About 20 protesters associated with the Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival Campaign, managed to shut down Patriot Coal’s Hobet mine in the US state of West Virginia for around three hours on Saturday.
According to the Seymour Tribune State Police Capt. D.M. Nelson said “most of the activists arrested Saturday were charged with trespassing,” adding that nobody was injured during the demonstration. The mine was back in production by late afternoon.
A year ago RAMPS activists occupied trees within Alpha Resources’ Bee Tree surface mine’s blasting zone, halting mining for more than a week.
The RAMPS Campaign is calling for an end to strip mining in the Appalachian region because of the devastating cumulative effects of mining on drinking water, residents’ health, cultural resources and air quality.
