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By Tim McKinney
WITH all the discussion about mountaintop removal, I would like to talk about governors and common sense. In 1989 and 1990, I was chairman of a group formed to protest a proposed mountaintop removal mine at Cotton Hill, Fayette County. This mountain is directly opposite the town of Gauley Bridge and rises nearly 1,000 feet above the Kanawha Valley. Its viewshed includes the historic Midland Trail, the Glen Ferris Inn - a structure which is on the National Register of Historic Places - and the Great Kanawha Falls. Cotton Hill is also known near and far for its use during the Civil War as a campsite, battlefield and burial place for soldiers.
To us it seemed just common sense that the mountaintop in such a location should not be removed. Indeed, we were shocked that anyone would propose such a thing, but they did. We organized and fought the permit for many months.
Our volunteer effort received publicity and praise from near and far. During the entire time, I could not believe that working-class folks had to organize and fight so hard to prevent what common sense would dictate to be irrational.
At one point, the man who was then director of the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection descended from the clouds in his helicopter to meet me on the mountain. We walked the rugged terrain to the crest of Cotton Hill overlooking the Kanawha Valley. Our eyes turned west, then east, absorbing the wondrous panorama afforded us. I hoped he was sufficiently impressed.
I explained to him our objections to this permit, noting history, scenery, environmental concerns and the public good. My little presentation took but a few minutes and at its conclusion the director of the DEP looked me in the eye and said, "The mountain will look better after this operation than it does now."
My hillbilly heart sank. My mind raced for words to meet the occasion, something, anything, to better convey the obvious. It was clear, however, that his mind was anything but open and that my time was wasted. He further informed me that he had "always respected a man's right to do whatever he wanted with his property." I thought, dear Lord, I'm on this mountain trying to ride a dead horse.
With the exception of then-state Sen. Bob Holliday, we could find no politician willing to buck the "good ole boy" ways and rally to our defense. Indeed, it seems that too many of our elected officials have the integrity of a wet paper towel, and a common sense muddled by the pursuit of financial gain.
I would say to them that their time in office, indeed, our lifetimes and theirs are not even a blink to the eye of God. Our 75 or 80 years upon this Earth are ephemera on the face of time and our legacy should be one of virtuous activity.
As our fight against the Cotton Hill "operation" was in its waning days, we at last were granted an audience with then-Gov. Gaston Caperton. At the given hour, five or six of us from the steering committee fled hill and dale en route to Mount Olympus. We arrived, hat in hand, prayer in heart.
Gov. Caperton entered the room with his sleeves rolled up and his mind open. I spread out before him a topographic map of the area in question and began to briefly explain the obvious. It went something like this: "Governor, here's Gauley Bridge, here's the Kanawha Valley and the Midland Trail, here's the site of the proposed mountaintop removal. Sir, this will present for decades to come a terrible eyesore if allowed to proceed, not to mention the historic, environmental and public good concerns we have."
Gov. Caperton did not speak during my presentation, but his eyes and facial expressions told me Mount Olympus was occupied by a man of common sense, and I felt like a desert nomad who at last was to be offered a lifesaving drink.
He proceeded to ask us some very straightforward questions while running his finger along the map. He then asked us if he could keep the map and of course we gave it to him. The permit was denied shortly thereafter. At no time during the many months this fight was underway did Gov. Caperton denounce us as "environmental extremists" or whatever. I feel that his brand of leadership is sorely missed at Mount Olympus.
McKinney was president of the Three Rivers Mountain Conservancy.
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