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Daryl Hannah held at coal protest
The actress is arrested along with distinguished environmental campaigners at a protest against the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining
Hollywood actress Daryl Hannah has been arrested at an environmental protest in West Virginia. The Splash star and about 30 other protestors, including NASA climate scientist James Hansen and 94-year-old West Virginia congressman and coal miners' hero Ken Hechler, were taken into custody outside a coal processing plant run by a subsidiary of Massey Energy.
Several hundred environmentalists were assembled in Coal River Valley, Raleigh County, to protest against 'mountaintop removal', a controversial method of mining exposed in a First Post cover story last year, in which the summit of a mountain is destroyed with explosives in order to expose coal.
Activists say the practice has led to the destruction of 500 mountains and destroyed historic communities over the years, while contributing very little to America's energy needs. President Barack Obama recently announced he would reform - but not abolish - mountaintop removal mining.
The protestors had been intending to march from a local primary school threatened by a 2.8-billion-gallon coal sludge impoundment where coal dust in the air exceeds acceptable limits and then trespass on the coal plant's premises. However, they were blocked by hundreds of mineworkers chanting, "Massey." Some held signs reading 'West Virginia miners say go home tree huggers'.
Unable to occupy the plant, the protestors sat down in the middle of the road before police moved in to arrest them for obstruction and impeding traffic. ·
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Seems like Obama's always kind "intending" to stop Bush-era policies, but temporarily enforcing them instead? I wonder when he's actually going to DO anything other than just giving empty speeches that mean nothing?
I am from West Virginia, originally. I know how powerful these people are in the coal mines. I am sorry that Darryl was arrested but so glad someone is bringing this to the forefront and getting it some badly needed attention. It was something that concerned my mother until her death, that they were going to ruin her beautiful West Virginia hills and man are they ever.