A small group of environmental activists roused some clamor Thursday as they trekked through Clark County on a 160-mile protest of the coal mining practice known as mountain-top removal.
Five demonstrators and two flag handlers brandished banners, beat drums and chanted as they trudged north through Clark County on the icy roadways.
Organized by Footprints for Peace, a non-profit group focused on environmental and social issues, the walk began last week in Prestonsburg and was expected to enter Lexington today. Walkers plan to reach Frankfort on Monday to join the I Love Mountains Day rally, an annual protest against the mining practice.
“We feel like the process of mountain-top removal mining is so destructive that we are exercising our citizens’ rights to express our opinion that we think it is something that needs to be curtailed and stopped,” said Larry Crane, co-chairman of the organization.
Crane said part of the group’s mission is to promote economic advancement for workers in coal regions, who could face job losses in the absence of mining. Footprints supports a transition from coal to cleaner, green energy technologies that could create new jobs for workers in the mining industry, he said.
“We don’t want to hurt anybody. We don’t want to take away anyone’s living,” Crane said. “But we just believe that these mountains are worth saving. We need clean air and clean water, and we need to leave a legacy of something of the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains to our children and grandchildren.”
Mountain-top removal mining involves blasting away the top layers of a mountain’s ridge to reach underling coal.
Critics say the practice destroys headwater streams and pollutes waterways when coal companies dump sediment and waste from the mountain’s surface into nearby valleys. They also charged that it blights the natural landscape.
Before losing re-election last year, state Rep. Don Pasley had sponsored legislation, known as the “Stream Saver Bill,” to force companies to replace the mountaintop. He argued that it would help protect the Kentucky River, which supplies drinking water to Clark County.
Still, supporters of coal say the impact of surface mining is only temporary, and such efforts could kill tens of thousands of Kentucky jobs and decrease state tax revenue.
Crane said reactions to the walk have been mixed, but he believes some state legislators will be receptive. He expects the group to grow as walkers approach Frankfort.
“What we want to do is carry a message of hope,” he said. “That’s our purpose.”
Contact Mike Wynn at mwynn@winchestersun.com.
Five demonstrators and two flag handlers brandished banners, beat drums and chanted as they trudged north through Clark County on the icy roadways.
Organized by Footprints for Peace, a non-profit group focused on environmental and social issues, the walk began last week in Prestonsburg and was expected to enter Lexington today. Walkers plan to reach Frankfort on Monday to join the I Love Mountains Day rally, an annual protest against the mining practice.
“We feel like the process of mountain-top removal mining is so destructive that we are exercising our citizens’ rights to express our opinion that we think it is something that needs to be curtailed and stopped,” said Larry Crane, co-chairman of the organization.
Crane said part of the group’s mission is to promote economic advancement for workers in coal regions, who could face job losses in the absence of mining. Footprints supports a transition from coal to cleaner, green energy technologies that could create new jobs for workers in the mining industry, he said.
“We don’t want to hurt anybody. We don’t want to take away anyone’s living,” Crane said. “But we just believe that these mountains are worth saving. We need clean air and clean water, and we need to leave a legacy of something of the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains to our children and grandchildren.”
Mountain-top removal mining involves blasting away the top layers of a mountain’s ridge to reach underling coal.
Critics say the practice destroys headwater streams and pollutes waterways when coal companies dump sediment and waste from the mountain’s surface into nearby valleys. They also charged that it blights the natural landscape.
Before losing re-election last year, state Rep. Don Pasley had sponsored legislation, known as the “Stream Saver Bill,” to force companies to replace the mountaintop. He argued that it would help protect the Kentucky River, which supplies drinking water to Clark County.
Still, supporters of coal say the impact of surface mining is only temporary, and such efforts could kill tens of thousands of Kentucky jobs and decrease state tax revenue.
Crane said reactions to the walk have been mixed, but he believes some state legislators will be receptive. He expects the group to grow as walkers approach Frankfort.
“What we want to do is carry a message of hope,” he said. “That’s our purpose.”
Contact Mike Wynn at mwynn@winchestersun.com.
