Updates from West Virginia on Jim Hansen’s protest and debate

Written by Michael Caplinger, Watts up with that? | 23 June 2009

Daryl Hannah, school rally

Mike updates us from WV:
As of 10:30 am here I have not heard exactly when the protest will be happening today, and they apparently have not happened yet. They may not happen at the strip site itself (with drag lines, etc), but near (and at) a local school which has been having a standoff for some time about the construction of a new coal storage silo very close to the school.  That is where they will also have the debate I believe (could be wrong though).

Here’s full tilt AGW side (with Blankenship video, etc) at www.Climatesciencewatch.org, Dr. James Hansen agrees to debate a major coal mining company CEO in West Virginia http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/hansen_to_debate_coal_CEO/

Here’s a WV NPR story..Daryl Hannah will be there…yippee: http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=10131 I like the quotes:

“Tuesday’s protest is happening just days before a Congressional hearing titled, “The Impacts of Mountaintop Removal Mining on Water Quality in Appalachia.” The hearing is scheduled for Thursday before the Water and Wildlife subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  Hansen has accepted Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship’s challenge to a debate about mountaintop removal.  The debate is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 24. Hansen says he will talk with or without Blankenship.Hansen is inviting the public to hear his speech. The place and time are still in the works.”

Here’s a detailed story on Daily Kos from early this morning,  Dr. James Hansen agrees to debate a major coal mining company CEO in West Virginia http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/23/71241/4424 It has the letter from Hansen to Blankenship, etc.

Here’s the latest news (an AP story) from the Charleston Daily Mail, from early this morning  “Activists plan protest at Massey coal plant”
http://dailymail.com/News/200906230127

Here’s this morning’s Charleston Gazette. Not too much new but planning information.  “Climate scientist Hansen agrees to debate Massey’s Blankenship” http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200906220554

Here is a 5-day old story on last week’s arrests, in the Coal Valley News, which is the Boone County (local) newspaper.  They should have a new article soon.  The previous group of 14 protesting here in WV (about 2 weeks ago), actually spent a day or two in jail as they could not come up with the bail.

http://www.coalvalleynews.com/pages/full_story?article-Breaking%20News-%20Protestors%20scale%20dragline%20in%20Boone%20County%20in%20protest%20of%20mountain%20top%20removal%20mining%20=&page_label=home&id=2751375-Breaking+News-+Protestors+scale+dragline+in+Boone+County+in+protest+of+mountain+top+removal+mining&widget=push&instance=secondary_news_left_column&open=&

Something interesting…“Ky. man pleads guilty in fake John Amos plant bomb threat“  also in today’s Charleston Gazette (also the Metro News site) is a story about a worker at the John Amos Power Plant (one of the bigger coal fired plants in the East, near Charleston, and actually nearer the Winfield Lock and Dam) carrying out a bomb threat about a year ago.  Last year there was a string of bomb threats, and this fellow was arrested for dong a least one (by leaving a note and then reporting it) “to get off work early”. There were about 8 other bomb threats but he was not charged on those. He was charged with a felony and pleaded guilty today.  If only he would have just said he was an environmentalists protesting the plant, James Hansen would be there defending him, and who know, may have escaped the charge.  These threats happened around the time Hansen was in Britain I’ believe testifying about plant protests there.
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200906230164
http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=30964

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