At the Interims: Sludge Stories

January 10, 2006
Photos by Vivian Stockman

Coal Sludge Impoundments & Coal Slurry Injection Threaten Health, Safety

On the last day of the January Interims, 17 coalfield residents, several concerned citizens and two leaders of the faith community met at the State Capitol. While all were invited, only six delegates showed up to listen to people's grave concerns about coal sludge impoundments and the underground injection of coal slurry.

Delegates Larry Barker, Charlene Marshall, Cliff Moore, Don Perdue, Dale Stephens and Sally Susman listened intently and some were visibly moved by the people's stories of slow poisoning and of living in constant fear of the next sludge flood (follow the links in the sidebar for more information).

Delegates Barker, Marshall, Moore and Susman were later joined by Delegates Hatfield and Hrutkay in co-sponsoring HB 4583, the Sludge Safety Bill, which would:

--put a ban on issuing new permits for sludge impoundments;

--ban sludge injection into abandoned mines;

--call for certain studies on existing sludge ponds. 

Below are pictures from the day of meetings.
 

Donetta Blankenship (standing) tells Delegate Larry Barker (yellow shirt) and other delegates about her families' health problems, which she attributes to well water contaminated by the underground injection of coal sludge. Her peers from Mingo, Boone, Logan and Raleigh Counties also shared their concerns about coal sludge.

Vern Haltom, standing, shows Delegate Cliff Moore a sample of the latest Massey Energy sludge spill into a Raliegh County stream, as well as photos of the impoundment above Marsh Fork Elementary School.

In the foreground, samples of well water coming out the taps in Mingo County. Left to right--Mingo County residents Debbie and Billy Sammons, and Boone County residents Pauline Canterberry and Maria Gunnoe.

A group of Mingo County residents pause as they leave the state capitol.