Byrd Calls for Re-Examination of State's Relationship with Coal
Charleston Gazette
5 May 2010
By Ken Ward Jr., Staff writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sen. Robert C. Byrd on Wednesday called for a
reconsideration of West Virginia's relationship with coal mining,
saying the industry can't be allowed to dominate the state's politics
while causing needless deaths and environmental damage.
"Coal brings much needed jobs and revenue to our economy," the West
Virginia Democrat wrote in a new commentary. "But the industry has a
larger footprint, including inherent responsibilities that must be
acknowledged by the industry."
Byrd issued the piece in response to the nation's worst coal-mining
disaster in 40 years, the April 5 explosion that killed 29 miners at
Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County.
"As we seek to understand how and why the Upper Big Branch disaster
occurred, we might also re-examine conventional wisdom about the future
of the coal industry in our state," Byrd said.
The new commentary comes five months after Byrd issued another strongly
worded statement that urged the coal industry to "embrace the future,"
by accepting the need for action to stem global warming and not
demonizing citizens who want to curb mountaintop removal mining.
In the new commentary, Byrd argued that coal is "our birthright" as
West Virginians and noted the many existing programs that try to share
the wealth created by the industry.
"Indeed, the coal severance tax codifies the philosophy that coal
belongs to all West Virginians, and that they deserve meaningful
compensation through its extraction," Byrd said. "This philosophy has
also been embraced nationwide, through the Black Lung Excise Tax, the
Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fee, and several other existing and proposed
programs that provide additional compensation to the people and places
that produce our coal, oil, gas and other energy resources."
But Byrd said that the coal industry "must respect the miner and his
family."
"Any company that establishes a pattern of negligence resulting in
injuries and death should be replaced by a company that conducts
business more responsibly," Byrd said. "No doubt many energy companies
are keen for a chance to produce West Virginia coal."
And, Byrd said that the coal industry "must also respect the land that
yields the coal, as well as the people who live on the land."
"If the process of mining destroys nearby wells and foundations, if
blasting and digging and relocating streams unearths harmful elements
and releases them into the environment causing illness and death, that
process should be halted and the resulting hazards to the community
abated," Byrd said.
"The sovereignty of West Virginia must also be respected," he added.
"The monolithic power of industry should never dominate our politics to
the detriment of local communities," Byrd said.
Byrd said, "we have coal companies in West Virginia that go out of
their way to operate safely and with minimal impact on our environment.
Those companies should be commended and rewarded."
But, he added, "The old chestnut that 'coal is West Virginia's greatest
natural resource' deserves revision. I believe that our people are West
Virginia's most valuable resource. We must demand to be treated as
such."
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.