More than 4,500 people filled the center Tuesday, a venue that holds 7,000. Most of those in attendance were active and retired coal miners there to ask the Corps to back off from new regulations.
At issue would be changes to Nationwide Permit 21 across the Appalachian region. This permit authorizes discharge of dredged or fill material from surface mining activities into waters throughout the region.
Several coal-supporting factions sent people to microphones placed in various spots throughout the center to offer reasons why they were opposed to any changes to the current process.
“I think this whole thing has not been decided by science,” said miner Joey Bartley, who has worked for more than three decades in the industry. “It’s just a matter of opinion why we shouldn’t mine, and that’s wrong.”
Bartley said he hoped to hear during the public meeting that the new regulations would not be passed, but was not hopeful, adding he thought no matter how many protested, the changes would be made.
But that decision will not be coming very soon, according to Col. Keith Landry, who fielded many of the questions for the Corps in Pikeville last week.
Landry said there has not been a date set for when the decision will be made, pointing most closely to some time in December as a possibility.
There were also small groups of environmentalists at the public hearing, congregating mostly near the middle sections of the center and wearing green shirts, while the rest of the center was overtaken by black and red shirts with numerous slogans in support of coal and coal mining.
George Bevins, Jr. was among those hoping to see an end to mountaintop mining entirely. Among those in attendance supporting this viewpoint, Bevins stood out slightly from the rest of his group.
“I worked for more than 30 years in the coal mines and now I’m retired,” said Bevins, a Phyllis resident. “I’m for responsible mining and this is not responsible mining.”
Bevins said his views were not exactly popular among some of his friends, many of whom are former coworkers from his days of mining coal.
“I’m nobody’s enemy,” continued Bevins. “We’re all for mining, but this mountaintop removal is total destruction.”
For those who did not have the chance to speak and offer comments during the public hearing Friday, there is still a chance to do so. The Corps will be accepting written comments until Oct. 26. These comments, along with those heard last week will be reviewed before a decision is made, Corps representatives said.
This review of comments was one of two proposals to either modify Permit 21 and prohibit its use across the Appalachian region or to suspend the permit while the Corps evaluates the comments offered.
The Pikeville hearing was one of six public hearings held between Oct. 13 and 15. The other states in which hearings were held were West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
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