Mountain Justice is a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

movement established in 2005 to raise worldwide awareness of

mountaintop removal Mountaintop removal mining (MTR), also known as mountaintop mining (MTM), is a form of surface mining at the summit or summit ridge of a mountain. Coal seams are extracted from a mountain by removing the land, or overburden, above the seams. T ...

mining and its effects on the environment and peoples of

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

. The group seeks to encourage conservation, efficiency, solar and

wind energy Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ...

as alternatives to all forms of

surface mining Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in whic ...

. It self-describes as "a regional Appalachian network committed to ending mountaintop removal". It seeks justice because the

(MTR) it opposes is a form of

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

known as

mountaintop removal mining Mountaintop removal mining (MTR), also known as mountaintop mining (MTM), is a form of surface mining at the summit or summit ridge of a mountain. Coal seams are extracted from a mountain by removing the land, or overburden, above the seams. Thi ...

which produces coal sludge

toxic waste Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemi ...

which is stored in a dam on the mountain and leaches into the

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

, which poisons the environment, which defaces the top of the mountain, and which is not stopped due to

political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...

. The group is non-hierarchical, and decisions are made using a consensus model of decision making. In 2008, the group shortened their name from Mountain Justice Summer to simply Mountain Justice to reflect the year round efforts of their activities.

Group details

Location: Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia Mission Statement: Mountain Justice seeks to add to the growing anti-MTR citizens movement. Specifically Mountain Justice demands an abolition of MTR, steep slope strip mining and all other forms of

for coal. We work to protect the cultural and natural heritage of the Appalachia coal fields. We work to contribute with

organizing, public education, nonviolent

civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...

and other forms of citizen action. Historically coal companies have engaged in violence and property destruction when faced with citizen opposition to their activities. Mountain Justice is committed to nonviolence and will not be engaged in property destruction. We work together to create diverse and sustainable economies in Appalachian regions traditionally dominated by the coal industry by supporting businesses, jobs and ways of living that are not environmentally or culturally destructive and are nourishing to the social and biological fabric of healthy communities.

Actions

June 7, 2005: First stockholders meeting of National Coal Corporation Disrupted

On June 7, 2005, approximately 45 Mountain Justice activists, some in animal costumes, surprised the first-ever shareholders meeting of

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

-based National Coal Corporation with a marching band, chants, drumming and noise makers. Demonstrators demanded that National Coal stop mountaintop removal mining and distributed informational flyers to shareholders. The sheriff and National Coal Corporation responded by assaulting protesters with

pain compliance Pain compliance is the use of painful stimulus to control or direct a person. The purpose of pain compliance is to direct the actions of the subject, and to this end, the pain is lessened or removed when compliance is achieved. This provides incen ...

choke hold A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza () is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air (choking)''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1999). Oxford University press. . or blood (str ...

s and arrested three on bogus felony charges.

June 30, 2005: West Virginia citizens occupy Massey headquarters

On June 30, 2005, Concerned parents, grandparents and other citizens of Coal River Valley,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, with support from Mountain Justice participants, delivered a list of demands to

Massey Energy Massey Energy Company was a coal extractor in the United States with substantial operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. By revenue, it was the fourth largest producer of coal in the United States and the largest coal producer in Cen ...

's headquarters in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, insisting that Massey respond. Two were arrested for trespassing when they refused to leave the premises until Massey responded to their demands. The citizens demanded that Massey shut down its preparation plant, coal silo, 1,849-acre mountaintop removal

coal mine Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

and 2.8 billion-gallon coal sludge dam - a

storage facility — located feet from an elementary school
Marsh Fork Elementary
in Sundail, West Virginia.

Aug. 15, 2005: Earth First!/Mountain Justice blockade of Campbell County mountaintop removal site

On August 15, 2005,

Earth First! Earth First! is a radical environmentalism, radical Environmental movement, environmental advocacy group that originated in the Southwestern United States. It was founded in 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, Bart Koehler, and Ron K ...

and Mountain Justice activists blockaded a road leading to National Coal's mountaintop removal coal mine in

Campbell County, Tennessee Campbell County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located on the state's northern border in East Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 39,272. Its county seat is Jacksboro. Campbell County is included in the Kno ...

. Activists stopped a car on the road, removed its tires, locked themselves to the vehicle, and erected a tripod with a person perched on top of it. National Coal workers arrived and threatened the protestors; one tried to ram the tripod with his car. Eleven people were arrested; the police treated the arrested activists very roughly, endangering their safety.

June 26, 2007: March & Street Theater at Dominion Headquarters

On June 26, 2007, 35 people with the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Mountain Justice marched in Richmond, VA, calling for

Dominion Resources Dominion Energy, Inc., commonly referred to as Dominion, is an American energy company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia that supplies electricity in parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and supplies natural gas to parts of Ut ...

to abandon its plans for a Wise County Plant in southwest Virginia. The march began at Massey Energy's headquarters, where participants acted out a "baby shower" for newly mined coal. With "baby coal" placed in a coffin, the march moved to Dominion Resources' headquarters and a mock funeral was held for the coal, drawing a line between strip mining and coal-fired power plants.

Mar. 16, 2007: Sit-in at West Virginia Gov. Manchin's office

On March 16, 2007, dozens of West Virginia community members - together with activists from Mountain Justice and

Rising Tide North America Rising Tide North America is a grassroots network of groups and individuals in North America organizing action against the root causes of climate change. Rising Tide North America's strategy is based on a no-compromise approach of stopping the ext ...

- occupied the office of West Virginia Governor

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III ( ; born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. He was West Virginia's only congressional Democrat until he registered as ...

, in protest of the State Mine Board's approval of construction permits for a second coal silo near Marsh Fork Elementary School in Sundial, West Virginia. Community activists demanded that the state move the school; state officials have failed to comply thus far. Eleven people were arrested at this action, and many were treated roughly by police.

Nov. 15, 2007: Rainforest Action Network day of action against coal finance

On November 15, 2007,

Rainforest Action Network Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is an environmental organization based in San Francisco, California, United States. The organization was founded by Randy "Hurricane" Hayes and Mike Roselle in 1985, and first gained national prominence with a gra ...

activists - acting together with allies fro
Coal River Mountain Watch

Appalachian Voices Appalachian Voices is an American environmental organization. Their stated environmental concerns include eliminating air pollution, ending mountaintop removal, cleaning up coal ash pollution and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency ...

, Mountain Justice,

Student Environmental Action Coalition The Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) was a student-run, student-led US national environmental group that originated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In the beginning it focused primarily on conserving, protecting, and restoring the natur ...

, and Energy Justice Network - staged dozens of actions against Citibank and Bank of America branches in cities across the county, in protest of those two companies' refusal to stop funding new coal power plant development and coal mountaintop removal mining. In San Francisco, RAN activists attached caution tape - reading "Global Warming Crime Scene" - to dozens of Bank of America and Citibank ATMs, and held "cough-ins" in several branches. Similar ATM closure actions were held in New York City, Davis (CA), Los Angeles, Portland (OR), and St. Petersburg (FL), while protests against the two companies were held in numerous other cities.

March 6, 2008: Bluegrass at the Bank, Boone, NC

On March 6, 2008, approximately two dozen Mountain Justice activists visited a Bank of America in Boone North Carolina to protest the bank's funding of mountaintop removal coal mining and coal-fired power plants.

March 28, 2008: Mountain Justice Spring Break action at AMP-Ohio headquarters in Columbus

On March 28, 2008, activists participating in occupied the lobby of AMP-Ohio's headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and demanded a meeting with AMP's CEO Marc Gerken. Several people stated their intention to conduct a sit-in in the office if their demands weren't met; about 40 people protested outside. After 30 minutes, Gerken met with the protestors, and agreed to their demands: to schedule a meeting of the board of trustees at which community members could present their concerns with AMP-Ohio's proposed

coal-fired power plant A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide there are about 2,500 coal-fired power stations, on average capable of generating a gigawatt each. They generate a ...

in Meigs County, Ohio. No arrests were made.

June 30, 2008: Activists Blockade Dominion Headquarters

On June 30, 2008, 20 Activists with Blue Ridge

and Mountain Justice blockaded the entrance to

' corporate headquarters to protest the company's plan for the new coal-fired Wise County Plant in Southwest Virginia. Four protesters formed a human chain with their hands encased in containers of hardened cement and a fifth dangled by a climber's harness from the Lee Bridge footbridge. After several hours police made their way through the miles of backed up traffic to cut the activists out of the lockboxes and barrels. The climber came down on his own. Police also detained eight others standing on the sidewalks supporting the lockdown team. 13 in total were arrested.

July 10, 2008: Mountain Justice activists protest approval of coal gasification plant, Boston, MA

On July 10, 2008, nearly fifty Mountain Justice activists gathered in opposition to a coal project in Massachusetts, donning haz-mat suits and delivering a pile of coal while displaying "global warming crime scene" caution tape on the front steps of the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in Boston. The action was in response to the office dismissing an appeal of the state's approval for a coal gasification project in Somerset, MA.

July 20, 2008: Four arrested at Tennessee strip mine

On July 20, 2008, residents from coal-impacted communities throughout Appalachia gathered for a march at Zeb Mountain, the largest surface coal mining site in Tennessee, to protest the environmentally destructive practice of mountaintop removal and surface coal mining. The march was organized b
United Mountain Defense
, Mountain Justice, and Three Rivers

and included political theater, life-sized puppets and rousing speeches. In an act of civil disobedience, four citizen activists walked across a line marked with police tape designating National Coal Corporation's property. The four were immediately arrested without incidence and removed from the property by the Campbell County Sheriff's office.

September 15, 2008: 20 Protesters lock-down at Dominion coal plant construction site, Wise County, West Virginia

On September 15, 2008, around 50 peaceful protesters entered the construction site of

Virginia's coal-fired Wise County Plant. Twenty protesters locked their bodies to eight large steel drums, two of which have operational solar panels affixed to the top that illuminated a banner reading "renewable jobs to renew Appalachia." In addition to those locked to the construction site, over 25 protesters convened in front of the plant singing and holding a 10'x30' banner, which said "we demand a clean energy future." Eleven were arrested. This action was organized by Mountain Justice, Blue Ridge

, Asheville Rising Tide, and Students for Democratic Society.

March 14, 2009: 14 Arrested at TVA headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee

Local residents joined dozens of activists from across the country in a demonstration at the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

's headquarters, which resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals, after participating in a "die in" in front of the building. This event was held in solidarity with communities affected by the destructive impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining and the survivors of the coal ash disaster in Harriman. The demonstration began with a rally in Market Square, where organizers from United Mountain Defense and Mountain Justice spoke about coal's impact from cradle to grave on communities in Appalachia and the surrounding area. At the end of the march people interested in participating in civil disobedience gave a statement as to why they wanted to take this action. With the support of a singing crowd each participant fell to the ground representing the deaths caused by the coal industry. After a few minutes Knoxville law enforcement informed the participants that they were blocking the sidewalk, and that they needed to remove themselves from the area. All 14 people were arrested, and cited for

loitering Loitering is the act of standing or waiting around idly without apparent purpose in some public places. While the laws regarding loitering have been challenged and changed over time, loitering of suspect people can be illegal in some jurisdict ...

March 20, 2009: 'Bluegrass at the Bank' hits Florida Bank of America branch

Members of Mountain Justice and

from Florida and Appalachia disrupted the lobby of a

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...

branch in

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Ba ...

, FL in protest of the Bank's continued funding of mountaintop removal mining and the construction of new coal-fired power plants despite recent claims of environmental concern.

May 23, 2009: 17 arrested at 3 separate action in Coal River Valley, West Virginia

In the morning, two people donning

hazmat suit A hazmat suit is a piece of personal protective equipment that consists of an permeation, impermeable whole-body or one piece garment worn as protection against hazardous materials. Such suits are often combined with self-contained breathing ap ...

s and

respirator A respirator is a device designed to protect the wearer from inhaling hazardous atmospheres including lead, lead fumes, vapors, gases and particulate matter such as dusts and airborne pathogens such as viruses. There are two main categories o ...

s were arrested after taking boating into the Brushy Fork Impoundment in the Coal River Valley."Non-violent civil disobedience in Coal River Valley, WV"
Mountain Justice website, accessed August 3, 2010. Later, over seventy-five residents of Coal River Valley along with members of Mountain Justice and Climate Ground Zero picketed the entrance to

's Marfork Complex mining site. The group was protesting Massey's plans to blast 100 feet near the Brushy Fork sludge impoundment. Seven people were arrested after approaching the dam facility's entrance and refusing to leave. In the third action, six people chained themselves to a dump truck on a MTR mine owned by

Patriot Coal Patriot Coal Corporation was a coal-mining company based in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. The company was a spin-off of most of the Eastern U.S. operations of Peabody Energy. Patriot was the second largest coal miner east of the Mi ...

on Kayford Mountain. All six were arrested.

June 23, 2009: 31 Arrested at Marsh Fork Elementary School

Mountain Justice and residents of Coal River Valley again joined forces for a rally at Marsh Fork Elementary School, where the group delivered a list of demands to Massey Energy.31 Arrested demanding justice in Coal River Valley, WV
Mountain Justice website, accessed August 3, 2010. The approximately 400 protesters were met by Massey employees, who shouted obscenities and taunts at the protesters. Arrests were made after a smaller group of the activists sat down in the middle of the road. Among those arrested were 94-year-old former U.S. Congressperson

Ken Hechler Kenneth William Hechler (September 20, 1914 – December 10, 2016) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he represented West Virginia's 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Rep ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

scientist James E. Hansen, actress

Daryl Hannah Daryl Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American actress and environmental activist. She made her film debut in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film ''The Fury (1978 film), The Fury'' (1978). She has starred in various films across the ...

, and West Virginia residents.

July 26, 2009: MJS parades against the TVA in Knoxville, Tennessee

An activist parade made its way through downtown Knoxville.Mountain Justice parade shakes up downtown Knoxville
Mountain Justice website, accessed August 3, 2010. Almost 100 people associated with Mountain Justice
United Mountain Defense
, and Three Rivers

. Around the

Headquarters and the John J. Duncan Federal Building, home of the Office of Surface Mining environmental regulator. The group protested the TVA's involvement in coal extraction and combustion, especially in light of the December 2008 coal combustion waste spill at a TVA plant.

August 14–19, 2009: Nationwide rallies at regional EPA headquarters

Rallies were held against the

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...

's role in mountaintop removal at the regional EPA offices in Atlanta, New York, Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.Nationwide rallies in opposition of mountaintop removal
Mountain Justice website, accessed August 3, 2010. Some of the groups involved were Mountain Justice, Mountain Defense,

, and Energy Justice Network. The protests were organized because mountaintop removal permits were approved under EPA chief Lisa Jackson and the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

despite Obama's campaign rhetoric opposing the mining practice.

October 19, 2009: 7 Arrested at West VirginiaGovernor's Office

Residents of Coal River Valley and their allies delivered a letter to West Virginia Governor

, urging him to declare a state of emergency and rescind permits for the Bee Tree mountaintop removal mine on Coal River.Coal River Valley residents declare state of emergency, meet with Governor Joe Manchin
, Mountain Justice website, accessed August 6, 2010. The letter was signed by 13 residents and accompanied by nine personal statements, a cross-section image of the neighboring Brushy Fork sludge impoundment and underground mines below, and an aerial image of the impoundment. Seven people sat in Manchin's antechamber and refused to leave at the office's closing time; the seven were arrested with

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...

s for

trespassing Trespass to land, also called trespass to realty or trespass to real property, or sometimes simply trespass, is a common law tort or a crime that is committed when an individual or the object of an individual intentionally (or, in Australia, ...

and obstruction.

October 22, 2009: Lockdown on WV MTR mine

Four Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice activists chained themselves to each other and blocked a road on a mountaintop removal mine in Kanawha County, WV."8 arrested on Kanawha Co. strip job, $16,000 cash-only bail"
, October 22, 2009. The protesters were joined by four people who provided them with support; all eight were arrested. Bail was set at $2,000 each (totaling $16,000) with no 10% bond option, and was ordered to be paid in cash only.

October 27, 2009: KY MJ protests University of KY alliance with Coal

Kentucky Mountain Justice organizers hung a banner at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

in Lexington in protest of a decision to name a campus building the "Wildcat Coal Lodge."Kentucky Mountain Justice speaks out against UK alliance with coal
Mountain Justice website, accessed August 6, 2010. Despite opposition from some faculty, basketball players and fans, environmentalists, and general student population, the Board of Trustees approved the dorm name in a 16–3 vote at their annual meeting in October 2009.Jeff Biggers
"University of Kentucky dorm renamed Wildcat Coal Lodge despite student protests"
Grist, October 29, 2009. Among the concerns about "coal" in the name was the issue that it arguably conflicts with UK's pledge to transition to renewable energy and that the building is LEED-certified. A letter from an opposing Board of Trustees member to UK faculty can be foun

January 20–29, 2010: Tree Sits Stops Blasting on Coal River Mountain

Three protesters associated with Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice halted blasting on a portion of

's Bee Tree

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...

on Coal River Mountain, West Virginia by ascending three trees, two

tulip poplar ''Liriodendron tulipifera''—known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, lynn-tree, hickory-poplar, and yellow-poplar—is the North American representative of the two-species genus ...

s and an oak tree. David Aaron Smith, 23 Amber Nitchman, 19 and Eric Blevins, 28 were on platforms approximately 60 feet up in direct protest of mountaintop removal mining and blasting near the

Brushy Fork Coal Impoundment The Brushy Fork Coal Impoundment, also known as the Brushy Fork Coal Sludge Dam, is a large tailings dam on the Brushy Fork near Marfork in western Raleigh County of West Virginia, United States. It is located northwest of Beckley, the seat of ...

. Joshua Graupera, Isabelle Rozendaal, and Bernard Fiorillo were also arrested for providing ground support. The tree sit halted blasting for nine days. A federal judge granted a permanent injunction to Marfork Coal Co. Inc., a subsidiary of Massey Energy, ordering the defendants to keep off all company property."Tree sit halts the blasting on Coal River Mountain"
, Climate Ground Zero website, January 21, 2010. The occupation was strategically placed next to the spot where Massey was blasting for a road for the Bee Tree mine. Massey employees responded with constant harassment including air horns, bright lights throughout the night, and violent threats."Climate Ground Zero meets with Governor Manchin"
, Climate Ground Zero website, January 28, 2010. Governor Joe Manchin called for an end to the violence but did not take any steps to intervene. One tree-sitter came down on the fourth day. On the fifth day, police arrested someone who was attempting to deliver aid bags to the tree-sitters."Man arrested helping tree sit, abuse of sitters continues"
, Climate Ground Zero website, January 26, 2010. The remaining two tree-sitters decided to descend because of cold temperatures.

May 18, 2010: Protest at Massey Shareholders Meeting

Environmental groups (including Mountain Justice, Coal River Mountain Watch, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and Rising Tide) teamed up with labor unions to protest Massey Energy at the company's annual shareholder meeting in Richmond, Virginia."Mountain Justice protests Massey annual shareholders meeting"
Climate Ground Zero website, May 18, 2010.Dena Potter

"Huffington Post", May 18, 2010. The event was six weeks after an explosion at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine killed 29 miners, the worst coal mining disaster in the U.S. in forty years. Protesters called for

Don Blankenship Donald Leon Blankenship (born March 14, 1950) is an American businessman. He was chairman and CEO of the Massey Energy Company—the sixth-largest coal company (by 2008 production) in the United States—from 2000 until 2010 when an explosion ...

to resign and be prosecuted by the law for the accident and many other safety and environmental violations Massey has committed under Blankenship. Some protesters wore orange jumpsuits. At least two were arrested after hanging a banner inside the Jefferson Hotel, where the meeting took place, and were cited for trespassing.

June 8, 2010: PNC Bank protested for MTR financing

In Lexington, Kentucky, Mountain Justice participants and coalfield residents joined local residents to protest a

PNC Bank The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 U.S. state, states and the District of Columbia, ...

branch because of the bank's role in financing mountaintop removal mining."Lexington protest shames PNC's mountaintop removal financing"
, Climate Ground Zero website, June 7, 2010. The protest included a floating banner and a clown street-theater troupe. PNC bank has been the number one financier of MTR mining since January 2008. As PNC was the recipient of government bailout money, protesters highlighted the connection between taxpayer money and money invested in MTR.

July 14, 2010: Lockdown on Coal River Mountain

Two protesters with Mountain Justice and Climate Ground Zero locked themselves to mining equipment on the Massey Energy's Bee Tree mine, close to the Brushy Fork sludge impoundment."Activists stop strip mining machine on Coal River Mountain"
, Climate Ground Zero website, July 14, 2010. They were joined by two people filling supportive roles. All four were arrested and held on $12,000 bail altogether."All highwall miner protesters released"
, Climate Ground Zero website, July 24, 2010.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.mountainjustice.org Mountaintop removal mining Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Environmental health organizations Environmental organizations based in the United States Nonviolence organizations based in the United States Organizations based in West Virginia