Daryl Hannah, Scientist Arrested In Mountain-Top Removal Protest

NAOMA, W.Va. — Actress Darryl Hannah, NASA scientist James Hansen and other mountaintop removal mining opponents have been arrested during a protest in southern West Virginia.

State Police arrested Hannah, Hansen, former Rep. Ken Hechler and 27 other protesters Tuesday after they blocked State Route 3 near a Massey Energy subsidiary's coal processing plant in Boone County.

They were among several hundred protesters who rallied outside an elementary school near the plant's coal storage silo.

After the rally, the crowd marched quietly to the plant and attempted to enter the property. They were blocked by several hundred coal miners chanting "Massey." Protesters then sat on the road and were arrested on misdemeanor charges of obstruction and impeding traffic.

Comments

[mistyluv7]

I remember an article last year in People Mag. about a Man living in W. Va. in a mountain top and he was dying of cancer...his wife had already died and that little piece of mountain top had been in his family for years. Family is buried there, and he doesn't want to leave because that's all he owns and loves. The coal companies were threatening his life and demanding he leave. They threatened to blow it up with him on it. He was sticking to his guns. I wonder what happened to him? Putting anyone (especially the children ) at risk, is unconscionable. What has Massey said about moving that school out of harms way? Daryl, I hope you don't give up the fight on this. How can we get involved?

[Groundhogcat]

Thank you for your witness, Dayrl!

[thundermummy]

Rats. I thought it was a story about how she was arrested for removing her top and revealing her mountains.

[bravas]

Something like this?: http://www.actressscene.com/search/label/Daryl%20Hannah

[StopGlobalWarmingBeVegan]

I hope we protest the livestock industry next. Yeah.

[cyclobenzaprine9]

Amen.

[Roguer]

Oh please, if you want to protest something.... protest this... notice LA heading up the list....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/600-us-neighborhoods-have_n_220002.html

Mountain top removal is wrong on many levels... but look at the bigger picture... livestock is not the problem... not one carcinogen comes out of a cow.

I will take my mountain top farm, with my cattle (over city life, commuting to work, and dealing with the general population) any day.

[Roguer]

By the way ... TRESPASSING is still against the law.

"arrested on misdemeanor charges of obstruction and impeding traffic."

What a martyr.

Note: I dislike the coal industry. But it exists because there is a demand for it. Massey is one of the worst environmentally. There are many areas of WV that depend on the coal industry. And Southern WV is one of them. Visit some time and see how long you survive.

[helpusa]

I think you need to read up a little on this issue. First of all if the coal and all fossil fuel companies had not lobbied for decades and stopped all efforts for us to be less fossil fuel dependent they would be supplying far less of our electricity needs. People like you are still buying the lies that coal is superior and that is why they can still get away with blowing up mountains and getting around regulations to properly dispose of their filthy residue.

Darryl Hannah is really great for doing what she did. This is an issue that everyone should be concerned about and encourage ALL of our officials that represent us to get on board with alternative fuel plants and technology, double time and even faster.

THANK YOU DARRYL HANNAH!!

[Roguer]

Go to India... They have the most bovine of any nation... Protest and tell the Hindus to dispose of their cattle.

[TerraTrendz]

"Mountain top removal is wrong on many levels... but look at the bigger picture... livestock is not the problem... not one carcinogen comes out of a cow."

"Go to India... They have the most bovine of any nation... Protest and tell the Hindus to dispose of their cattle."

Didn't quite get what point are you trying to make here..

www.TerraTrendz.com

[lizardbrain]

Good for Daryl and the other protesters. With the Obama admin sticking with their coal loving, "clean coal" rhetoric, it's important to shine the light on the issues with protests and education. Learn more about the "clean coal" myth: http://www.dasolar.com/alternative-energy/clean-coal

[Genep34]

Brains and beauty!

[Greenguy25]

Breaking News:

Giant sludge dam breaks open and covers small elementary school. Hundreds are dead and many more unaccounted for, this may be the nations largest tragedy since 9/11. Thank god Darryl Hanna was being transported to the local jail when the accident accured or we could be suffering an even greater loss.

http://www.mygreenscene.com

[jpayne30]

What?! Details? Link?

[JXJASON]

Miners mine coal. My grandfather was one. He had no education, came to the US around 1905 and worked for 40 years in a coal mine.

You all should leave Massey Energy and their employees alone.

When the local mine closed in the 1960's and other mines in our region also closed, the economies of the communities went down the tube AND HAVE NOT RECOVERED.

You are misguided environmentalists. We have coal resources. We should continue to use the coal resources.

Electricity produced from solar and wind is still expensive, doesn't work in some parts of the country and requires upkeep.

I pay about $45.00 a month for electricity because I practice CONSERVATION.

Conserving energy by using less is more cost effective.

[mick7191]

Sure, but not by cutting the tops off mountains and dumping the refuse into streams.

[slider79]

Actually, no you're wrong. Raleigh, Boone, McDowell, and Mingo counties were all strongly union until recently. Massey came in, bought one mine, paid their workers good wages and got a foot hold. But they were non-union. Then Massey started buying up all the union mines, and replaced the union workers with scabs. Once Massey takes everything and levels our mountains they will leave. This pattern has been repeated time and time again in WV. What we need in WV is clean, stable, sustainable energy jobs. Once the grip of coal is broken, we can start having a diverse economy here instead of a monoculture one. But I do agree that we need to conserve our energy.

[trimom]

No way am I going to back off criticizing Massey. The company has taken to buying off judges in its pursuit of the almighty dollar.

[MerrieWay]

Darryl, you have gone the distance! MerrieWay commends you for following your heart and inner conviction. With righteous acts of commitment -- peace and a stillness bubbles up inside. We welcome you on 'Live Green Dream" - Lead and they will follow.

[exile]

Massey

the company that keeps on giving.

a george bush pal.

i'm sure he was offended about someone trying to keep him from killing a mountain and more miners.

[EcoMom]

I must say I hand it to Ms. Hannah as she has steadfastly been walking her talk and leveraging her celebrity as an eco-activist long before it was cool and greenwashing was taking over the world. Daryl's arrest brings attention to, and exemplifies an excellent use of her following - particularly given the words of Goldman Prize winner Maria Gunnoe, who was honored for her efforts at putting an end to mountain top removal, "When you flip on your light switch, our mountains explode." That sums up the importance of this issue quite succinctly and powerfully.

[davidmnc76]

And keep wearing those tight jeans Daryl. ;)

[lazercat2008]

When I heard about sequestering CO2 I didn't know they were talking about sequestering mountains.

[slider79]

The miners tried to intimidate us, but it didn't work. 90 year old Ken Hechler, former WV Secretary of State, was arrested. This man has worked tirelessly on the behalf of West Virginian miners, but when he tried to speak, the miners booed him and yelled insults about his age. Massey miners are non-union, and Massey is a notorious for union busting, and they hire young miners usually aged 18-25. They won't hire any union miners, and they actually practice blacklisting. I'm union, and a native West Virginian, and mountain top removal is absolutely horrible. When Massey gets all the coal out of the ground, and out mountains are destroyed, our streams and rivers poisoned, they'll leave. And these miners that rally for Massey will have no health care and no jobs. Boom and bust.

[AngieMom57]

You have a fan and marked as favorite, power to the people!

[CJ1]

It's one of the last policies passed by Bush, allowing the coal mining companies to virtually do their own assessment of mountain top mining pollution! If the company feels the rivers will be ok, then OK. Sorry your kids will have to pay for the republican destruction of the land and water. Are those thugs the ones who voted for Bush? Or did most of the state unfortunately vote for him last election...?

[kindGSL]

It is like Sauron in "Lord of the rings."

[slider79]

I was at Marsh Fork, we didn't sit down in the road. Marsh Fork elementary is right below a large slurry dam, built with earthen walls. If it broke (it has happened before with these types of dams) then the elementary would be right in the path of large wall of toxic sludge. We tried to deliver a petition asking Massey Coal to help relocate the school.

[kindGSL]

What kind of earthquake hazards do you have in the area?