June 23, 2009: Coal River Valley, WV - Mountain Justice joined with the residents of Coal River Valley at Marsh Fork Elementary School in Raleigh County, WV for a rally and to deliver a list of demands to Massey Energy. Thirty-one were arrested including Goldman Environmental Prize winner, Judy Bonds, dozens of coal field residents, 94-year-old former U.S. Congressman Ken Hechler, NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen, and actor/activist Daryl Hannah.

Approximately 400 people people participated in an anti-mountaintop removal coal mining rally, including miners and WV state police, at Marsh Fork Elementary School in West Virginia to protest the continuation of the destructive practice. The local and regional residents were joined by NASA climatologist James Hansen, who spoke about the contributions of mountaintop removal coal mining and coal-fired power plants to the problem of global warming.

Activist and actress Daryl Hannah, Rainforest Action Network Executive Director Michael Brune and renowned novelist Diane Giardina also spoke during the rally.

According to Hansen, 24,000 people die each year from illnesses caused by coal-fired power plants.

Novelist Denise Giardina, author of the book "Storming Heaven" about the battle of Blair Mountain, said during her speech, "We had coal mining for 70 years before mountaintop removal mining, and blowing up the top of a mountain is not coal mining."

Protestors were met at the scene by Massey Energy. Some employees shouted obsenities and taunts at the peaceful protestors.

"The coal that is burned here [in West Virginia] is mined somewhere else, and the coal that is mind here is burned somewhere else," said Rock Creek, WV native Judy Bonds. "This is America. This is everyone's problem."

Rally attendees then marched half of a mile down the main road to the Massey coal processing plant entrance, singing "Amazing Grace" and other gospel songs. They were met by the line of Massey workers and wives chanting "Massey, Massey" and shouting at the protestors. Twenty-nine individuals who had chosen to risk arrest then sat down in the middle of the road, and climatologist Hansen read a request to Massey Energy asking the company to help with the climate change problem by ending mountaintop removal coal mining.

The activists were subsequently arrested for obstructing traffic. "Stop mountaintop removal and create a clean energy future," said actress Daryl Hannah as she was lead away in handcuffs.

Among the arrested included 94-year-old Ken Heckler, former U.S. congressman and Secretary of State for West Virginia; James Hansen; Michael Brune, and numerous West Virginia residents including Lorelei Scarboro, Dana Kuhnline and Larry Gibson.

In the end result, the rally was peaceful, violence was avoided, and the majority of Massey's coal production on the mountaintop removal site above the school was shut down for a day.

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