massey Energy surface mine. Protesters argue that Massey Energy's plans to blast near the Brushy Fork slurry impoundment could lead to a massive breach, sending millions of gallons of coal sludge into the nearby communities, endangering hundreds of lives.
Earlier in the day, 10 more activists, including two women who paddled onto the slurry pond to unfurl a banner, were arrested in separate protests.
Former Congressman Ken Hechler (above) led protesters in a call for Massey to end mountaintop removal, insisting that the preamble of the constitution reads "we the people, not we the corporation." Though Hechler was among the group of protesters trespassing, police refused to arrest the 94-year-old former U.S. Representative and West Virginia Secretary of State, instead offering to escort him off the property. Hechler was one of the principal architects of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, which aimed to combat black lung by limiting the acceptable amount of coal dust in mines.
On a personal note, I'll add than unlike the previous coal protest I covered in Charlotte, N.C. where I saw at least one protester joking around with police officers, this protest had a much more palpable tension. No doubt about it, this fight has been going on for years at Coal River Mountain. Not long after this protest, Massey was in court demanding stricter treatment of protesters, including a demand that police seize cameras, film and memory cards. While the judge did not side with Massey in regard to seizing camera equipment, he did rule to block further protests at certain Massey mining sites. See the Charleston Gazette's excellent mining blog for more info on this injunction.
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