Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Hargrove / Hicks From the Sticks Pro-Fisherman/Coal Industry Shill Invited to Fish Waters Near Kingston Coal Disaster
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Not surprisingly, he says this because Friends of Coal, a front for the West Virginia Coal Association, is his main sponsor. On his MySpace page, Starks says, "When I talk to groups in West Virginia I tell them something that not everyone in my state gets. I tell them that the water around active and abandoned coal mines is almost always some of the cleanest, healthiest flowing water you'll find. And the fishing around mine sites is fantastic."
United Mountain Defense has asked Starks to visit the site of the largest man-made environmental disaster in this country's history to do a little angling amid the coal ash.
"Bring your fishing pole to Tennessee, Mr. Starks," said UMD member Matt Landon. "You won't be catching any fish, but you might need it to fend off TVA security if you try and get near the site of the spill. And bring a haz-mat suit too."
Do hayseeds like Stark, acting as industry cheerleaders, know that the misinformation they're peddling is actually kind of dangerous? I join UMD in encouraging Stark to go fishing near the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant. Catch some fish if you can, Mr. Stark, but don't release. Eat what you catch. Put your BS to the test and prove to us all how safe and healthy the waters really are.
Comments (8)
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Being from West Virginia and having been around abandoned coal mines I only have one response to this:
"When I talk to groups in West Virginia I tell them something that not everyone in my state gets. I tell them that the water around active and abandoned coal mines is almost always some of the cleanest, healthiest flowing water you'll find. And the fishing around mine sites is fantastic."
Horse shit.
I hope he gets ridden out of town on a rail when he says that. He certainly deserves it.
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What does water quality around coal mines have to do with water quality around the Kingston spill? Nothing. This is a stupid blog post. Coal mine operations and fly-ash are two completely different things. Blaming the coal industry for the kingston disaster is like blaming the chicken farmer when someone chokes on a bone.
I'm not saying that Starks isn't a lying sack of shit, but your invitation for him to come fishing in Kingston as a way of discrediting his claim mimics the tortured illogic of Sarah Palin.
Taterman, didn't you notice the Clean Coal logo on the side of his boat? Here's a chance for Stark to see that reducing smokestack emissions doesn't do a thing for the poisoned byproduct coal-powered electricity generates by the ton.
Sources of energy have side effects. Coal causes acid, and worse, to get into the water table as rainwater and underground water make their way into mines. Coal has a side effect of ash. And, when the coal is separated from the surrounding shale the shale has to accumulate somewhere. That shale has coal in it and eventually burns when enough pressure occurs from more shale being piled on top of it. There are entire formations in West Virginia that look like hills, but are actually piles of shale, with a heart of fire that will explode whenever it is exposed to oxygen.
Clean coal my ass.
Doesn't MP&F have a contract to help improve Roan County's image? Maybe they thought of this?
It was very interesting for me to read this post. Thanx for it. I like such topics and anything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read more on that blog soon.
