Protect The Ohio River From Dirty Coal

[irishbobcat]

Ricky, please climb back under your rock....this site has been nice and quiet with you gone.....keep it that way!

[Rick Rowlands]

Why does it matter where the coal company is based out of?  The author of this (I know its not Dennis) seems to want to emphasize the fact that the company is from Oklahoma. 

Before any of you start believing this, remember that coal is a major commodity shipped on the Ohio River and hundreds of barges travel up and down the river every day.  Yet it is still a scenic waterway. Sure at some locations there are loading docks, steel mills, power plants and other industrial plants along its banks.  Hey that is the price to pay for having our modern civilization.  We like to have electricity and to have steel appliances and cars.  It doesn't happen by magic.

If the sight of the silos are offensive then go upsteam or downstream a bit.  The Ohio River is LONG, stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, IL.  There are plenty of unspoiled scenic views along that length.

[irishbobcat]

Alliance Resource Partners, an Oklahoma-based coal company, wants to build two new coal silos that would tower over scenic West Virginia Route 2, just north of Wheeling. They also want to expand the Tunnel Ridge Mine's docking capacity, contributing to an eyesore on the Ohio River.

The coal company wants to do this so they can mine an estimated 5-6 million tons of coal per year in Ohio County. These plans are a threat to the environment and the scenic views along the Ohio River, and as such, they should be stopped.

The Army Corps of Engineers is accepting public comments on this plan until next week. They want to hear what Ohioans and West Virginians think of the Oklahoma coal company's plans to expand operations at the Tunnel Ridge Mine.

Tell the Army Corps of Engineers: Keep the Ohio River beautiful. Don't allow an expansion of coal mining operations at the Tunnel Ridge Mine.

The two coal silos the company wants to build would each store up to 16 million pounds of dirty coal. And the dock, which already has room for 93 coal barges, would be expanded to facilitate 27 more.1

Alliance Resource Partners, which also owns mines in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Pennsylvania, had record revenues of more than $400 million in the first quarter of 2011.2

Why should an Oklahoma-based coal company be allowed to make hundreds of millions of dollars by threatening scenic waterways and fouling the environment in West Virginia? The short answer is: it shouldn't.

That's why it is important for you to let the Army Corps of Engineers know that the last thing the Ohio River needs is more coal silos and barges.

Tell the Army Corps of Engineers: Keep the Ohio River beautiful. Don't allow an expansion of coal mining operations at the Tunnel Ridge Mine.

Thanks for speaking out against big coal on the Ohio River.