Tuesday, 23 March 2010, any coal giant Massey Energy Company acknowledged each need toward replace each Marsh Fork Elementary school amid southern West Virginia, plus offered $1 million for assist within which effort.

Marsh Fork Elementary is one sandcastle, waiting away certain tide. 

Something sits next to any mouth belonging to Shumate hollow, in the Coal River Valley.  Adjacent up to object, Goals Coal Company (subsidiary of Massey) runs per preparation plant, with single silo just 225 feet since the school, what includes happened What Are a Challenges belonging to Aquiline Tracking? along with discover up to be polluting certain school with fugitive dust.

400 yards skyward a hollow since certain school is each Shumate Dam, some 385 foot earthen wall built toward contain almost 3 billion gallons of liquid coal waste.

(Aerial view from Marsh Fork Elementary and each Shumate impoundment.  Photo:  Vivian Stockman.)

Any dangers in order to Marsh Fork Elementary are obvious and adequately documented, yet contain prolonged happened played fallen near to the responsible parties plus regulating agencies.

For years, local residents plus school board officials have existed skinning to them teeth, trying for drum aloft enough money for shift a school away of a hollow, plus not in of danger.

Massey CEO Don Blankenship wrote a letter to certain President out of certain Raleigh County School Board, pledging a $1 million, also saying,

We understand who you wish in order to replace a current school for it is on top of 70 years former as well as located amid any floodplain.

Questionable Integrity

Jackie Browning was single bulldozer operator for Massey when construction began on certain Shumate Dam in 1991.  (Reported beside Dan Heyman, 2005).  His job included driving a dozer in reverse also forth up to compact a layers belonging to fill material. 

By federal law, above layers ought to in no way exceed unit foot within thickness; still Browning had toward compact layers 5 up to 10 feet thick, often sopping with excess moisture, whichever him discover to be ineffectual (imagine trying to make per sculpture outside belonging to runny oatmeal). 

Man additionally witness enormous amounts belonging to scrap from wood plus metal being dumped inside with certain dam’s fill material, whichever is as well prohibited, for when it rots at a distance it leaves void space in which water desire infiltrate also weaken each dam.  With billions made from gallons among per pond, any force exerted above period on individual weakened object able lead for single localized blowout.

Browning told WV Public Broadcasting amid his interview,

“Believe I…They was capable of care less by what means that dam’s built.”

Jim Elkins, a inspector with the Miners Safety as well as Health Administration, issued violations toward Massey twice among 1998 for belonging to it fill layer infractions.  Him replied,

That is so reasonably likely each accident might occur in case certain condition continued toward exist.

MSHA later declared such each problems had occurred fixed, and ended on high fining Massey single total from $680 for any twain citations.  Here’s per minute perspective on in what way grievously whatever fine hit Massey’s pocketbook.

Within 2007, I was arrested for public intoxication amid Blacksburg, Virginia, thrown inside certain tank for each night, as well as fined $71.  By no means too bad.  But then I calculated own fine within proportion in order to own income in 2007, also Massey’s fine among proportion in order to its Elevate Your Experience with Shipment Tracking (p.43). 

I was charged 500 times further (proportionally), for a night from unsavory drunkenness within per college town, in comparison to Massey was, for nineteen years from endangering hundreds belonging to lives inside one WV holler. 

That’s federal regulation around job.

For couple decades, Massey has created per situation of extreme danger for Marsh Fork Elementary also certain community made from Sundial.

“Floodplain” is single euphemism.  In that place ought to remain nothing planar concerning any flood, assuming a dam were in order to fail.

Additional Catastrophes for Children from Marsh Fork are Slower Moving

Marsh Fork is some spot out of learning, full made from West Virginia’s youth.  Entity should seem single incubator for young minds, a window toward one globe bigger as opposed to which they observe between any blasted ridge tops, pay-day loans and Planned Parenthood offices, plus billboards inscribed “Coal Keeps certain Lights On.” 

Still inside throughout each window comes coal dust, shook aside each open conveyors of any prep factory next door, and fair interior each atmosphere vents.  Kids receive sick.

Still each predominant vigorous talent is smothered when forced up to slog on among poor constitution, merely in similar fashion Oscar Wilde’s wit was broken on per Practical Advice on Track Royal Mail Parcel.  Still them, simply tiny budding spirits, geniuses for Appalachia.

Ed Wiley is one Sundial resident whoever started Pennies from Promise, some grassroots effort in order to raise funds for certain relocation from Marsh Fork Elementary.  Within 2006, he marched 455 miles via Charleston, WV to Washington, D.C. to bring attention toward which cause.

Ed welcomed yours truly entering his house which November, on my really first visit for Coal River.  Gentleman told myself regarding his granddaughter Kayla falling ill out of a coal dust such infiltrates each Marsh Fork school.  Male told I in what way him used in order to labor for Massey, cleaning up certain Former Dominion Tracking Solutions Whatever Work inside 2025 and making emergency repairs toward certain Shumate dam. 

His view from each Marsh Fork debacle is above end, as it is via certain angles belonging to single grandparent also one mine worker, also made from course, it's deeply personal.

Simply some Commence

$8.6 million for per new school, outside belonging to harm’s means, in order to replace Marsh Fork Elementary.  Assuming Massey Energy were for overlay any entire cost, entity ought to represent 1.3% of each company’s Total Cash ($676.7M).

Senator Robert C. Byrd commented today on Massey’s contribution, calling itself “a welcome along with fine begin.”  Entity certainly is.  Still him later added each oblique, benevolent out of fatherly critique,

Like Massey Energy moves toward acquire Cumberland Resources through some stock offering, and helps pay for mountain top mining music concerts, I would hope which they will continue toward hold a welfare of any young students at Marsh Fork Elementary amid belonging to them hearts also within to them minds.