Marshfork Elementary

We are writing in reference to the Independence Coal Company operation located at Sundial, WV. This coal operation sits behind and above the Marshfork Elementary School. This operation poses a health risk to the students at the school. We base this on the fact that a coal loading silo sits within 200 feet of the school grounds. A chemical coal-binding agent is sprayed on the coal as it is loaded on the coal cars. A toxic sludge dam sits above the school. The ground and logging operations immediately behind the school stir up coal dust, dirt, chemical residue, and other things that are harmful to our childrens health. The childrens health is further endangered by a coal preparation plant that is also close to the school. This coal cleaning preparation plant uses dangerous chemicals to wash the impurities from the coal before it is loaded on the coal cars for shipment to coal fired power plants. The water from this cleaning process contains coal particles and other toxins such as chromium, arsenic, mercury, lead, copper, and other harmful agents. The company has recently obtained a permit to surface mine an additional 1850 acres above the school. This new mining permit will add even more sludge and toxic chemicals to the dam. The blasting from the mine operation may weaken this dam. Our children travel along route 3 to the school, passing underneath dangerous rock cliffs that fall at any given time. The blasting associated with this mine site adds to the cumulative effects that cause these huge rocks to fall.
Furthermore, the daily blasting, the worry over airborne toxins, and the constant threat of sludge dam failure seriously degrade the childrens learning environment. Children cannot concentrate when they are jolted by multiple daily explosions. These stressors lead to emotional or mental disorders. These are elementary students in their crucial formative years. Such a massive industrial operation, by a company notorious for its safety and environmental violations, in such close proximity to young children threatens their physical, mental, and emotional development. If we really want to look out for our childrens future, let us provide them with a safe school environment that is conducive to learning, not a toxic, nerve-wracking nightmare.
Simply put, the children who attend this school are in danger from breathing toxins and coal dust. Due to blasting, these children are in danger due to a sludge dam failure or hazards to the school bus route. The cumulative effects of this environment to their physical and mental health warrant immediate action. We demand an immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation to determine the health effects this mining operation has on the children who attend this school. We further demand that the coal silo behind the school be shut down immediately and all mining operations cease until the investigation is complete and a report of the findings are published. If we are to err, let us err in favor of childrens health and safety rather than coal profits. Do not jeopardize the childrens lives another day through inaction.