A delegation of coalfield residents and allies from Virginia and West Virginia met with Alpha Executive Vice President Michael Peelish today at Alpha’s corporate headquarters in Abingdon, VA. Mr. Peelish met briefly with the delegation and accepted a letter demanding an end to Alpha’s surface mining. While Mr. Peelish expressed interest in working with communities to mine responsibly, he defended the company’s practices insisting, “We need to be able to practice our art,” referring to surface mining. CEO Kevin Crutchfield sent a note apologizing for not being able to meet with the residents today. A longer meeting between Peelish and Crutchfield and concerned citizens is being set up for next week.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with Alpha to stop their destructive mining practices. If they want to be responsible community partners, that means no more blasting of our mountains and communities. If they are not willing to work with us, we will continue to fight their strip mines however we can,” said Junior Walk, a West Virginia native who met with Mr. Peelish.
Junior Walk holding a card from CEO Kevin Crutchfield stating, "Thank you for taking the time to visit our office & share your concerns. I'm sorry that we couldn't accommodate the meeting today but we will do so in the near future. Also, I'm sorry I missed you today but hope to see you on your next visit. - Kevin C
Representing Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, an organization of concerned community members fighting to end surface mining in Virginia (www.samsva.org), were board member Judiana Clark and Vice President Jane Branham.
Judiana Clark
Click here to learn more about Judiana’s story .
Jane Branham
Click here to learn more about Jane and the work of SAMS
update: check out what the local paper has to say about it …
Protesters to Alpha: Stop mountaintop removal
By Taylor Kuykendall Register-Herald Reporter
You tell em JR!