Fear that bloodshed will return to Appalachia grows as mountaintop mining foes step up fight

Fear of violence grows in mountaintop mining fight

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A decade of tension between Appalachian coal miners and people who oppose mountaintop removal mining has reached the point where many fear violence.

After years of courtroom battles, activists have changed strategy. Led by a new group called Climate Ground Zero, they have chained themselves to dump trucks, scaled trees to stop blasting, blocked roads and staged sit-ins.

Mountaintop removal foes say the industry and its allies are stoking fear and anger among miners and their friends by accusing them of trying to kill coal through regulation — and they say those claims are leading to more threats against activists.

Both sides are fighting for a way of life. The miners see the mountains as their livelihood. Environmentalists see them as irreplaceable creations.