Mountain Top Removal takes center stage in Charleston, West Virginia this Thursday, January 21, where The University of Charleston will present a public conversation between Waterkeeper Alliance President and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Massey Energy Chairman and CEO Don Blankenship titled the “Forum on the Future of Energy.”  With a 6:15 pm kickoff time, the event cuts straight to the heart of what has become an increasingly tense national discussion about U.S. energy policy and its impact on jobs, the environment, the economy, and national security.  Moderated by UC President Edwin H. Welch, the debate will be held in the University’s Geary Auditorium, with a live remote broadcast in Eddie King Gymnasium.

The public is encouraged to submit potential questions.  Event organizers say the moderator will select, “a balance of representative, challenging questions chosen from among those submitted.”

Richmond-based Massey Energy is central Appalachia’s largest coal producer, and Blankenship has been a vocal critic of both U.S. trade policy and climate-change legislation.  In a recent interview in Forbes, he referred to global warming as “a hoax and a Ponzi scheme,” saying that clean coal and carbon sequestration are “not do-able,” and that “none of it matters because of the Asian use of coal and because there’s really no proof of global warming.”  In the same interview, he indicated that coal is the country’s only chance to be energy independent and the industry could be the source of the wealth needed to develop the next generation of energy.

Kennedy, the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, is president of Waterkeeper Alliance and chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper.  He was named a Time Magazine “Hero for the Planet” and is the best-selling author of Crimes Against Nature.  He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic and co-host of “Ring of Fire” on Air America Radio.  Kennedy has referred to mountaintop removal mining as “the worst environmental tragedy in American history” and an “Appalachian apocalypse.” (Washington Post, July 3, 2009).

Though the emotionally charged atmosphere of West Virginia, where the debate over Mountain Top Removal has reached unprecedented levels in recent months, may seem ripe for conflict, both participants say they welcome the opportunity for an open discussion on the practice.

Referring to the gathering as a conversation rather than a debate, both participants say they are looking forward to the event.  “American energy policy impacts jobs, the economy, and national security,” said Blankenship. “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to address these important issues with Dr. Welch and Mr. Kennedy and clarify what I believe is the right direction for our country’s future.”

“I am looking forward to meeting Mr. Blankenship in Charleston to finally engage openly in the critical dialogue over the economic, environmental, and cultural impacts of mountaintop removal,” stated Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  “Mountaintop removal has devastated, corrupted, and impoverished West Virginia, but it is not just a local issue.  The devastating ripples from these blasts reverberate across the country and around the world, in the form of mercury in all of our watersheds, coal ash poisoning our drinking water, ozone and particulates that sicken our citizens, and escalating global warming.  There is no more important issue facing our nation than our energy future.  It’s my hope that this debate helps finally put the true facts about mountaintop removal in front of the American public.”

UC President Ed Welch sees the forum as an opportunity for the University of Charleston to help flesh out the arguments and issues surrounding the debate over the role of coal in America’s energy future.  “We are thrilled to be able to bring together two individuals who are deeply involved in this issue on the national stage,” said Welch.  “The future direction of U.S. energy policy is a vital concern to the people of West Virginia, many of whom rely on the coal industry for their livelihood.  It is in everyone’s best interest to promote this discussion.”

Waterkeeper’s Director of Advocacy Scott Edwards expressed the view of the organization that the debate’s time has come.  “From extraction to transportation to burning and disposal, our continued use of coal is having dire consequences for our environmental and human health,” he said.  “The question that needs to be answered is not if we phase out coal use, but when do we do jettison this dirty fossil fuel from our energy portfolio.  And I think the answer to that question is clear: as soon as possible.”

Apparently, the public agrees that the debate’s time has come.  According to the University’s website, “the Forum has generated considerable interest and demand for tickets has exceeded the auditorium capacity.  Event organizers will distribute tickets in advance and no additional seats will be available.  For all others, the forum will be broadcast live in Eddie King Gymnasium on the university’s campus.  It will also be televised in its entirety on channel 13 (WOWK) in the Charleston area and on other stations around the state.”

Due to this demand, the "Forum on the Future of Energy" will also be made available on these websites: www.wowktv.com, www.wboy.com, www.wtrf.com, www.wvnstv.com.

This material was compiled from press releases from the Waterkeeper and the University of Charleston.

Editor's Note on Sunday, January 24, 2010:
To access 3 video segments of the Forum on the Future of Energy:

via WOWKTV.com, CLICK here

via WBOY.com, CLICK here

via WTRF.com, CLICK here

via WVNSTV.com, CLICK here

Also, via those webpages, you can read User Comments on the story as well as post your own.