We all want the lights to come on when we flip that switch, and we’re thankful for the risks taken by our coal miners, but few of us wish to witness how it all takes place.
But that’s no longer possible along Allendale Road in Mount Olivet. Sure, most knew about the facility when they purchased their nearby homes, but they say it’s different now. It’s more threatening than ever. They have their reasons.
That’s why a group of residents has been communicating their concerns for a couple of months, and they held one meeting on June 23 at the Ohio County Public Library, and a second meeting is scheduled for early August. A number of residents living along Allendale Road and Pin Oak Drive also met with W.Va. Del. Shawn Fluharty (D-5th) this past week.
But at noon today, it was a workday for the impoundment’s employees, and there were excavators moving the mounds of slag from one side to another. One of the operators appeared to be moving some of the materials away from the facility’s fencing closest to those neighborhoods,
The impoundment has been on this property for decades and it’s been connected to the Ohio County Mine, once known as the “Shoemaker Mine”, ever since. It’s been owned and operated by companies like Consolidated Coal, Murray Energy and now, by American Consolidated Energy Resources.
ACNR, according to the company’s online information, was formed after Murray filed for federal bankruptcy protections, and it now operates the mine as Ohio County Coal Resources. The residents say the activity has picked up, and the slag piles have grown significantly over the last two years.
And they’re worried, and they’re scared. Tragedies connected to coal slurry properties have happened before, and if something similar can be prevented by making their concerns public, then so be it.
And the company’s silence doesn’t help. And the fact that county and local officials – and a state lawmaker – can’t offer any answers is infuriating.
Now, Marshall County EMA Director Tom Hart was a guest on “Novotney Now” (River Talk 100.1/100.9 FM) this past Wednesday, and his best advice was to continue talking with state representatives like Del. Fluharty.
This Wednesday, July 8, local resident Tommy Joseph will join me from 5-6 p.m. to explain the neighborhood’s worries and to review their efforts to start a conversation with the operators and with the regulating agencies.
Everything could be normal. All could be A-O-K.
That’s all they want to know, but the silence forces them to fear the worst.
