Anti-Mountaintop Removal Activist in Danger

Forget New Hampshire, let’s pay a little attention to what’s happening in West Virginia.
While the national media and the latest generation of political junkies are close paying attention to one-time “community organizer” Barack Obama, community organizers in Appalachia are in a life and death struggle against the coal industry.

After winning a lawsuit last October that shut down a mountaintop removal coal mining operation, longtime anti-Mountaintop Removal activist and community organizer Maria Gunnoe, from the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and others received death threats. Maria has been under some tremendous threat to person and property as a result of courageously standing up the coal industry.

Individuals angry with her organizing efforts, legal challenges, and victories, have been harassing her, her family, neighbors and friends for months. She is committed to stand her ground and remains in her family home, but has had to implement a variety of security measures to do so. She has been asking for donations for her to continue these security measures.

Maria is making a great difference for her community and the climate, so please make any kind of donation possible to support her ($5, $10, $20 etc etc).

If you want to donate for the security fund, please send a check to or money order to:
Maria Gunnoe
PO Box 46
Bob White, WV 25028

4 Responses to “Anti-Mountaintop Removal Activist in Danger”


  1. 1 Malorie Mar 9th, 2008 at 10:29 pm

    Mountain top removal is what may easily be stated as a crime. For is it not? Is blowing the top of a MOUNTAIN off not a crime? While destroying entire egosystems, and civilizations wild and urban alike, high ranks companie officials sit in their warm homes powered by their coal. They ignore the fact that there are children dying as they sip their tea because ther is magnasium and squalor in their water. They do not relize that the children who have had to leave their homes are EATING DIRT OFF OLD HOUSE’S BECAUSE THEY’RE SO HUNGARY.
    I say to these people- you disgust me!

  2. 2 James C. Rymer Jul 25th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    Maria,

    As a veteran of the current WV mine wars, you are especially invited to address our Wood County Tea Party in the Parkersburg Municipal Building, 7:00 PM, August4.
    Sorry we missed you in Madison last week.

    Sincerely, James C. Rymer

  1. 1 Clinton: “Maybe there’s a way to recover those mountain tops . . .” « It’s Getting Hot In Here Trackback on Mar 19th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
  2. 2 Hillary Clinton Loves Her Some Coal « It’s Getting Hot In Here Trackback on Mar 19th, 2008 at 8:15 pm

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About


Scott Parkin is a grassroots campaigner with Rainforest Action Network, Rising Tide and Bay Rising affinity group. Originally from Texas, Scott now lives in San Francisco where he city treks, hikes, bikes, camps, listens to live music, plays fetch with his cat Barlow, spends time with his friends and works on different direct democracy and direct action campaigns.

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