Mountaintop Mining in Appalachia: Understanding Stakeholders and Change in Environmental Conflict by Susan F. Hirsch & E. Franklin Dukes

Author:Susan F. Hirsch & E. Franklin Dukes [Hirsch, Susan F. & Dukes, E. Franklin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Public Policy, Conflict Resolution & Mediation, Social Science, Political Science, Business & Economics, Environmental Policy, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9780821445099
Google: cFB9BAAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 23217674
Publisher: Ohio University Press
Published: 2014-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

The participants at the meeting held at the governor’s mansion expressed different opinions about what their gathering had accomplished. One notable limitation was that some key stakeholder groups were not represented. For instance, Bill Raney of the West Virginia Coal Association had been invited to participate on behalf of the coal industry but was unable to attend. The perspectives of those who work in the mines were expressed primarily by a union representative. Some attendees wished that they could have spoken directly with industry representatives or miners, while others believed that their absence opened an opportunity to communicate more freely with the governor.

Getting the governor’s attention was an undeniably important achievement of the meeting. Governor Manchin, a former coal operator whose public stands placed him strongly in favor of mining and against tightening mining regulations, was an unlikely candidate to serve as a conciliator. For months, activists in the Coal River area had been asking to meet with Manchin and his staff to request help in relocating Marsh Fork Elementary School and stopping the expansion of MTM on Coal River Mountain (Shapiro 2010). Perhaps by coincidence or perhaps by design, the governor met with a group of those residents the day after the private mediation at his home (OVEC 2010a, 2010b). One participant speculated that the governor saw the first meeting as a way of preparing for the second, which he knew would be contentious. The second meeting included politicians as well as many key stakeholders in the MTM conflict. After the discussions, some of these stakeholders made statements, as did Governor Manchin and Kathy Mattea. The governor reaffirmed his commitment to MTM and other forms of mining, which he depicted as crucial to maintaining West Virginia’s economy.

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