NOT ONE West Virginia Politician Cares to Respond...
Coal Country's discolored and HORRID-smelling water is in "compliance with applicable water quality standards," state environmental department tells us. The politicians won't respond...
Correction: In this story, I misidentified the spokesperson for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection as having previously been a senior vice president for a large coal mine. This was a mixup on my part confusing the spokesperson with another official. The WVDEP spokesperson has not previously worked in coal mining. I regret the error.
Hey folks, it’s Jordan.
What I have witnessed over the last few days shouldn’t shock me—I’ve seen and smelled a lot of contaminated water—but, in truth, it did.
Roaming and reporting through the backwoods of “coal country” in Wyoming County West Virginia, I saw with my own eyes a DEADLY DISASTER being completely swept under the rug by corporations, federal, state, and local government. And underneath that rug is some of the poorest people in America drinking and inhaling water for which INDEPENDENT testing has detected astronomical levels of arsenic, lead, manganese, and iron (high levels of iron is food for bacteria). Yesterday, I spoke with SEVERAL sick residents who have been made ill over the last year with diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headaches, rapid weight loss, among other things. I also spoke to a whistleblower in the healthcare industry (more on that to come).
Beyond the resident, there has been an ALARMING loss of animal life—with dogs, cats, roosters, fish, and deer rapidly dropping dead in the area since this water poisoning began a year ago. This ON-THE-GROUND reporting takes a lot of resources and is very expensive. PLEASE SUPPORT SC if you can:
WATCH AND SHARE TWO OF MY REPORTS FROM YESTERDAY:
Yesterday, I reached out to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with an itemized list of the details of my reporting as well as what residents were experiencing. In response, I got a novel from their spokesperson—with a whole lot of spin that translates to the same lies we’ve exposed the EPA and other state health departments feeding the people over and over and over again.
Here is part of what DEP told me:
“The WVDEP has conducted multiple sampling events for numerous parameters at various locations in the Indian Creek area, including Indian Creek, the artesianing field well, the well casing mentioned above, and citizens’ private wells, dating back to 2022….the WVDEP has and continues to encourage any citizen who observes or has concerns about impacts from mining operations to contact the agency’s Division of Mining & Reclamation at 304-926-0499 so that it can investigate.”
As you will find out over the coming days, this “all clear” propaganda will be debunked by both residents and healthcare professionals I spoke to ON-THE-GROUND. While the state environmental department feeds us lies, West Virginia’s political brass feed us…crickets.
I reached out TWICE to Governor Jim Justice—the multi-billionaire coal baron likely to win Joe Manchin’s Senate seat this November—and have received no response. Same goes for Senator Manchin, Shelley Moore Capito, and Congresswoman Carol Miller (who residents tell me they have to fill out several forms just for the opportunity to speak with her).
If you have the time, or the will, maybe they will be forced to answer with a little push from the Status COUP-mmunity.
Governor Jim Justice Office:
304-558-2000
Governor Jim Justice Mansion:
304-558-3588
Senator Joe Manchin:
202-224-3954 (D.C)
304-342-5855 (Charleston WV)
Senator Shelley Moore Capito:
202-224-6472 (D.C)
304-347-5372 (Charleston WV)
Rep. Carol Miller:
202-225-3452 (D.C)
304-250-6177 (Beckley WV)
681-945-6556 (Charleston WV)
More to come over the next few days. If you can, please SUPPORT this costly ON-THE-GROUND reporting:
Jordan