Coal company reverting back to 1960s intimidation tactics

    Raleigh and Mary Jane Adams are long-time KFTC members in Leslie County. Over the years, they have had their share of disputes with coal companies, loggers, and oil and gas companies. They were instrumental in the passage of the constitutional amendment outlawing the abuses of the broad form deeds, which allowed coal companies to strip your land without your permission.

    However, their current problem is with a strip mining operation by Whymore Coal Company, which is operating in Long Branch in Leslie County. The company is attempting to take their land without their permission, has threatened them, and has also negatively impacted their neighbors.

    "We've gone back to the 60s. This is how they used to treat people before the broad form deed amendment. We've dealt with a lot of coal companies, and this is the worst.  They're acting like they own everything, and they're going to do whatever they want," said Raleigh Adams, a 77 year-old retired coal miner.

      The couple did originally have a contract with the company, but the company broke it.  As a result, the couple has repeated told them they were not allowed on their property. Earlier this week, the company has made numerous attempts to come on their land anyway. They have already disturbed about two acres of the property. Yesterday, Raleigh had to take things into his own hands and block the company's bulldozer from continuing to disturb their land.

      "Yesterday morning, my neighbor informed us that the coal company was coming on our land.  They bulldozed one of our "no trespassing" signs. After I went up there, they worked on the other side of the branch for a while. While I was waiting it out, I heard over the CB that they wanted to knock a tree over on me. Later, one of the bulldozer operators came within 5 feet of me on my four-wheeler, saying that he needed to build a road. I think he was just trying to intimidate me," Raleigh shared.

      The state police came in and told the coal company that it would be considered murder if they ran over Raleigh.

     Yesterday was the first time they asked about the deeds.  The company served him papers for being on his own land.

      Three weeks ago the company informed the couple that they would move out if they couldn’t come up with a deal to come on their property.

      "We've never seen anything like this. They will say one thing and do another.  They've told people that it's been settled. They will go ahead and mine, and they will go ahead and log. But nothing had been settled. They hadn't even contacted us," Mary Jane shared.

      When their nephews were talking with the previous owner of the operation, he told them, "I'm not going to pay him another dime; I will just bulldoze my way through." During a different interaction with the coal operator, Raleigh wanted him to fix the hill that was sliding down the mountain. He told him, "He'd fill my driveway full of rocks and logs if he tried to interfere with the mining operation. Another threat came from an individual who is making money off the operation. He said that any interference that would prohibit them from getting the coal and getting paid. "I'll beat you so bad that Mary Jane won't recognize you."

      Their neighbors have also had problems and unmet promises as well. The maps used to obtain the mining permit were inaccurate.  Plus, they got access to one tract of property through the undivided property law, which allows one heir to a property to sell off rights to the land even though everyone else is opposed.  Another neighbor had been promised a well to be drilled by allowing the trucks to widen the road. The road was widened to enable the coal trucks to drive faster past their homes, yet this resident still has no well.  The company bulldozed through trees and covered them up, which is against the law. They have also negatively impacted the creeks. The operator also informed workers that if they interacted with the neighbors they would be fired.

      "If anyone wants to see how they did a surface job back in the 60s and early 70s, they should just come here. The state will come up and give them citations, but it doesn't do any good; it hasn't changed how they're operating," Mary Jane added.

      "It upsets me that they would come in here and do this.  I've been in similar situations before but never anything like this," said Raleigh.

      "We're trying to keep them off because we know what they'll do if they get on there. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You can't put it back, but we shouldn't have keep fighting like this," she concluded.

One comment removed because of juvenile language and personal attack.