Facility prime example of using former surface mine lands for economic development
By Chris Hamilton
Chairman, Coalition for Mountaintop Mining
VARNEY, W.Va. – The dedication of the Mingo County Air Transportation Park in southern West Virginia this past week is a prime example of the value of our surface mine lands in the effort to build and diversify the economy of the Appalachian coalfields.
When construction is completed on the project, the people of southern West Virginia will have a new airport boasting a near-6,000 foot runway, capable of accommodating corporate jets. The accompanying acreage will be home to support services and other businesses, creating new opportunities for the people of Mingo County and surrounding areas.
As Governor Joe Manchin said in his comments at the dedication, “none of this would be possible without the help of the mining industry.”
More than 400 local people and others turned out Tuesday for the official dedication. These people by-and-large were local people, many of them the very miners who worked at the site when it was part of the ANR White Flame mountaintop surface mine.
The governor said the airport project sets the “gold standard for post-mine land use and is “a perfect example” of cooperation between the coal industry and local government officials and business leaders in the development of a sustainable and diversified economy for the coalfields region.
While in operation as part of the White Flame mine project, the site employed hundreds of coal miners and contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the state and local economy. In its new life, it will also provide employment for hundreds of people and become a center of commerce for the region.
Initially developed in 1998 by Don Nicewonder, the site was sold to ANR two years ago.
Joining Manchin at the dedication was Congressman Nick Rahall, who was instrumental in the passage of the original Surface Mine Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in 1977.
Rahall said the project is exactly what was envisioned when then-President Jimmy Carter signed the legislation in a Rose Garden ceremony that year.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller said in a prepared statement that ’ “healthy communities and promising economic progress hinge on new, creative opportunities – and the Mingo County Air Transportation Park is certainly an exciting example of just that.
“Airports are proven, sound investments that go a long way toward diversifying our local economies,” Rockefeller said. “They create new jobs, attract business opportunities and spur serious investments – all of which are especially important in our rural communities.”
Amen, Rockefeller, Rahall and Govenor Manchin understand the importance of coal today and tomorrow.
This site employed hundreds of coal miners, allowing them to provide for their families and support their local communities during its life as a mine. It provided millions of tons of coal the nation used to build cars, power our homes and businesses. The severance taxes paid on this work built schools, community centers and paid our teachers. Tomorrow, this site and sites like across this region will be the foundation – the building blocks – of a new economy for the region. All it takes is vision.
This project in Mingo County just one example a growing number of schools, recreational facilities and commercial developments on former mine lands throughout our five states.
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