Home Sweet Home

I am very glad to be back in the city of Huntington. Growing up here, I always felt like I lived in a small town. After traveling around the state, I have a new appreciation for Huntington, and Marshall University for its culture as well as other types of industry we have here. I don't think we are in nearly as bad of shape as some of the small coal mining towns that were just sad and closed down. When the jobs go away, the people go away. I went into this trip feeling much more knowledgeable about coal. After this trip I definitely know a lot about coal and have some strong opinions about mining. I was bragging to my friends (environmentalists) and feeling smart about coal, and was bombarded with retort against the coal companies and my new knowledge. The best argument I had to the destruction that mountain top removal (or strip mining) causes, is that the companies are trying to follow guidelines and return the land to a healthy and useable state. I have seen first hand the destruction, and it is aweful, and takes your breath away, but I have seen stages of reclaimation and I know that reclaimed and useable land is important to our state’s future. I know there has been a lot of destruction due to coal mining in West Virginia, but gosh, the history and the lives that coal has touched has no measure. The people who have well-paying jobs and insurance today make West Virginia a lot of money in personal sales & purchases as well as taxes and in reclamation dollars.
I honestly understand that it would be terrible to live somewhere and my house be located below a mining operation. I would hate that. I think it is terrible that a lot of coal money goes directly out of this state. I do know that a lot of coal doesn’t remain in this state, but that other states buy it for their power companies and coke companies. It is a business. It is a way of life. It is a hard, dirty and dangerous job. There are huge strides going on in our state to make mining profitable as well as safer for the workers and the people who live here. I want both bumper stickers on my car,” I Mountains” as well as “Friends of Coal”. I honestly will listen when people point out the negatives about coal and coal mining and I will listen when they tell me good things about coal and the companies, then I’ll combine the two sides and continue to better understand my views. I know that there are winners and losers in business and West Virginia’s business is mining coal. Go Mountaineers!